What’s happening with the WBC in 2026 covers a lot of ground: a title stripping controversy, a brand new tournament format, and the organization’s biggest convention of the year. Every time a big WBC name is in the news, whether it’s a title fight, a stripped belt, or convention headlines, we see it directly in our order queue. People want the green and gold strap that matches what they just watched.
If you’re newer to boxing belts in general and want the full picture across every sanctioning body, start with our boxing championship belt buyer’s guide. This post is focused specifically on what’s happening with the WBC this year.
When and Where Is the WBC’s 2026 Convention?
The WBC’s 64th Annual Convention runs November 8 to 13, 2026, at Palacio Mundo Imperial in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. It’s the organization’s biggest event of the year, bringing together champions, promoters, officials, and media from around the world.
A few things actually get decided at this convention, not just celebrated. The Mandatory Bouts Session is where promoters and managers sit down with the WBC’s Board of Governors to lock in official matchups and determine what’s next for world titles. The Ratings Committee does a full review of the global rankings during the same week. There’s also Ring Officials Training focused on officiating standards, medical and safety updates, and the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony that closes things out, honoring the best of the year across the sport.
The Biggest WBC Story of 2026: The Terence Crawford Title Stripping
If you’ve followed boxing news at all this year, this is the story that set the tone. Terence Crawford beat Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision in September 2025 to become undisputed super middleweight champion, holding the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO titles at once. It should have been the biggest moment of his career. Instead, it turned into one of the messiest disputes in recent WBC history.
In December 2025, the WBC stripped Crawford of his title, claiming he hadn’t paid sanctioning fees for two fights in a row: his win over Israil Madrimov in August 2024, and the Canelo fight itself. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said the organization had even lowered its usual fee from 3% to 0.6% (still around $300,000) and never got a response. Crawford fired back publicly, accusing Sulaiman of favoritism and refusing to pay. The fallout carried straight into 2026, with the super middleweight division left without a clear WBC titleholder and other fighters (and their camps) weighing in publicly on both sides.
Is the WBC Really the Most Prestigious Boxing Belt?
Most fans and analysts do consider it the most prestigious of the “Big Four,” and that’s our take too, but it’s not a universal or uncontested opinion.
The case for the WBC is mostly historical. It’s the oldest of the four major sanctioning bodies, founded in 1963 as the World Boxing Council, and its green strap has been worn by nearly every legendary heavyweight and pound for pound great in modern boxing history, from Muhammad Ali to Mike Tyson to Floyd Mayweather to Canelo Alvarez. When people picture a “world championship belt” in their head, more often than not, they’re picturing the WBC design.
That said, the criticism is real, and the Crawford situation is a good example of it. Fighters and analysts have pointed out that sanctioning fees and ranking decisions can be influenced by promotional politics. Terence Crawford himself said publicly that fighters with the right connections sometimes climb rankings faster than their record justifies. It’s a fair criticism to be aware of, even if it doesn’t change our own take on the belt’s overall prestige.
How WBC Boxing Rankings Actually Work
The Ratings Committee at the Annual Convention
The WBC’s global rankings across all weight divisions get a full review during convention week, handled by the organization’s Ratings Committee. This is where contenders move up, drop off, or get flagged as mandatory challengers for the year ahead. Want to see where the current title picture stands across every organization, WBC included? Check our roundup of who holds every boxing world title right now.
Why Sanctioning Fees Keep Coming Up in Rankings Talk
The standard WBC sanctioning fee is 3% of a fighter’s purse for a title fight, capped at roughly $300,000. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has defended the fee publicly, saying the money funds the Clean Boxing Program (anti doping testing done with VADA), weight management initiatives, and the Jose Sulaiman Boxers Fund, which supports current and retired fighters. Critics see it differently, arguing the fee structure gives the organization outsized financial leverage over champions, which is exactly what played out in the Crawford dispute.
The WBC Boxing Grand Prix: A New Tournament Format
Separate from its regular title fights, the WBC launched its first ever tournament format event in 2025: the Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix, run in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season initiative. It was a genuinely new idea for the sport: 128 fighters from more than 40 countries, split into four weight divisions (featherweight, super lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight), competing in a single elimination bracket across multiple phases throughout the year.
The tournament wrapped with its finals on December 20, 2025, with the winner of each division awarded the Jose Sulaiman Trophy, named after the WBC’s late longtime president. As of this writing, the WBC hasn’t confirmed a second season for 2026, but given how much attention the format got, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it returns in some form.
Why WBC in 2026 Keeps Driving More Orders for Us
Yes, WBC events and headlines genuinely move our order volume, and it happens every time. Whenever there’s a major fight coming up, especially one involving a WBC title, we see a real spike in requests for the WBC style belt specifically. Customers want to have their own version of that green and gold belt ready before, during, or right after a fight they’re excited about.
It happens constantly around big fights: a customer will reach out because a famous matchup is coming up and they want a belt to match the moment, whether it’s for a watch party, a gift, or just something they want on display while the fight is fresh. That pattern has held true for as long as we’ve been building these.
If you want your own version of the WBC design, here’s the WBC style belt we build, plate, strap, and all.
FAQ: WBC Boxing in 2026
When is the WBC’s 2026 annual convention?
The WBC’s 64th Annual Convention takes place November 8 to 13, 2026, at Palacio Mundo Imperial in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.
How much is a WBC sanctioning fee?
The standard WBC sanctioning fee is 3% of a fighter’s purse for a title bout, capped at roughly $300,000, though the WBC has negotiated lower rates in specific cases.
What is the WBC Boxing Grand Prix?
It’s the WBC’s first tournament format championship event, run in partnership with Riyadh Season in 2025, featuring 128 fighters across four weight divisions competing in a single elimination bracket for the Jose Sulaiman Trophy.
Is the WBC more prestigious than the WBA, IBF, or WBO?
Most fans and analysts consider it the most prestigious of the four, largely due to its history and the recognizability of its green strap design, though sanctioning fees and ranking politics remain a common point of criticism across all major organizations, WBC included.
How much does a custom WBC style championship belt cost?
Pricing depends on materials and detailing. For a full breakdown of what goes into the cost, see our 2026 championship belt pricing and materials guide.
Ibrahim Zaheer is the founder of Retro Shields, where he and his team hand build custom and replica championship belts for boxing, wrestling, MMA, and beyond.
