The European Boxing Union (also popularly known to boxing fans as EBU) is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.
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History
The EBU started life as the (IBU) International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910. The IBU became the EBU in 1946.
During most of the 20th century, and, specially, during that era's first decades, the EBU recognized many world title fights. The European Boxing Union competed against the American based National Boxing Association (NBA), which staged the more widely recognized world title fights.
The European Boxing Union went through a period of economical difficulties during World War II. Because one of the organization's most important rules is that every fighter that fights for an EBU title must be a national and a resident of a European country, and all fights must be held in Europe, it became very hard, if not almost impossible, for the European Boxing Union to stage fights. As a consequence, the European Boxing Union suffered financial difficulties during this period.
In 1963 the WBC was formed when the president of Mexico, Adolfo López Mateos, invited the New York State Athletic Commission, the EBU, the BBBofC, and national sanctioning organizations of dozens of other countries, to form the WBC. The NBA (formed as a rival to the NYSAC) became the WBA in response to NYSAC and all the other major sanctioning bodies (USA-NYSAC, Argentina, England, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil) forming the WBC. The EBU's personnel ultimately decided to recognize regional title bouts instead.
During the 1990s, the EBU had some important developments, such as beginning to recognize women's boxing regional championship bouts, and welcoming former Yugoslavian country Bosnia and Herzegovina as a member country.
Currently, winning an EBU title is considered important, but not necessary, by many European boxers in order to go on and fight for a world title of the four most widely recognized world championship boxing organizations, the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC. Following the formation of the European Economic Union, the EBU issued subtitles for the Union countries (EBU-EU title) and "External" countries (EBU-EE title), below their main EBU title which would cover all 50 countries on the continent and 3/4 billion residents.
Rules
The EBU follows certain rules, but most rules in EBU bouts obey the rules set by the independent boxing commission of the country where an EBU fight will be held at. Some of the EBU rules are that a fighter must not be younger than 20 years of age when fighting for an EBU championship, and that hotel accommodation for boxers, referees and European Boxing Union officials visiting a country for an EBU fight must be paid by the fight's promoter. The EBU does, however, pay for the air or train tickets of referees and officials that travel away from home for an EBU fight. Other rules are also imposed on EBU recognized events, but not many of the EBU rules interfere with the fighting rules to be followed during the fight itself.