ABOUT THE RING

The Ring was founded in 1922 by Nat Fleischer. The first issue, dated February 15, 1922, and was 24 pages and cost 20 cents. The cover of the first issue featured black and white photographs of American promoter Tex Richard and Lord Lonsdale, a member of British aristocracy and boxing patron. Originally located in New York City, the magazine relocated to Long Island, New York, in 1990, and then moved to its current location, in suburban Pennsylvania in 1993. There have been only six editor-in-chiefs in the magazine’s 84 -year old history. Current editor Nigel Collins is the only editor to “regain the title,” originally serving from 1985 until ’89, then returning to the position in 1997.

The Ring began awarding championship belts in 1922. The first Ring belt was awarded to heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, the second to flyweight champion Pancho Villa. The magazine stopped giving belts to world champions in the 1990s, but began again in 2002 when it launched its new championship policy intended to reward fighters who, by satisfying rigid criteria, can justify a claim as the true and only world champion in a given weight class. Since then, Ring belts have been awarded to Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko (heavyweight), Roy Jones, Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, Bernard Hopkins (light heavyweight), Joe Calzaghe (super middleweight), Hopkins, Jermain Taylor (middleweight), Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Winky Wright (junior middleweight), Vernon Forrest, Ricardo Mayorga, Cory Spinks, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir (welterweight), Kostya Tszyu, Ricky Hatton (junior welterweight), Floyd Mayweather, Jose Luis Castillo, Diego Corrales (lightweight), Marco Antonio Barerra, Manny Pacquiao (featherweight), Paulie Ayala, Israel Vazquez (junior featherweight), Rosendo Alvarez (junior flyweight).