01/01/1990 - The Ring Magazine Suspends Its Championship Policy

In 1989, The Ring magazine formally stopped awarding world championships across all weight divisions. This decision followed years of mounting criticism over how its titles were bestowed — particularly accusations of inconsistency and favoritism throughout the 1970s and 1980s, when champions were often “named” by the magazine’s editorial board rather than crowned through clear, decisive fights.

The turning point came with an editorial overhaul at the end of 1989, when Steve Farhood took over as Editor-in-Chief, replacing long-time editor Nigel Collins, whose approach to championship recognition had been increasingly questioned by fans and industry insiders. With the sport now dominated by the major sanctioning bodies — WBC, WBA, and IBF — and confusion growing over multiple parallel champions, The Ring announced in its January 1990 issue that it would no longer recognize or award world titles until a stricter and more credible championship policy could be implemented.

The last Ring heavyweight champion of that era was Mike Tyson, who had been recognized as champion by the magazine in 1988, following his unification of the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles. After Tyson’s reign, the title remained vacant.

As a result, from 1989 until 2001, there was no active Ring heavyweight champion — or champion in any weight class — as the magazine paused its policy altogether. This hiatus lasted until new ownership and editorial leadership reintroduced the modern Ring Championship Policy in 2001, based on a “lineal” approach that emphasized the two top-rated fighters facing each other to determine a true champion.