Just a quick update - my universe has now reached June 1894. There have been a number of rule changes following the creation of the PBA (Professional Boxing Organisation) on 01/01/1893. These are as follows:
To replace the previous two tier system, 32 boxers were introduced at beginner level and placed in a group called "Beginners" where they fight ten bouts in their first year and then compete in a knockout tournament, the winner of which holds the Gold Cup title.
Those that reach the semi final stage of this tournament are promoted to the upper tier of PBA boxers.
The bottom 4 boxers as at 31/12 each year are relegated to the "Beginners" group where they have to fight their way back to the upper tier.
Fighters who compete for two consecutive years in the "Beginners" group are retired.
The Heavyweight Champion must defend his title once a year against a top 5 ranked boxer in the PBA rankings. Any other title defence bouts which take place in the same year can be against anyone ranked in the top 20 in the PBA rankings.
Fighters must compete once against a fighter within 5 places of them in the PBA rankings per annum. Any subsequent bouts during the year can be against a fighter of their choosing.
Fighters who do not participate in a minimum of 3 bouts during any given year are stripped of their licence to box for a period of 3 years before they can compete. They are also introduced into the "Beginners" group to compete for the Gold Cup.
Hope this makes sense.
