In July 2011, former Olympian Alex Zammit and myself were asked by the then European Boxing Union (EBU) President Bob Logist to create a commission for the Republic of Malta. On the 11th July 2011 the Malta Boxing Commission became to official EBU member the EBU Annual Conference in Dublin, Ireland – click here to read Time of Malta report.
The Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) is the officially recognised professional boxing sanctioning organisation in the Republic of Malta. Founded on 10 June 2011, the commission governs the licensing of professional fighters, coaches, promoters, and ring officials while establishing medical protection standards across the sport.
Key Governance & Contacts
- Leadership: The organisation operates today under Chairman Charlie Cardona and President Tim Witherspoon and Chief Medical Officer Dr Mark Xuereb oversees boxer safety. Whilst I retain the honorary Vice President role I no longer am involved in day to day running of the commission
- Headquarters: Located at 10 Christef Flats, Triq il-Maskli, Qawra, San Pawl il-Baħar, Malta
Core Regulatory Functions
- Regulatory Rules: Follows the Unified Rules and Regulations for Professional Boxing. It employs identical medical and safety standards to the Association of Professional Boxing Commissions (APBC).
- Licensing Procedures: Issues licenses for professional fighters, trainers, referees, and promoters.
- Event Oversight: Mandates strict administrative compliance. Official promoter-boxer agreements covering bout length, weight ranges, and pay must be delivered to the commission at least one hour prior to any live event.
Affiliations & History
The MBC has established a varied historical footprint within international boxing governance:
Sanctioned Championships: Promotes its own MBC International Championship path while maintaining active sanctioning ties across regional and world championship organisations.
EBU & APBC Inductions: Initially affiliated with the European Boxing Union (EBU) in 2011. The MBC chose to cut ties with the EBU in 2012 over regulatory disagreements surrounding external fight sanctions. It secured induction into the global Association of Professional Boxing Commissions in June 2016.