World Athletic Association

Pat O'Grady, a Maverick boxing promoter, formed the World Athletic Association in Oklahoma, after the World Boxing Association withdrew recognition as world lightweight champion from his son, Sean O'Grady, in July 1981.

The first WAA's fight was held on October 31, 1981, when Sean O'Grady was knocked out in 2 rounds by Andrew Ganigan for the lightweight title, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The group's first super middleweight champion was Jerry Halstead, who knocked Ron Brown out in 6 rounds, on April 3, 1982, in Denver, Colorado, for the newly inaugurated WAA title. After one defense, Wimpy soon outgrew the division. (Note: the Halstead-Brown bout was the third in the history of the super middleweight or "junior light heavyweight" division. Don Fullmer stopped Joe Hopkins in 6 rounds for the vacant world light heavyweight title in Salt Lake City, Utah on April 3, 1967 but never defended it. The title was dormant until Billy Douglas knocked out Danny Brewer in 2 rounds in Columbus, Ohio in a bout advertised as being for the "vacant world junior light heavyweight title." Douglas, too, did not defend that championship.)

Pat O'Grady's son-in-law, Monte Masters, won the vacant WAA heavyweight title knocking Tony Fulilangi out in 14 rounds, on September 22, 1983, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Masters was promptly stripped of his heavyweight title after splitting from Pat's daughter in 1984. Then, an eliminatory match for the vacant title was scheduled between two just retired...
Read More