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.
The Ring has had five owners throughout its history: Nat Fleischer and family, Dave DeBusschere and Nick Kladis, Stanley Weston, Nick Karabots, and now Oscar De La Hoya.
There have been only six editors-in-chief in the magazine's 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.
