The European Boxing Union (EBU), formerly known as the International Boxing Union (IBU), is a pan-European governing body that sanctions championship bouts in professional boxing. The EBU governs the most-prestigious continental title in Europe, the EBU European Championship, in addition to their EBU for competitors from within the European Union and the EBU for those outside the European Union. It is a federation affiliated with the World Boxing Council (WBC). During most of the 20th century and, specially, during that era's first decades, the EBU recognized many world title fights as the IBU. It competed against the American-based National Boxing Association (NBA), which staged the more widely recognized world title fights. History International Boxing Union (1911–1942) The International Boxing Union (IBU) was created June 1911 in Paris, France. It was the first attempt to create a unified international governing body for professional boxing. Signators of the Protocol for the IBU were the President of Fédération Française de Boxe et de Lutte for France, the President of Fédération Belge de Boxe for Belgium, and the President of Société Française de Propagation de la Boxe Anglaise who acted on behalf of some American boxing authorities. Switzerland joined the IBU in November 1913. Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Argentine, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom also joined. By 1922, the UK had withdrawn support, and the US was never fully committed. The IBU suspended operations with the outbreak of World War I, but resumed action on February 5, 1920. Associazione Pugilistica Professionistica Europea (1942–1944) Headquartered in Paris, the IBU was in the hands of the Nazis and Italian Fascists during the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. On 5 June 1942, the Associazione Pugilistica Professionistica Europea (APPE) was formally established, replacing the IBU. Vittorio Mussolini, eldest son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, was declared the APPE's first President. The first official meeting of the APPE's steering committee was held June 7, who recognized the following European champions: Enrico Urbinati (fly), Gino Bondavalli (bantam and feather), Ascenzo Botta (light), vacant - it was announced to Marcel Cerdan that he had lost his title (welter), Jupp Besselmann (middle), Luigi Musina (light-heavy), and Max Schmeling (heavy). The lira was adopted as the official currency for bout and congress fees. The APPE also changed the division weights by adopting the kilogram: 51 kilos (fly), 54 (bantam), 58 (feather), 62 (light), 67 (junior middle—abolishing