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The European Boxing Union (also popularly known to boxing fans as EBU) is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.

The EBU started life as the (IBU) International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910. The IBU became the EBU in 1946.

During most of the 20th century, and, specially, during that era's first decades, the EBU recognized many world title fights. The European Boxing Union competed against the American based NBA, which staged the more widely recognized world title fights. It shall be pointed out that, during those years, boxing was dominated by American and European boxers: until 1960, Latin America had only crowned 12 world champions and many countries in Asia, Oceania and Africa had not crowned a world champion yet.

The European Boxing Union went through a period of economical difficulties during World War II. Because one of the organization's most important rules is that every fighter that fights for an EBU title must be a national and a resident of an European country, and all fights must be held in Europe, it became very hard, if not almost impossible, for the European Boxing Union to stage fights. As a consequence, the European Boxing Union suffered financial difficulties during this period.

In 1963, the National Boxing Association of the United States became the WBA and, soon, the association moved its headquarters to Panama. This was done, supposedly, to give Latin American boxers a better chance at competing for world titles and boxers from around the world in general better opportunities. In 1967, the WBC was formed from a group of WBA members that disagreed with the WBA's policies, and, with two other organizations competing to attract boxers, the EBU's personnel ultimately decided to recognize regional title bouts instead.

During the 1990s, the EBU had some important developments, such as beginning to recognize women's boxing regional championship bouts, and welcoming former Yugoslavian country Bosnia-Hercegovina as a member country.

Currently, winning an EBU title is considered important, but not necessary, by many European boxers in order to go on and fight for a world title of the four most widely recognized world championship boxing organizations, the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.

The EBU follows certain rules, but most rules in EBU bouts obey the rules set by the independent boxing commission of the country where a EBU fight will be held at. Some of the EBU rules are that a fighter must not be younger than 20 years of age when fighting for an EBU championship, and that hotel accommodation for boxers, referees and European Boxing Union officials visiting a country for an EBU fight must be paid by the fight's promoter. The EBU does, however, pay for the air or train tickets of referees and officials that travel away from home for a EBU fight. Other rules are also imposed on EBU recognized events, but not many of the EBU rules interfere with the fighting rules to be followed during the fight itself.

• boxebu.com