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List of world heavyweight boxing championship matches in 19th century

Date	29 August 1885
Venue	Chester Driving Park, Cinncinati, Ohio
Title(s) on the line	Lineal heavyweight championship
Tale of the tape
Boxer John L. Sullivan Dominick McCaffrey Nickname The Boston Strong Boy Hometown Roxbury, Massachusets, USA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Pre-fight record 34–0 (30 KO) 7–2–3 (4 KO) Height 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Weight 208 lb (94 kg) 168 lb (76 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition World bare-knuckle heavyweight champion
Result
John L. Sullivan def. Dominick McCaffrey via PTS

John L. Sullivan def. Dominick McCaffrey

• Many boxing historians, including those at The Ring and Cyber Boxing Zone, consider this fight to be for the inaugural world heavyweight championship under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules. However, some dispute that claim for various reasons, including the short distance of the bout, McCaffrey's small size and the fact that both fighters were Americans. At that time, Tom Lees was heavyweight champion of Australia and so would have just as much right to claim the new vacant world's championship. Patsy Cardiff, who was by birth a Canadian, would have had an equal right to proclaim himself Marquess of Queensberry champion as he was unbeaten and considered Northwest Champion at this date.
• Sullivan entered the fight as the American Bare-Knuckle Heavyweight Champion. He won the title from Paddy Ryan in Mississippi City, Mississippi, on February 7, 1882.
• Sullivan and McCaffrey boxed a three-round exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 13, 1884.
• McCaffrey earned a shot at Sullivan by winning a four-round decision against Charley Mitchell, an English boxer, at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 13, 1884.
• Sullivan and McCaffrey had been scheduled to fight in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 2, 1885, but mayor William Burns Smith refused to allow the bout. Both fighters were arrested and placed under $5,000 bond apiece. Ticket receipts had to be refunded.
• After the cancellation in Philadelphia, the bout was moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, the home of the fight's promoter, George Campbell.
• On August 28, the day before the fight, Sullivan was arrested at the behest of the Law and Order League under a municipal statute that authorized citizens to call on a constable or police officer to arrest the principals of a planned prizefight. McCaffrey went into hiding when he heard of the arrest. Sullivan appeared before a judge and said only a sparring exhibition was planned. He was released after he posted $1,000 bail. The morning of the bout, the judge ruled that a bout with gloves was not a prizefight and could continue.
• At 5 feet 10½ inches tall, Sullivan was 1½ inches taller than McCaffrey.
• Sullivan weighed 208 pounds, 40½ more than McCaffrey. For his previous fight, a five-round decision win against Jack Burke on June 13, 1885, Sullivan weighed 238.
• The fighters wore three-ounce gloves.
• The April 31, 1885, edition of the Milwaukee Daily Journal also reported Referee William C. Tate's opinion of the fight: "He says the match was a regular farce, and that Sullivan displayed the most science, and as McCaffrey did nothing but dodge to escape punishment, he passed his decision on each man's merits."
• The Weekly Commercial Herald reported on September 4, 1885, that Sullivan was awarded the decision by the referee after six rounds, but "opinion gives the battle to McCaffrey."

Date	7, September 1892
Venue	Olympic Club, New Orleans, Louisiana
Title(s) on the line	Lineal heavyweight championship
Tale of the tape
Boxer John L. Sullivan James J. Corbett Nickname The Boston Strong Boy Gentleman Jim Hometown Roxbury, Massachusets, USA San Francisco, California, USA Pre-fight record 38–0–1 (32 KO) 8–0–2 (2 KO) Height 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight 212 lb (96 kg) 178 lb (81 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition Lineal heavyweight champion
Result
James J. Corbett def. John L. Sullivan by KO at 1:30 in round 21

James J. Corbett def. John L. Sullivan

• Before this, Sullivan and Corbett boxed an exhibition in San Francisco on June 26, 1891.
• Sullivan was a 4 to 1 favorite.
• Tickets were scaled from $5 to $15.
• There was a crowd of 10,000 at the Olympic Club in New Orleans.
• According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the match was mostly one-sided, with Corbett outboxing Sullivan using lateral movement. In the 21st round, with Sullivan tiring, Corbett unleashed a series of punches that staggered the champion. Sullivan, bleeding and battered, retreated to a corner and grabbed hold of the top rope. Too tired to hold his hands up, a right hand dropped Sullivan again. Sullivan managed to rise, but a left-right combination put Sullivan down for the last tine.

Date	7, September 1892
Venue	Duvall Athletic Club, Jacksonville, Florida
Title(s) on the line	Lineal heavyweight championship
Tale of the tape
Boxer James J. Corbett Charley Mitchell Nickname Gentleman Jim Hometown San Francisco, California, USA Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom Pre-fight record 9–0–2 (3 KO) 8–0–2 (2 KO) Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Weight 184 lb (83 kg) 165 lb (75 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition Lineal heavyweight champion
Result
James J. Corbett def. Charley Mitchell by KO in round 3

James J. Corbett def. Charlie Mitchell

The Following is from the Daily Huronite, January 26, 1894:

THE GREAT FIGHT
How Corbett Won and Mitchell Lost the Great Battle at Jacksonville
The Details of the Much Advertised Mill, It Was Easy For the Champion
Duval Club Unmercifully Scorned For Lack of Enterprise In the Arrangements

For the first time since he has been acknowledged head of the pugilistic fraternity of the world, James J. Corbett has defended with success the title which he won by defeating his predecessor, John L. Sullivan. Pitted against the boasted exponent of the manly art in England, America's brawny representative has proven his fitness for the place of honor which his sinews and muscles won for him and the tail of the British lion has been severely stepped upon by the foot of the mighty bruiser from the West. There is exultation in the land, and Charles Mitchell is groveling in the dust of defeat, heaping imprecations on his ill luck, and mingling with them vain regrets of his inability to whip his victor. The British pugilist has attended his pugilistic funeral, and henceforth he will remember with permanent grief the time and place of his first defeat. It was all Corbett's battle, though Mitchell made a show in the first round.

THE FIGHT BY ROUNDS

The men entered the ring and time was called at 2:50 pm. The referee ordered them to shake hands, but neither responded. Then the fight began.

First Round—Corbett led with left on Mitchell's chin. They clinch. Exchanged body blows and Jim reaches Charlie's left eye, heavily. Mitchell reaches the ribs. Another exchange and Mitchell clinches. Mitchell gets in on Corbett's neck, and Jim lands right and right again. Just as time called good body blow. Honors easy in first round. It looks as if it was to be a wicked fight.

Second Round—A wild exchange and a clinch. Corbett uppercuts his man as they come together. Mitchell lands hard on ribs, and as Mitchell came in Jim caught him on head, staggering him. Corbett uppercuts Mitchell again and lands with right on Charlie's ribs, Mitchell reaching Jim's chin as a sharp rally, with Corbett having all the best of it. They are going to get at it. Mitchell got in twice on Corbett's neck. Corbett knocks him down twice in succession Jim floored his man clearly and knocked him down again as he assayed to arise. The gong saved Mitchell.

Third Round—Mitchell rather groggy. Corbett rushed at him swung right and left heavy on Mitchell's neck. Charlie went down. He took the full time to arise, and then Corbett rushed at him like a tiger. Mitchell clinched. Corbett threw him off and floored him with a stiff facer. Again he took all the time to rise, and when he advanced towards Corbett the latter swung his right with deadly effect on Charlie's nose. Mitchell reeled and fell on his face, helpless. Corbett wins easily.

The referee counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Mitchell is knocked out. The referee declared Corbett winner of the match and champion of the world. Mitchell's face was covered with blood. He was carried to his corner in a helpless condition. Time of fight nine minutes.

MORNING OF THE FIGHT
All Jacksonville Was Up At An Unusually Early Hour

This city was up and doing earlier than it has been for many a day. It had been fairly lively all night long, for many of the sports were so late in getting ready for bed that they were afraid they might miss something, so they remained up and made themselves very much in evidence throughout the small hours. The rush toward the arena began at an early hour. It was long before the time set for the contest when streams of buggies, carriages and all sorts of vehicles began to drift out toward the arena. The price of transportation went up with the increased demand. Hard times in the North have made visitors fewer in number this year than for a decade.

The hackmen of Jacksonville, therefore, prepared to accumulate as much wealth as possible to tide them over a hard summer. Two, three and four dollars was asked and paid for a trip to the arena. The price carried with it the privilege of a return ticket, but there was no earthly chance of finding the original vehicle, as the avaricious just snapped up everything that had the price of a ride and let the majority of those whom they carried out get back to town the best way possible. The jam around the doors of the arena was dense at times, but there was plenty of room for all and no discomfort was experienced by anybody.

The betting in the morning was strong in Corbett's favor, the general impression being that the little Englishman would stand no show against him. This "general impression," however, did not exist to any large extent among the members of the Mitchell party. It did not bother Mitchell himself either. He was just as cool and confident before the fight as he has always been. Mitchell, in fact has never shown the slightest nervousness or anxiety over the result. He has always acted as though he was the person least interested in the fight. He climbed out of bed shortly after 7 o'clock, happy and cheerful and announced promptly, "I want my breakfast, and I want it pretty quick." He went through a short series of light exercises, was rubbed down and then turned his attention to his breakfast, which consisted of mutton chops, a little steak, a small amount of potatoes, toast and tea. This over, Mitchell went quietly in his room waiting for the time to come for his departure for the ringside.

CONDEMNED THE RING
Dempsey and Hall Demanded a better Place to Fight In

Jack Dempsey went over to the ring to inspect the arrangements. He found the floor in a shaky condition, and the posts not padded. He emphatically told the officers of the Duval club that unless the matters were remedied there would be no fight, as Corbett would not enter the ring in that condition. Jim Hall went over to inspect the ring on behalf of Mitchell, and heartily approved of the alterations suggested by Dempsey, and intimated as Dempsey had done, that it would be wise action on the part of the club to get a move on itself if it cared to see his principal in a fight. This put the club almost into a fit, and it started to do things with what passes for a hurry in this land. The nearer the contest comes the worse seems to be the management of the Duval club. Its members seemed more than ever to justify Mitchell's caustic comment "There ain't a man in it with brains enough to have a headache." It is gelling tickets at all kinds of prices and charges are openly made that it has not hesitated to sell the desirable seats of the arena several times over. This means that the mill between Mitchell and Corbett will be the wind up of a long series of petty rows and fights among the audience.

THE DOORS OPENED

Promptly at 12 o'clock the doors were opened, and the crowd, which had by this time swollen to fully 500, made a wild surge through the doors. They carried the one lone ticket taker entirely off his feet, and before he regained a standing position at least 20 men had passed into the arena to view the fight without the necessity of going to their pockets for something which they probably did not contain. The workmen had not finished padding the posts, and fully a dozen of them were placing pillows around them. The pillows, however, were much too short, and a space of fully 30 inches was left between the bottom of the pillow and the floor of the platform. It made an ugly place for a man to strike his head upon if he should happen to be knocked against it.

While one gang of men were working on the resin on the floor of the ring, another was laboring to stretch canvas from the roofs to the sides of the edge of the arena. There was a feeble effort to keep out the rain which came down in fearful spurts but was death to the hopes of the men who had discovered the mode of entrance to the arena. It effectively prevented them from slipping over the edges of the arena. Referee John Kelly came into the grounds later, carrying a small unpretentious looking bundle, but it contained that that without which there would have been no fight here. It was in fact a bundle of banknotes, consisting of several $1000 bills, a lot of $500 and a whole chunk of smaller denominations, the whole aggregating $20,000. The purse which will belong to the winner.

HISTORY OF THE MATCH

The Corbett-Mitchell fight is logically the outcome of the downfall of the 12-years idol of the pugilistic world. Mitchell had fought a draw with Sullivan when Sullivan was in his prime. Before Mitchell and Corbett met each other in the ring. Mitchell equally with the San Franciscan was a formidable claimant for the laurels which Corbett wrested from the pride of Boston in New Orleans a year ago. When Corbett was proclaimed the champion he had to face a torrent of challenges It was a public cry that Corbett should meet the handsome English lad first and the conviction settled itself in Corbett's mind that a fight with Mitchell That was inevitable. A. long prelude of cross firing in the press finally brought the men together. An agreement was prepared early last summer and the month of December selected for the date. The articles of agreement included a stake of ?10,000 each, to be posted by the men and invitation to the then three leading clubs in America, to bid against each other for the honor of the battleground. Even before the match was made Mitchell had signed a promise with Charley Noel to give New Orleans the preference, but fighting got a black eye in the Crescent City by the Hall-Fitzsimmons fiasco and Coney Island was left to wrestle with Roby for the consent of the fighters. Judge Newton came out victor in the competition but prize fighting became an issue in New York politics. Mayor Boody signed the death warrant of Coney Island. and then Governor Matthews prepared a shroud for the club and its backers, and Mitchell and Corbett turned their eyes southward for money and a battle ground.

They dickered with the Olympic club of New Orleans, made their demands decisive, and finally lost the opportunity to fight without annoyance and police protection. Then from among a mass of offers the pugilists picked out the one from Jacksonville for serious consideration. J. E. T. Bowden, one of Jacksonville's first citizens was east when the death knell of the Coney Island was sounded. He rushed back here, consulted the Florida statutes, found no prohibition against boxing contests, sounded the oldest and the best and most influential citizens, and found bucking on both sides and the

DUVAL ATHLETIC CLUB WAS BORN

Then the commissioner of the club went East met the backers of the pugilists, talked business to them and obtained their signatures to articles of agreement. Under the agreement the club offered a purse of $4O.OOO and acceded to a demand of the pugilists for $5,000 to cover training and incidental expenses. The Coney Island's original offer was $40,000 for the fight. Executive interference sliced the purse in two. After making the match the Duval club proceeded to advertise it broadest. Then telegrams began to pour into Jacksonville protesting against the contest. Governor Mitchell

WAS DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

He ranged himself in stern opposition The impolitic management hero bid open defiance to the authorities, and then commenced the long newspaper warfare between Jacksonville and his excellency, culminating in the marshaling of the troops hero and the institution of the action for an injunction. The club won the legal tilt, the state gracefully yielding, and the most interesting match which pugilistic history records was permitted to proceed to its finale. The fight was under Queensberry rules, with 5 ounce gloves, with a referee selected by the club and with no limit to the number of rounds.

TRAINING QUARTERS

Corbett's training was done at Mayport, a small fishing station unknown to the world at large until the advent of the pugilist and his party, and situated about 20 miles from Jacksonville and 7 from Pablo Beach, the summer resort of Floridians. The hamlet of Mayport is but a straggling one, possessed of few if any natural attractions, but a spot well fitted for a pugilist's training. The Atlantic stretches out its broad bosom to the eastward, leaving a broad and unbroken beach of firm white sand, and the wide river St. Johns courses past it to the west. Of the few cottages of which the hamlet can boast, the Corbett party secured four, and under their roofs and on the broad firm beach the champion took his daily practice at boxing, wrestling and running. With Corbett has been Billy Delaney, his trainer, the same who made him fit to whip Sullivan; John McVey, the wrestler; Dan Creedon, the Australian aspirant for Fitzsimmons' scalp; Professor John Donaldson, New York's expert boxing instructor; Dan Tracey, W. A. Brady, Corbett's manager, and "Kid" Egan, private secretary to the pugilist.

Corbett has trained hard and faithfully since he arrived in Florida and his appearance prior to his departure from his quarters fully justified the assertion of himself and his friends that he was fit to do battle for anything within the gift of man.

MITCHELL QUARTERS MORE RETIRED

Mitchell, the English pugilist, was in a sense more fortunate than his opponent in the selection of training quarters, for the place which he picked out is far from Jacksonville, and, consequently, Mitchell has been subjected to fewer visitors. His quarters were located on Anastasta island, reached by the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West railroad, and with him have been Billy Thompson, his manager: Jim Hall, Tom Allen, exchampion: Bat Masterson and Steve Brodie. Mitchell's course of training has been practically the same as that followed by other pugilists preparing for an encounter, but in all of his training he has been singularly methodical and painstaking and has evidenced that intensity of purpose which has marked his career. His time has been divided between punching the bag, boxing with Jim Hall and long runs on the beach. Barring the spraining of a muscle in his ankle, Mitchell has been free from troubles during his weeks of preparation and was in excellent trim for the fray when he arrived hero from Anastasia island.

List of champions

No.	Champion	Nationality	Recognition	Reign Began	Reign Ended	Title defenses	Additional recognition	Notes	Source(s)
1	John L. Sullivan def. Dominick McCaffrey	United States	Universal	August 29, 1885	September 7, 1892	-		25,4
2	James J. Corbett	United States	Universal	September 7, 1892	March 17, 1897	def. Charley Mitchell on Jan 25, 1894		5
3	Bob Fitzsimmons	United Kingdom	Universal	March 17, 1897	June 9, 1899	-
4	James J. Jeffries	United States	Universal	June 9, 1899	May 13, 1905	def. Tom Sharkey on Mar 11, 1899 def. John Finnegan on April 6, 1900 def. James J. Corbett on May 11, 1900 def. Gus Ruhlin on Nov 15, 1901 def. Bob Fitzsimmons on Jul 25, 1902 def. James J. Corbett on Aug 14, 1903 def. Jack Munroe on Aug 26, 1904		2,6
5	Marvin Hart def. Jack Root	United States	Universal	July 3, 1905	February 23, 1906	-		1
6	Tommy Burns	Canada	Universal	February 23, 1906	December 26, 1908	def. James J. Walker on Mar 28, 1906 def. Jim O'Brien on Mar 28, 1906 def. Fireman Jim Flynn on Oct 2, 1906 draw vs. Philadelphia Jack O'Brien on Nov 28, 1906 def. Philadelphia Jack O'Brien on May 8, 1907 def. Bill Squires on Jul 4, 1907 def. Gunner Moir on Dec 2, 1907 def. Jack Palmer on Feb 10, 1908 def. Jem Roche on Mar 17, 1908 def. Jewey Smith on April 18, 1908 def. Bill Squires on Jun 13, 1908 def. Bill Squires on Aug 24, 1908 def. Bill Lang on Sept 3, 1908
7	Jack Johnson	United States	Universal	December 26, 1908	April 5, 1915	def. Al Kaufman on Sept 9, 1909 def. Stanley Ketchel on Oct 16, 1909 def. James J. Jeffries on Jul 4, 1910 def. Fireman Jim Flynn on Jul 4, 1912 draw vs. Battling Jim Johnson on Dec 19, 1913 def. Frank Moran on Jun 27, 1914		7
8	Jess Willard	United States	Universal	April 5, 1915	July 4, 1919	def. Frank Moran on Mar 25, 1916
9	Jack Dempsey	United States	Universal	July 4, 1919	July 2, 1921	def. Billy Miske on Sept 6, 1920 def. Bill Brennan on Dec 14, 1920 def. Georges Carpentier on Jul 2, 1921
9	Jack Dempsey def. Georges Carpentier	United States	NBA	July 2, 1921	July 24, 1922	-	The Ring awarded the title in 1922
9	Jack Dempsey	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	July 24, 1922	September 23, 1926	def. Tommy Gibbons on Jul 4, 1923 def. Luis Angel Firpo on Sept 14, 1923	The Ring
10	Gene Tunney	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	September 23, 1926	July 31, 1928	def. Jack Dempsey on Sept 22, 1927 def. Tom Heeney on Jul 26, 1928	The Ring	2
11	Max Schmeling def. Jack Sharkey	Germany	NBA, and NYSAC	June 12, 1930	January 7, 1931	-	The Ring	1,8
11	Max Schmeling	Germany	NBA, and IBU	January 7, 1931	June 21, 1932	def. Young Stribling on Jul 3, 1931	The Ring	1,10
12	Jack Sharkey	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 21, 1932	June 29, 1933	-	The Ring
13	Primo Carnera	Italy	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 29, 1933	June 14, 1934	def. Paulino Uzcudun on Oct 22, 1933 def. Tommy Loughran on Mar 1, 1934	The Ring	1,10
14	Max Baer	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 14, 1934	June 13, 1935	-	The Ring	9
15	James J. Braddock	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 13, 1935	June 22, 1937	-	The Ring
16	Joe Louis	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 22, 1937	March 1, 1949	def. Tommy Farr on Aug 30, 1937 def. Nathan Mann on Feb 23, 1938 def. Harry Thomas on April 4, 1938 def. Max Schmeling on Jun 22, 1938 def. John Henry Lewis on Jan 25, 1939 def. Jack Roper on April 17, 1939 def. Tony Galento on Jun 28, 1939 def. Bob Pastor on Sep 20, 1939 def. Arturo Godoy on Feb 9, 1940 def. Johnny Paycheck on Mar 29, 1940 def. Arturo Godoy on Jun 20, 1940 def. Al McCoy on Dec 16, 1940 def. Red Burman on Jan 31, 1941 def. Gus Dorazio on Feb 17, 1941 def. Abe Simon on Mar 21, 1941 def. Tony Musto on April 8, 1941 def. Buddy Baer on May 23, 1941 def. Billy Conn on Jun 18, 1941 def. Lou Nova on Sep 29, 1941 def. Buddy Baer on Jan 9, 1942 def. Abe Simon on Mar 27, 1942 def. Johnny Davis on Nov 14, 1944 def. Billy Conn on Jun 19, 1946 def. Tami Mauriello on Sep 18, 1946 def. Jersey Joe Walcott on Dec 5, 1947 def. Jersey Joe Walcott on Jun 25, 1948	The Ring	2
17	Ezzard Charles def. Jersey Joe Walcott	United States	NBA	June 22, 1949	September 27, 1950	def. Gus Lesnevich on Aug 10, 1949 def. Pat Valentino on Oct 14, 1949 def. Freddie Beshore on Aug 15, 1950 def. Joe Louis on Sep 27, 1950	-	1,10
-	Lee Savold	United States	BBBofC	June 6, 1950	June 16, 1951	-	-	1,10
17	Ezzard Charles def. Joe Louis	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	September 27, 1950	June 16, 1951	def. Nick Barone on Dec 5, 1950 def. Lee Oma on Jan 12, 1951 def. Jersey Joe Walcott on Mar 7, 1951 def. Joey Maxim on May 30, 1951	The Ring	1,10
17	Ezzard Charles	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 16, 1951	July 18, 1951	-	The Ring
18	Jersey Joe Walcott	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	July 18, 1951	September 23, 1952	def. Nick Barone on Jun 5, 1952	The Ring
19	Rocky Marciano	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	September 23, 1952	April 27, 1956	def. Jersey Joe Walcott on Mar 15, 1953 def. Roland LaStarza on Sept 24, 1953 def. Ezzard Charles on Jun 17, 1954 def. Ezzard Charles on Sept 17, 1954 def. Don Cockell on May 16, 1955 def. Archie Moore on Sept 21, 1955	The Ring	2
20	Floyd Patterson def. Archie Moore	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	November 30, 1956	June 26, 1959	def. Tommy Jackson on Jul 29, 1957 def. Pete Rademacher on Aug 22, 1957 def. Roy Harris on Aug 18, 1958 def. Brian London on May 1, 1959	The Ring	1,11
21	Ingemar Johansson	Sweden	NBA, and NYSAC	June 26, 1959	June 20, 1960	-	The Ring
22	Floyd Patterson (Second reign)	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	June 20, 1960	September 25, 1962	def. Ingemar Johansson on Mar 13, 1961 def. Tom McNeeley on Dec 4, 1961	The Ring
23	Sonny Liston	United States	NYSAC, and WBA	September 25, 1962	July 22, 1963	def. Floyd Patterson on Jul 22, 1963	The Ring
23	Sonny Liston def. Floyd Patterson	United States	NYSAC, WBA, and WBC	July 22, 1963	February 25, 1964	-	The Ring
24	Cassius Clay	United States	NYSAC, WBA, and WBC	February 25, 1964	June 19, 1964	-	The Ring	12
24	Muhammad Ali	United States	NYSAC, and WBC	June 19, 1964	February 6, 1967	def. Sonny Liston on May 25, 1965 def. Floyd Patterson on Nov 22, 1965 def. George Chuvalo on Mar 29, 1966 def. Henry Cooper on May 21, 1966 def. Brian London on Aug 6, 1966 def. Karl Mildenberger on Sep 10, 1966 def. Cleveland Williams on Nov 14, 1966 def. Ernie Terrell on Feb 6, 1967	The Ring
25	Ernie Terrell def. Eddie Machen	United States	WBA	March 5, 1965	February 6, 1967	def. George Chuvalo on Nov 1, 1965 def. Doug Jones on Jun 28, 1966	-	1
24	Muhammad Ali	United States	NYSAC, WBA, and WBC	February 6, 1967	April 29, 1967	def. Zora Folley on Mar 22, 1967	The Ring	13
26	Joe Frazier def. Buster Mathis	United States	NYSAC	March 4, 1968	February 16, 1970	def. Manuel Ramos on Jun 24, 1968 def. Oscar Bonavena on Dec 10, 1968 def. Dave Zyglewicz on Apr 22, 1969 def. Jerry Quarry on Jun 23, 1969 def. Jimmy Ellis on Feb 16, 1970	-	1
27	Jimmy Ellis def. Jerry Quarry	United States	WBA	April 27, 1968	February 16, 1970	def. Floyd Patterson on Sep 14, 1968	-	1,14
26	Joe Frazier def. Jimmy Ellis	United States	WBA, and WBC	February 16, 1970	January 22, 1973	def. Bob Foster on Nov 18, 1970 def. Muhammad Ali on Mar 8, 1971 def. Terry Daniels on Jan 15, 1972 def. Ron Stander on May 25, 1972	The Ring def. Muhammad Ali on Mar 8, 1971	15
28	George Foreman	United States	WBA, and WBC	January 22, 1973	October 30, 1974	def. José Roman on Sep 1, 1973 def. Ken Norton on Mar 26, 1974	The Ring	1,10
29	Muhammad Ali (Second reign)	United States	WBA, and WBC	October 30, 1974	February 15, 1978	def. Chuck Wepner on Mar 24, 1975 def. Ron Lyle on May 16, 1975 def. Joe Bugner on Jun 30, 1975 def. Joe Frazier on Oct 1, 1975 def. Jean-Pierre Coopman on Feb 20, 1976 def. Jimmy Young on Apr 30, 1976 def. Richard Dunn on May 24, 1976 def. Ken Norton on Sep 28, 1976 def. Alfredo Evangelista on May 16, 1977 def. Earnie Shavers on Sep 29, 1977	The Ring
30	Leon Spinks	United States	WBA, and WBC	February 15, 1978	March 18, 1978	-	The Ring	3
30	Leon Spinks	United States	WBA	March 18, 1978	September 15, 1978	-	The Ring
31	Ken Norton awarded the title	United States	WBC	March 18, 1978	June 9, 1978	-	-	16
32	Larry Holmes	United States	WBC	June 9, 1978	December 11, 1983	def. Alfredo Evangelista on Nov 10, 1978 def. Ossie Ocasio on Mar 23, 1979 def. Mike Weaver on Jun 22, 1979 def. Earnie Shavers on Sep 28, 1979 def. Lorenzo Zanon on Feb 3, 1980 def. Leroy Jones on Mar 31, 1980 def. Scott LeDoux on Jul 7, 1980 def. Muhammad Ali on Oct 2, 1980 def. Trevor Berbick on Apr 11, 1981 def. Leon Spinks on Jun 12, 1981 def. Renaldo Snipes on Nov 6, 1981 def. Gerry Cooney on Jun 11, 1982 def. Randall "Tex" Cobb on Nov 26, 1982 def. Lucien Rodriguez on Mar 27, 1983 def. Tim Witherspoon on May 20, 1983 def. Scott Frank on Sep 10, 1983	The Ring def. Muhammad Ali on Oct 2, 1980	2
33	Muhammad Ali (Third reign)	United States	WBA	September 15, 1978	October 18, 1979	-	The Ring	2
34	John Tate def. Gerrie Coetzee	United States	WBA	October 20, 1979	March 31, 1980	-	-	1
35	Mike Weaver	United States	WBA	March 31, 1980	December 10, 1982	def. Gerrie Coetzee on Oct 25, 1980 def. James Tillis on Oct 3, 1981	-
36	Michael Dokes	United States	WBA	December 10, 1982	September 23, 1983	draw vs. Mike Weaver on May 20, 1983	-
37	Gerrie Coetzee	South Africa	WBA	September 23, 1983	December 1, 1984	-	-
32	Larry Holmes awarded the title	United States	IBF	December 11, 1983	September 21, 1985	def. James Smith on Nov 9, 1984 def. David Bey on Mar 15, 1985 def. Carl Williams on May 20, 1985	The Ring	17
38	Tim Witherspoon def. Greg Page	United States	WBC	March 9, 1984	August 31, 1984	-	-	1
39	Pinklon Thomas	United States	WBC	August 31, 1984	March 22, 1986	def. Mike Weaver on Jun 15, 1985	-
40	Greg Page	United States	WBA	December 1, 1984	April 29, 1985	-	-
41	Tony Tubbs	United States	WBA	April 29, 1985	January 17, 1986	-	-
42	Michael Spinks	United States	IBF	September 21, 1985	February 19, 1987	def. Larry Holmes on Apr 19, 1986 def. Steffen Tangstad on Sep 6, 1986	The Ring	3
43	Tim Witherspoon (Second reign)	United States	WBA	January 17, 1986	December 12, 1986	def. Frank Bruno on Jul 19, 1986	-
44	Trevor Berbick	Jamaica Canada	WBC	March 22, 1986	November 22, 1986	-	-
45	Mike Tyson	United States	WBC	November 22, 1986	March 7, 1987	def. James Smith on Mar 7, 1987	-
46	James "Bonecrusher" Smith	United States	WBA	December 12, 1986	March 7, 1987	-	-
45	Mike Tyson	United States	WBA, and WBC	March 7, 1987	August 1, 1987	def. Pinklon Thomas on May 30, 1987 def. Tony Tucker on Aug 1, 1987	-
47	Tony Tucker def. Buster Douglas	United States	IBF	May 30, 1987	August 1, 1987	-	-	1
45	Mike Tyson	United States	WBA, WBC, and IBF	August 1, 1987	February 11, 1990	def. Tyrell Biggs on Oct 16, 1987 def. Larry Holmes on Jan 22, 1988 def. Tony Tubbs on Mar 21, 1988 def. Michael Spinks on Jun 27, 1988 def. Frank Bruno on Feb 25, 1989 def. Carl Williams on Jul 21, 1989	The Ring def. Michael Spinks on Jun 27, 1988
48	Francesco Damiani def. Johnny du Plooy	Italy	WBO	May 6, 1989	January 11, 1991	def. Daniel Eduardo Neto on Dec 16, 1989	-	1
49	James "Buster" Douglas	United States	WBA, WBC, and IBF	February 11, 1990	October 25, 1990	-
50	Evander Holyfield	United States	WBA, WBC, and IBF	October 25, 1990	November 13, 1992	def. George Foreman on Apr 19, 1991 def. Bert Cooper on Nov 23, 1991 def. Larry Holmes on Jun 19, 1992	-
51	Ray Mercer	United States	WBO	January 11, 1991	December 24, 1991	def. Tommy Morrison on Oct 18, 1991	-	3
52	Michael Moorer def. Bert Cooper	United States	WBO	May 15, 1992	February 3, 1993	-	-	1,2
53	Riddick Bowe	United States	WBA, WBC, and IBF	November 13, 1992	December 14, 1992	-	-	2
53	Riddick Bowe	United States	WBA, and IBF	December 14, 1992	November 6, 1993	def. Michael Dokes on Feb 6, 1993 def. Jesse Ferguson on May 22, 1993	-
54	Lennox Lewis awarded the title	United Kingdom Canada	WBC	December 14, 1992	September 24, 1994	def. Tony Tucker on May 8, 1993 def. Frank Bruno on Oct 1, 1993 def. Phil Jackson on May 6, 1994	-	18
55	Tommy Morrison def. George Foreman	United States	WBO	June 7, 1993	October 29, 1993	def. Tim Tomashek on Aug 30, 1993	-	1
56	Michael Bentt	United Kingdom United States	WBO	October 29, 1993	March 19, 1994	-	-
57	Evander Holyfield (Second reign)	United States	WBA, and IBF	November 6, 1993	April 22, 1994	-
58	Herbie Hide	United Kingdom	WBO	March 19, 1994	March 11, 1995	-	-
59	Michael Moorer (Second reign)	United States	WBA, and IBF	April 22, 1994	November 5, 1994	-
60	Oliver McCall	United States	WBC	September 24, 1994	September 2, 1995	def. Larry Holmes on Apr 8, 1995	-
61	George Foreman (Second reign)	United States	WBA, and IBF	November 5, 1994	March 4, 1995	-	-	3
61	George Foreman	United States	IBF	March 4, 1995	June 28, 1995	def. Axel Schulz on Apr 22, 1995		2
62	Riddick Bowe (Second reign)	United States	WBO	March 11, 1995	May 1, 1996	def. Jorge Luis Gonzalez on Jun 17, 1995	-	3
63	Bruce Seldon def. Tony Tucker	United States	WBA	April 8, 1995	September 7, 1996	def. Joe Hipp on Aug 19, 1995	-	1
64	Frank Bruno	United Kingdom	WBC	September 2, 1995	March 16, 1996	-	-
65	Mike Tyson (Second reign)	United States	WBC	March 16, 1996	September 7, 1996	-	-
66	Michael Moorer (Third reign) def. Axel Schulz	United States	IBF	June 22, 1996	November 8, 1997	def. Francois Botha on Nov 9, 1996	-	1,19
67	Henry Akinwande def. Jeremy Williams	United Kingdom	WBO	June 29, 1996	February 17, 1997	def. Alexander Zolkin on Nov 9, 1996 def. Scott Welch on Jan 11, 1997	-	1,2
65	Mike Tyson	United States	WBA, and WBC	September 7, 1996	September 24, 1996	-	-	2
65	Mike Tyson	United States	WBA	September 24, 1996	November 9, 1996	-	-
68	Evander Holyfield (Third reign)	United States	WBA	November 9, 1996	November 8, 1997	def. Mike Tyson on Jun 28, 1997 def. Michael Moorer on Nov 8, 1997	-
69	Lennox Lewis (Second reign) def. Oliver McCall	United Kingdom Canada	WBC	February 7, 1997	November 13, 1999	def. Henry Akinwande on Jul 12, 1997 def. Andrzej Golota on Oct 4, 1997 def. Shannon Briggs on Mar 28, 1998 def. Željko Mavrović on Sep 26, 1998 draw vs. Evander Holyfield on Mar 13, 1999 def. Evander Holyfield on Nov 13, 1999	-	1
70	Herbie Hide (Second reign) def. Tony Tucker	United Kingdom	WBO	June 28, 1997	June 26, 1999	def. Damon Reed on Apr 18, 1998 def. Wilhelm Fischer on Sep 26, 1998	-	1
68	Evander Holyfield	United States	WBA, and IBF	November 8, 1997	November 13, 1999	def. Vaughn Bean on Sep 19, 1998 draw vs. Lennox Lewis on Mar 13, 1999	-
71	Vitali Klitschko	Ukraine	WBO	June 26, 1999	April 1, 2000	def. Ed Mahone on Oct 9, 1999 def. Obed Sullivan on Dec 11, 1999	-
69	Lennox Lewis	United Kingdom Canada	WBA, WBC, and IBF	November 13, 1999	April 29, 2000	-	-	3
72	Chris Byrd	United States	WBO	April 1, 2000	October 14, 2000	-	-
69	Lennox Lewis	United Kingdom Canada	WBC, and IBF	April 29, 2000	April 22, 2001	def. Michael Grant on Apr 29, 2000 def. Francois Botha on Jul 15, 2000 def. David Tua on Nov 11, 2000	-
73	Evander Holyfield (Fourth reign) def. John Ruiz	United States	WBA	August 12, 2000	March 3, 2001	-	-	1
74	Wladimir Klitschko	Ukraine	WBO	October 14, 2000	March 8, 2003	def. Derrick Jefferson on Mar 24, 2001 def. Charles Shufford on Aug 4, 2001 def. Francois Botha on Mar 16, 2002 def. Ray Mercer on Jun 29, 2002 def. Jameel McCline on Dec 7, 2002	-
75	John Ruiz	United States	WBA	March 3, 2001	March 1, 2003	draw vs. Evander Holyfield on Dec 15, 2001 draw vs. Kirk Johnson on Jul 27, 2002	-
76	Hasim Rahman	United States	WBC, and IBF	April 22, 2001	November 17, 2001	-	-
77	Lennox Lewis (Third reign)	United Kingdom Canada	WBC, and IBF	November 17, 2001	September 5, 2002	def. Mike Tyson on Jun 8, 2002	The Ring awarded the title in 2002	2
77	Lennox Lewis	United Kingdom Canada	WBC	September 5, 2002	February 6, 2004	def. Vitali Klitschko on Jun 21, 2003	The Ring	2
78	Chris Byrd (Second reign) def. Evander Holyfield	United States	IBF	December 14, 2002	April 22, 2006	def. Fres Oquendo on Sep 20, 2003 draw vs. Andrzej Golota on Apr 17, 2004 def. Jameel McCline on Nov 13, 2004 def. DaVarryl Williamson on Oct 1, 2005	-	1
79	Roy Jones Jr.	United States	WBA	March 1, 2003	February 20, 2004	-	-	2
80	Corrie Sanders	South Africa	WBO	March 8, 2003	October 9, 2003	-	-	2
81	John Ruiz (Second reign) def. Hasim Rahman for interim title	United States	WBA	February 20, 2004	December 17, 2005	def. Fres Oquendo on Apr 17, 2004 def. Andrzej Golota on Nov 13, 2004 NC vs. James Toney on Apr 30, 2005	-	20
82	Lamon Brewster def. Wladimir Klitschko	United States	WBO	April 10, 2004	April 1, 2006	def. Kali Meehan on Sep 4, 2004 def. Andrzej Golota on May 21, 2005 def. Luan Krasniqi on Sep 28, 2005	-	1
83	Vitali Klitschko (Second reign) def. Corrie Sanders	Ukraine	WBC	April 24, 2004	November 9, 2005	def. Danny Williams on Dec 11, 2004	The Ring	1,2
84	Hasim Rahman (Second reign) def. Monte Barrett for interim title	United States	WBC	November 9, 2005	August 12, 2006	draw vs. James Toney on Mar 18, 2006	-	21
85	Nikolai Valuev	Russia	WBA	December 17, 2005	April 14, 2007	def. Owen Beck on Jun 3, 2006 def. Monte Barrett on Oct 7, 2006 def. Jameel McCline on Jan 20, 2007	-	1,10
86	Siarhei Liakhovich	Belarus	WBO	April 1, 2006	November 4, 2006	-	-
87	Wladimir Klitschko (Second reign)	Ukraine	IBF	April 22, 2006	February 23, 2008	def. Calvin Brock on Nov 11, 2006 def. Ray Austin on Mar 10, 2007 def. Lamon Brewster on Jul 7, 2007 def. Sultan Ibragimov on Feb 23, 2008	-
88	Oleg Maskaev	United States Russia	WBC	August 12, 2006	March 8, 2008	def. Okello Peter on Dec 10, 2006	-
89	Shannon Briggs	United States	WBO	November 4, 2006	June 2, 2007	-	-	-
90	Ruslan Chagaev	Uzbekistan	WBA	April 14, 2007	June 20, 2009	def. Matt Skelton on Jan 19, 2008 def. Carl Davis Drumond on Feb 7, 2009	-	22
91	Sultan Ibragimov	Russia	WBO	June 2, 2007	February 23, 2008	def. Evander Holyfield on Oct 13, 2007	-
87	Wladimir Klitschko	Ukraine	IBF, and WBO	February 23, 2008	July 2, 2011	def. Tony Thompson on Jul 12, 2008 def. Hasim Rahman on Dec 13, 2008 def. Ruslan Chagaev on Jun 20, 2009 def. Eddie Chambers on Mar 20, 2010 def. Samuel Peter on Sep 11, 2010 def. David Haye on Jul 2, 2011	The Ring def. Ruslan Chagaev on Jun 20, 2009
92	Samuel Peter	Nigeria	WBC	March 8, 2008	October 11, 2008	-	-
93	Nikolai Valuev (Second reign) def. John Ruiz	Russia	WBA	August 30, 2008	November 7, 2009	def. Evander Holyfield on Dec 20, 2008	-	1,22
94	Vitali Klitschko (Third reign)	Ukraine	WBC	October 11, 2008	December 15, 2013	def. Juan Carlos Gomez on Mar 21, 2009 def. Chris Arreola on Sep 26, 2009 def. Kevin Johnson on Dec 12, 2009 def. Albert Sosnowski on May 29, 2010 def. Shannon Briggs on Oct 16, 2010 def. Odlanier Solís on Mar 19, 2011 def. Tomasz Adamek on Sep 10, 2011 def. Dereck Chisora on Feb 18, 2012 def. Manuel Charr on Sep 8, 2012]]	-	2
95	David Haye	United Kingdom	WBA	November 7, 2009	July 2, 2011	def. John Ruiz on Apr 3, 2010 def. Audley Harrison on Nov 13, 2010	-
87	Wladimir Klitschko	Ukraine	WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO	July 2, 2011	November 28, 2015	def. Jean-Marc Mormeck on Mar 13, 2012 def. Tony Thompson on Jul 7, 2012 def. Mariusz Wach on Nov 10, 2012 def. Francesco Pianeta on May 4, 2013 def. Alexander Povetkin on Oct 5, 2013 def. Alex Leapai on Apr 26, 2014 def. Kubrat Pulev on Nov 15, 2014 def. Bryant Jennings on Apr 25, 2015	The Ring
-	Alexander Povetkin def. Ruslan Chagaev	Russia	WBA (Regular)	August 27, 2011	October 5, 2013	def. Cedric Boswell on Dec 3, 2011 def. Marco Huck on Feb 25, 2012 def. Hasim Rahman on Sep 29, 2012 def. Andrzej Wawrzyk on May 17, 2013	-	1,23
96	Bermane Stiverne def. Chris Arreola	Canada	WBC	May 10, 2014	January 17, 2015	-	-	1
-	Ruslan Chagaev def. Fres Oquendo	Uzbekistan	WBA (Regular)	July 6, 2014	March 5, 2016	def. Francesco Pianeta on Jul 11, 2015	-	1
97	Deontay Wilder	United States	WBC	January 17, 2015	February 22, 2020	def. Eric Molina on Jun 13, 2015 def. Johann Duhaupas on Sep 26, 2015 def. Artur Szpilka on Jan 16, 2016 def. Chris Arreola on Jul 16, 2016 def. Gerald Washington on Feb 25, 2017 def. Bermane Stiverne on Nov 4, 2017 def. Luis Ortiz on Mar 3, 2018 draw vs. Tyson Fury on Dec 1, 2018 def. Dominic Breazeale on May 18, 2019 def. Luis Ortiz on Nov 23, 2019	-
98	Tyson Fury	United Kingdom	WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO	November 28, 2015	December 8, 2015	-	The Ring	3
98	Tyson Fury	United Kingdom	WBA (Super), and WBO	December 8, 2015	October 12, 2016	-	The Ring	2
99	Charles Martin def. Vyacheslav Glazkov	United States	IBF	January 16, 2016	April 9, 2016	-	-	1
-	Lucas Browne	Australia	WBA (Regular)	March 5, 2016	May 12, 2016	-	-	24
100	Anthony Joshua	United Kingdom	IBF	April 9, 2016	April 29, 2017	def. Dominic Breazeale on Jun 25, 2016 def. Eric Molina on Dec 10, 2016 def. Wladimir Klitschko on Apr 29, 2017	-
-	Ruslan Chagaev awarded the title	Uzbekistan	WBA (Regular)	May 12, 2016	July 25, 2016	-	-	3
101	Joseph Parker def. Andy Ruiz Jr.	New Zealand	WBO	December 10, 2016	March 31, 2018	def. Răzvan Cojanu on May 6, 2017 def. Hughie Fury on Sep 23, 2017	-	1
100	Anthony Joshua def. Wladimir Klitschko	United Kingdom	WBA (Super), and IBF	April 29, 2017	March 31, 2018	def. Carlos Takam on Oct 28, 2017 def. Joseph Parker on Mar 31, 2018	-	1
-	Manuel Charr def. Alexander Ustinov	Syria	WBA (Regular)	November 25, 2017	present	-	-	1
100	Anthony Joshua	United Kingdom	WBA (Super), IBF, WBO	March 31, 2018	June 1, 2019	def. Alexander Povetkin on Sep 22, 2018	-
102	Andy Ruiz Jr.	United States Mexico	WBA (Super), IBF, WBO	June 1, 2019	December 7, 2019	-	-
103	Anthony Joshua (Second reign)	United Kingdom	WBA (Super), IBF, WBO	December 7, 2019	present	-	-
104	Tyson Fury (Second reign)	United Kingdom	WBC	February 22, 2020	present	-	The Ring

Footnotes

1. Won vacant championship title.
2. Voluntarily relinquished championship title.
3. Championship recognition withdrawn by sanctioning organization upon his refusal to fight an opponent of the organization's designation.
4. In 1882, Sullivan defeated Paddy Ryan to win the bare-knuckle championship of America. A lack of legitimate challengers elsewhere gradually resulted in Sullivan earning worldwide recognition. On August 29, 1885, he defeated Dominick McCaffrey in a bout described as "the Marquess of Queensberry glove contest for the championship of the world."
5. Corbett announced his retirement from boxing in 1895, nominating Steve O'Donnell as his successor. As tradition demanded the title be won in the ring, O'Donnell was matched against Peter Maher on November 11, 1895 at Maspeth, New York. Maher won via first-round knockout, but the public generally didn't accept Maher and Maher himself expressed a desire to fight Corbett for the "real" title. In Maher's next bout, Bob Fitzsimmons defeated him via first-round knockout on February 21, 1896. Fitzsimmons in turn was defeated by Tom Sharkey of Dundalk on December 2, 1896, in a contest billed as for the heavyweight title. Corbett announced his return to the ring shortly thereafter, at which time the championship claims of Maher, Fitzsimmons, and Sharkey were for the most part dismissed. Sharkey's title claims lapsed when he was defeated by Jeffries in May 1898.
6. Jeffries announced his retirement, relinquishing the title and promoting a match between Marvin Hart and Jack Root for the championship. Jeffries returned to the ring to challenge Jack Johnson.
7. The British National Sporting Club withdrew its recognition of Johnson as champion when he refused to defend his title against the British champion William "Iron" Hague. The NSC matched Hague with Canadian Sam Langford for its title on May 24, 1909. Langford won via fourth-round knockout but never pursued a championship claim.
8. Schmeling earned championship recognition by defeating Jack Sharkey by controversial disqualification. The New York State Athletic Commission withdrew its recognition of Schmeling when he refused to grant Sharkey an immediate rematch. The NYSAC did not recognize a champion until Sharkey defeated Schmeling in 1932.
9. In late 1934, the International Boxing Union (IBU) ordered Baer to defend his title against European champion Pierre Charles of Belgium. When Baer refused, the IBU sanctioned a bout between Charles and American George Godfrey for their title on October 2, 1935. Godfrey won via fifteen-round decision but never pursued a championship claim. The IBU ultimately recognized Baer's successor James J. Braddock as champion.
10. Two months after Louis' retirement announcement, the International Boxing Union sanctioned a bout between British champion Bruce Woodcock and American Lee Savold for its version of the title. The bout was not staged until June 1950, however, due to delays caused by injuries suffered by Woodcock in an automobile accident. Meanwhile, Ezzard Charles defeated Jersey Joe Walcott to win the vacant National Boxing Association championship title. Savold defeated Woodcock in four rounds to win the IBU title, while Charles gained New York State Athletic Commission recognition and wide public acclaim as champion upon defeating former champion Joe Louis in September 1950. On June 15, 1951, Joe Louis defeat Savold via sixth-round knockout, after which the IBU withdrew its recognition of Savold and proclaimed Ezzard Charles as champion.
11. Following Marciano's retirement, Patterson was matched against Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson in a championship eliminator on June 8, 1956. Winning via controversial split decision, Patterson then faced light heavyweight titleholder Archie Moore for the vacant title. Upon defeating Moore, Patterson fought (and defeated) Jackson a second time on July 29, 1957.
12. The World Boxing Association withdrew their championship recognition of Clay (by then known as Muhammad Ali) upon agreeing to an immediate rematch against former champion Sonny Liston, in violation of WBA rules. The newly founded World Boxing Council and other sanctioning groups continued to recognize Ali as champion.
13. The World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, New York State Athletic Commission and others withdrew their championship recognition of Ali following his refusal to be inducted into the United States Army subsequent to his conscription.
14. To fill its vacant championship title, the World Boxing Association organized a single-elimination tournament involving eight of their ranked contenders (Joe Frazier, who was ranked No. 2, declined to participate): Oscar Bonavena, Jimmy Ellis, Leotis Martin, Karl Mildenberger, two-time former champion Floyd Patterson, Jerry Quarry, Thad Spencer, and former WBA champion Ernie Terrell. In first round matches, Ellis defeated Martin, Quarry defeated Patterson, Spencer defeated Terrell, and Bonavena defeated Mildenberger. In the semi-finals, Ellis defeated Bonavena while Quarry defeated Spencer; and Ellis defeated Quarry for the championship title. Frazier, meanwhile, was matched against Buster Mathis for a championship recognized by the New York State Athletic Commission together with the commissions of Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Similar "world" championship recognition was bestowed upon him by the Texas Athletic Commission following a victory over Dave Zyglewicz on April 22, 1969.
15. Frazier defeated Ellis to unify the heavyweight championship, but did not gain universal public acclaim as champion until defeating Muhammad Ali on March 8, 1971.
16. In an unprecedented move, upon withdrawing its recognition of Leon Spinks as champion, the World Boxing Council immediately recognized Ken Norton as champion, based on an earlier victory over Jimmy Young. As a condition of being named champion, Norton was ordered to face the WBC's new mandatory challenger, Larry Holmes within 120 days.
17. Holmes relinquished his World Boxing Council championship and accepted championship recognition bestowed by the newly organized International Boxing Federation.
18. Following its 1978 precedent, upon withdrawing championship recognition from Riddick Bowe, the World Boxing Council immediately awarded championship recognition to Lennox Lewis, on the basis of his victory in an October 31, 1992 "championship eliminator" over Donovan Ruddock.
19. Following its withdrawal of recognition from George Foreman, the International Boxing Federation sanctioned a December 9, 1995 match between FFrancoi and Axel Schulz for its championship. Botha won the bout by split decision, but the bout result and Botha's championship title were vacated after Botha's post-fight drug test revealed he had taken illegal anabolic steroids. A subsequent bout between Schulz and Michael Moorer was sanctioned for the IBF championship.
20. Upon defeating John Ruiz, Roy Jones, Jr. simultaneously held the World Boxing Association's heavyweight and light heavyweight titles. At his request, the WBA suspended its rule prohibiting simultaneous title holding. It later declared Jones its "Champion in Recess," and sanctioned a December 13, 2003 bout between Ruiz and Hasim Rahman for its "interim" championship. Ruiz won the bout. On February 20, 2004, Jones relinquished his heavyweight title to resume boxing as a light heavyweight, at which point Ruiz was elevated to full championship recognition. On April 30, 2005, Ruiz was defeated by James Toney in a championship defense, but post-fight drug testing determined Toney had taken Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid. The bout's result was subsequently changed to a "no contest," whereupon the WBA reinstated Ruiz as champion.
21. Following repeated injuries to champion Vitali Klitschko, the World Boxing Council sanctioned an August 13, 2005 bout between Hasim Rahman and Monte Barrett for its "interim" championship. Rahman won the bout, and when Klitschko relinquished his title three months later, the WBC elevated Rahman to full championship recognition.
22. Following repeated injuries which prevented him from defending his title, the World Boxing Association designated Chagaev a "Champion in Recess," sanctioning an August 30, 2008 bout between former champions John Ruiz and Nikolai Valuev for its "interim" title; a bout won by Valuev. Upon his recovery however, Chagaev opted to face Wladimir Klitschko rather than Valuev, whereupon the WBA withdrew championship recognition.
23. The World Boxing Association modified its championship structure, creating a new "Super Champion" status to be awarded to champions who hold multiple titles simultaneously. Now subordinated to this was the status of "World Champion," commonly referred to as the "Regular" champion. The organization then sanctioned a bout between Povetkin and former champion Ruslan Chagaev for this "regular" title. Povetkin's reign as the WBA's "regular champion" ended upon a loss to "Super Champion" Wladimir Klitschko, at which point the "regular" title was vacant.
24. Browne defeated Ruslan Chagaev for the World Boxing Association's "regular" championship title, but Browne subsequently tested positive for Clenbuterol, a banned substance. Following confirmation of the positive result, the WBA withdrew its recognition of Browne's "regular" championship.
25. On October 29, 1877 a fight between British fighters Tom Allen and Tompkin Gilbert at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, London was billed as for the World heavyweight title under Marquess of Queensberry Rules. Allen won in seven rounds.

Latest world championship wins

By time elapsed from professional debut

Ranked by the time elapsed between professional debut and world heavyweight title win.

Note: WBO heavyweight title bouts before August 1997 are not included

All championship reigns

	Name	Professional debut	World title win	Time elapsed	Fights
1	Jersey Joe Walcott	September 9, 1930	July 18, 1951	20 years, 10 months, 9 days
2	Shannon Briggs	July 24, 1992	November 4, 2006	14 years, 3 months, 11 days
3	Corrie Sanders	April 2, 1989	March 8, 2003	13 years, 11 months, 6 days
4	Roy Jones Jr.	May 6, 1989	March 1, 2003	13 years, 9 months, 23 days
5	Frank Bruno	March 17, 1982	September 2, 1995	13 years, 5 months, 16 days
6	Oleg Maskaev	April 17, 1993	August 12, 2006	13 years, 3 months, 26 days
7	Nikolai Valuev	October 15, 1993	December 17, 2005	12 years, 2 months, 2 days
8	Bob Fitzsimmons	March 1, 1885	March 17, 1897	12 years, 0 months, 16 days
9	Gene Tunney	July 3, 1915	September 23, 1926	11 years, 2 months, 20 days
10	Jack Johnson	November 1, 1897	December 26, 1908	11 years, 1 month, 25 days

Championship reigns of undisputed champions/lineal champions/The Ring champions

The list does not include The Ring and lineal championship fights after 1921, although it only includes title reigns during which the champion captured undisputed championship (1922–present), lineal championship (1885–1921) or The Ring championship (1922–1989, 2002–).

Keys

record holder

	Name	Professional debut	World title win	Time elapsed	Fights
	Jersey Joe Walcott	September 9, 1930	July 18, 1951	20 years, 10 months, 9 days
2	Bob Fitzsimmons	March 1, 1885	March 17, 1897	12 years, 0 months, 16 days
3	Gene Tunney	July 3, 1915	September 23, 1926	11 years, 2 months, 20 days
4	Jack Johnson	November 1, 1897	December 26, 1908	11 years, 1 month, 25 days
5	Ezzard Charles	March 12, 1940	June 22, 1949	9 years, 3 months, 10 days
6	James J. Braddock	April 13,1926	June 13, 1935	9 years, 2 months
7	Sonny Liston	September 2, 1953	September 25, 1962	9 years, 0 months, 23 days
8	Michael Spinks	April 16, 1977	September 21, 1985	8 years, 5 months, 5 days
9	Jack Sharkey	January 29, 1924	June 21, 1932	8 years, 4 months, 23 days
10	Tyson Fury	December 6, 2008	November 28, 2015	6 years, 11 months, 22 days

External links

• Bout: John L. Sullivan vs Dominick McCaffrey from BoxRec
• John L Sullivan 208 lbs beat Dominick McCaffrey 168 lbs by PTS in round 6 of 6
• James J Corbett 178 lbs beat John L Sullivan 212 lbs by KO at 1:30 in round 21