List of heavyweight boxing champions Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

A chronological list of Heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized:

• Prior to the rise of sanctioning bodies, by the general public at large;
• The World Boxing Association ("WBA"), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association ("NBA"),
• The International Boxing Federation ("IBF"), founded in 1983,
• The World Boxing Organization ("WBO"), founded in 1988,
• The International Boxing Organization ("IBO"), founded in 1991, and
• The World Boxing Council ("WBC"), founded in 1963.

Reign Began	Reign Ended	Champion	Recognition	Notes
07 Feb 1882	07 Sep 1892	John L. Sullivan	Universal	(1)
07 Sep 1892	17 Mar 1897	James J. Corbett	Universal
17 Mar 1897	09 Jun 1899	Bob Fitzsimmons	Universal
09 Jun 1899	13 May 1905	James J. Jeffries	Universal	(2)
03 Jul 1905	23 Feb 1906	Marvin Hart	Universal
23 Feb 1906	26 Dec 1908	Tommy Burns	Universal
26 Dec 1908	05 Apr 1915	Jack Johnson	Universal
05 Apr 1915	04 Jul 1919	Jess Willard	Universal
04 Jul 1919	23 Sep 1926	Jack Dempsey	Universal
23 Sep 1926	31 Jul 1928	Gene Tunney	Universal	(3)
26 Sep 1928	12 Jun 1930	Jack Sharkey	NBA	(4)
12 Jun 1930	21 Jun 1932	Max Schmeling	Universal	(5)
21 Jun 1932	29 Jun 1933	Jack Sharkey	Universal
29 Jun 1933	14 Jun 1934	Primo Carnera	Universal
14 Jun 1934	13 Jun 1935	Max Baer	Universal
13 Jun 1935	22 Jun 1937	James J. Braddock	Universal
22 Jun 1937	01 Mar 1949	Joe Louis	Universal	(2)
22 Jun 1949	27 Sep 1950	Ezzard Charles	NBA	(7)
27 Sep 1950	18 Jul 1951	Ezzard Charles	Universal	(6)
18 Jul 1951	23 Sep 1952	Jersey Joe Walcott	Universal
23 Sep 1952	27 Apr 1956	Rocky Marciano	Universal	(3)
30 Nov 1956	26 Jun 1959	Floyd Patterson	Universal
26 Jun 1959	20 Jun 1960	Ingemar Johansson	Universal
20 Jun 1960	25 Sep 1962	Floyd Patterson	Universal
25 Sep 1962	25 Feb 1964	Charles 'Sonny' Liston	Universal
25 Feb 1964	19 Jun 1964	Cassius Clay	Universal	(7)
19 Jun 1964	06 Feb 1967	Cassius Clay	WBC
05 Mar 1965	06 Feb 1967	Ernie Terrell	WBA
06 Feb 1967	29 Apr 1967	Muhammad Ali	Universal	(8)
04 Mar 1968	16 Feb 1970	Joe Frazier	WBC
28 Apr 1968	16 Feb 1970	Jimmy Ellis	WBA
16 Feb 1970	22 Jan 1973	Joe Frazier	Universal	(9)
22 Jan 1973	30 Oct 1974	George Foreman	Universal
30 Oct 1974	15 Feb 1978	Muhammad Ali	Universal
15 Feb 1978	18 Mar 1978	Leon Spinks	Universal	(10)
18 Mar 1978	15 Sep 1978	Leon Spinks	WBA
18 Mar 1978	09 Jun 1978	Ken Norton	WBC
09 Jun 1978	11 Dec 1983	Larry Holmes	WBC	(2)
15 Sep 1978	27 Apr 1979	Muhammad Ali	WBA	(2)
20 Oct 1979	31 Mar 1980	John Tate	WBA
31 Mar 1980	10 Dec 1982	Mike Weaver	WBA
10 Dec 1982	23 Sep 1983	Michael Dokes	WBA
23 Sep 1983	01 Dec 1984	Gerrie Coetzee	WBA
11 Dec 1983	21 Sep 1985	Larry Holmes	IBF
09 Mar 1984	31 Aug 1984	Tim Witherspoon	WBC
31 Aug 1984	22 Mar 1986	Pinklon Thomas	WBC
01 Dec 1984	29 Apr 1985	Greg Page	WBA
29 Apr 1985	17 Jan 1986	Tony Tubbs	WBA
21 Sep 1985	19 Feb 1987	Michael Spinks	IBF	(10)
17 Jan 1986	12 Dec 1986	Tim Witherspoon	WBA
22 Mar 1986	22 Nov 1986	Trevor Berbick	WBC
22 Nov 1986	07 Mar 1987	Mike Tyson	WBC
12 Dec 1986	07 Mar 1987	James 'Bonecrusher' Smith	WBA
07 Mar 1987	01 Aug 1987	Mike Tyson	WBA, WBC
30 May 1987	01 Aug 1987	Tony Tucker	IBF
01 Aug 1987	10 Feb 1990	Mike Tyson	Universal
06 May 1989	11 Jan 1991	Francesco Damiani	WBO
10 Feb 1990	25 Oct 1990	James 'Buster' Douglas	IBF, WBA & WBC
25 Oct 1990	13 Nov 1992	Evander Holyfield	IBF, WBA & WBC
11 Jan 1991	24 Dec 1991	Ray Mercer	WBO
15 May 1992	03 Feb 1993	Michael Moorer	WBO
13 Nov 1992	14 Dec 1992	Riddick Bowe	IBF, WBA & WBC	(2 - WBC only)
14 Nov 1992	29 Jan 1993	Pinklon Thomas	IBO	(10)
14 Dec 1992	06 Nov 1993	Riddick Bowe	IBF & WBA
14 Dec 1992	24 Sep 1994	Lennox Lewis	WBC
07 Jun 1993	29 Oct 1993	Tommy Morrison	WBO
29 Oct 1993	19 Mar 1994	Michael Bentt	WBO
06 Nov 1993	22 Apr 1994	Evander Holyfield	IBF & WBA
19 Mar 1994	11 Mar 1995	Herbie Hide	WBO
22 Apr 1994	05 Nov 1994	Michael Moorer	IBF & WBA
04 Aug 1994	29 Aug 1994(?)	Danell Nicholson	IBO	(10)
24 Sep 1994	02 Sep 1995	Oliver McCall	WBC
29 Oct 1994	08 Nov 1995(?)	Jimmy Thunder	IBO	(10)
05 Nov 1994	04 Mar 1995	George Foreman	IBF & WBA	(10 - WBA only)
04 Mar 1995	28 Jun 1995	George Foreman	IBF	(10)
11 Mar 1995	01 May 1996	Riddick Bowe	WBO	(2)
08 Apr 1995	07 Sep 1996	Bruce Seldon	WBA
02 Sep 1995	16 Mar 1996	Frank Bruno	WBC
09 Dec 1995	07 Sep 1996	Francois Botha	IBF	(11)
16 Mar 1996	07 Sep 1996	Mike Tyson	WBC
12 Jan 1996	16 Sep 1999(?)	Brian Nielsen	IBO	(10)
22 Jun 1996	08 Nov 1997	Michael Moorer	IBF
29 Jun 1996	17 Feb 1997	Henry Akinwande	WBO	(2)
07 Sep 1996	24 Sep 1996	Mike Tyson	WBA & WBC	(2)
24 Sep 1996	09 Nov 1996	Mike Tyson	WBA
09 Nov 1996	08 Nov 1997	Evander Holyfield	WBA
07 Feb 1997	13 Nov 1999	Lennox Lewis	WBC
28 Jun 1997	26 Jun 1999	Herbie Hide	WBO
08 Nov 1997	13 Nov 1999	Evander Holyfield	IBF & WBA
26 Jun 1999	01 Apr 2000	Vitali Klitschko	WBO
13 Nov 1999	29 Apr 2000	Lennox Lewis	IBF, IBO, WBA & WBC	(10 - WBA only)
01 Apr 2000	14 Oct 2000	Chris Byrd	WBO
29 Apr 2000	22 Apr 2001	Lennox Lewis	IBF, IBO & WBC
12 Aug 2000	03 Mar 2001	Evander Holyfield	WBA
14 Oct 2000	08 Mar 2003	Wladimir Klitschko	WBO
03 Mar 2001	01 Mar 2003	John Ruiz	WBA
22 Apr 2001	17 Nov 2001	Hasim Rahman	IBF, IBO & WBC
17 Nov 2001	05 Sep 2002	Lennox Lewis	IBF, IBO & WBC	(2 - IBF only)
05 Sep 2002	06 Feb 2004	Lennox Lewis	IBO & WBC	(2)
14 Dec 2002		Chris Byrd	IBF
01 Mar 2003	20 Feb 2004	Roy Jones Jr	WBA	(2)
08 Mar 2003	09 Oct 2003	Corrie Sanders	WBO	(2)
20 Feb 2004		John Ruiz	WBA	(12)
10 Apr 2004		Lamon Brewster	WBO
24 Apr 2004		Vitali Klitschko	WBC

(1) - First champion under Marquess of Queensberry rules.
(2) - Relinquished championship title.
(3) - Retired as champion, relinquishing title.
(4) - Jack Sharkey defeated Tommy Loughran for vacant National Boxing Association championship, but was not universally recognized as champion.
(5) - Defeated NBA champion Jack Sharkey to earn universal recognition as champion.
(6) - Ezzard Charles won the vacant National Boxing Association championship, but was not universally recognized as champion until defeating Joe Louis, the former champion who had come out of retirement.
(7) - The World Boxing Association withdrew its recognition of Clay (now known as Muhammad Ali) as champion for agreeing to an immediate rematch against former champion Charles 'Sonny' Liston, a violation of the organization's rules. The World Boxing Council and other organizations continued to recognize him, however.
(8) - All professional boxing sanctioning bodies withdrew recognition of Ali as champion for his refusal to be inducted into the United States Army subsequent to being drafted in early 1967.
(9) - Frazier was recognized by all sanctioning bodies as champion after defeating Ellis to unify the titles, but universal recognition came only upon defeating Ali on March 8, 1971.
(10) - Championship recognition withdrawn by sanctioning organization due to champion's failure or refusal to defend title against the organization's #1 ranked contender.
(11) - A drug test following Botha's victory over Axel Shultz for the IBF title revealed that he had used illegal anabolic steroids. Upon the discovery the IBF vacated its championship. The organization has erased the episode from its own written history, not listing Botha among its recognized champions.
(12) - The WBA's 'interim' champion, Ruiz was awarded the championship following Roy Jones, Jr.'s announcement that he was relinquishing the title.

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