List of world heavyweight boxing champions

Championship recognition

All champions (updated Feb. 2018)

1884–1910

Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a championship being split among several men for periods of time. With only minor exceptions, the heavyweight division remained free from dual title-holders until the 1960s. For an early example, see the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship.

Sanctioning organizations: 1910–present

Gradually, the role of recognizing champions in the division evolved into a more formal affair, with public acclamation being supplemented (or in some cases, contradicted) by recognition by one or more athletic commissions, sanctioning organizations, or a combination of them. The most notable examples with respect to the heavyweight division have included:

• The International Boxing Union (IBU), which was formed in Paris in 1910. The organization became the European Boxing Union in 1946, but recognized "world" champions in various divisions until it subordinated itself in that area to the World Boxing Council.
• The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). A governmental entity initially formed for the purpose of regulating boxing in the State of New York, thanks to New York's place as the epicenter of boxing from the 1930s through 1950s, the NYSAC expanded its reach to sanctioning championship bouts. This practice continued until, like the IBU, the NYSAC became a member of the World Boxing Council (WBC).
• The National Boxing Association (NBA) was organized in 1921. In 1962, the organization was renamed the World Boxing Association (WBA).
• The World Boxing Council (WBC) was organized in 1963.
• The International Boxing Federation (IBF), which was founded in 1983 by the members of the United States Boxing Association after the USBA withdrew from membership in the WBA.
• The World Boxing Organization (WBO), which was founded in 1989 by disgruntled members of the World Boxing Council.

Other bodies also recognize world champions, with varying degrees of legitimacy bestowed upon such recognition by the public at large. Current examples of such groups include the International Boxing Council, International Boxing Organization, World Boxing Federation and World Boxing Union.

List of champions

Champion	Nationality	Recognition	Reign Began	Reign Ended	Title defenses	Opponents	Notes
John L. Sullivan	United States	Universal	August 29, 1885	September 7, 1892	5	5	25,4
James J. Corbett	United States	Universal	September 7, 1892	March 17, 1897	2	2	5
Bob Fitzsimmons	United Kingdom	Universal	March 17, 1897	June 9, 1899	0	0
James J. Jeffries	United States	Universal	June 9, 1899	May 13, 1905	7	5	2,6
Marvin Hart	United States	Universal	July 3, 1905	February 23, 1906	0	0	1
Tommy Burns	Canada	Universal	February 23, 1906	December 26, 1908	10	8
Jack Johnson	United States	Universal	December 26, 1908	April 5, 1915	8	8	7
Jess Willard	United States	Universal	April 5, 1915	July 4, 1919	1	1
Jack Dempsey	United States	Universal	July 4, 1919	July 2, 1921	4	4
Jack Dempsey	United States	NBA	July 2, 1921	July 24, 1922	0	0
Jack Dempsey	United States	NBA and NYSAC	July 24, 1922	September 23, 1926	2	2
Gene Tunney	United States	NBA and NYSAC	September 23, 1926	July 31, 1928	2	2	2
Max Schmeling	Germany	NBA and NYSAC	June 12, 1930	January 7, 1931	0	0	1,8
Max Schmeling	Germany	NBA and IBU	January 7, 1931	June 21, 1932	1	1
Jack Sharkey	United States	NBA and NYSAC, IBU	June 21, 1932	June 29, 1933	0	0
Primo Carnera	Italy	NBA and NYSAC, IBU	June 29, 1933	June 14, 1934	2	2
Max Baer	United States	NBA and NYSAC, IBU	June 14, 1934	June 13, 1935	0	0	9
James J. Braddock	United States	NBA and NYSAC, IBU	June 13, 1935	June 22, 1937	0	0
Joe Louis	United States	NBA and NYSAC, IBU	June 22, 1937	March 1, 1949	26	21	2 Longest reign
Ezzard Charles	United States	NBA	June 22, 1949	September 27, 1950	3	3	1,10
Lee Savold	United States	IBU	June 6, 1950	June 16, 1951	?	?	1,10
Ezzard Charles	United States	NBA and NYSAC	September 27, 1950	June 16, 1951	5	5	1,10
Ezzard Charles	United States	NBA and NYSAC, IBU	June 16, 1951	July 18, 1951	0	0
Jersey Joe Walcott	United States	NBA and NYSAC	July 18, 1951	September 23, 1952	1	1
Rocky Marciano	United States	NBA and NYSAC	September 23, 1952	April 27, 1956	6	5	2
Floyd Patterson	United States	NBA and NYSAC	November 30, 1956	June 26, 1959	3	3	1,11
Ingemar Johansson	Sweden	NBA and NYSAC	June 26, 1959	June 20, 1960	0	0
Floyd Patterson (Second reign)	United States	NBA and NYSAC	June 20, 1960	September 25, 1962	2	2
Sonny Liston	United States	NYSAC and WBA	September 25, 1962	July 22, 1963	1	1
Sonny Liston	United States	NYSAC, WBA and WBC	July 22, 1963	February 25, 1964	0	0
Cassius Clay	United States	NYSAC, WBA and WBC	February 25, 1964	June 19, 1964	0	0	12
Muhammad Ali	United States	NYSAC and WBC	June 19, 1964	February 6, 1967	8	8
Ernie Terrell	United States	WBA	March 5, 1965	February 6, 1967	2	2	1
Muhammad Ali	United States	NYSAC, WBA and WBC	February 6, 1967	April 29, 1967	1	1	Unified NYSAC, WBA and WBC titles.13
Joe Frazier	United States	NYSAC	March 4, 1968	February 16, 1970	5	5	1
Jimmy Ellis	United States	WBA	April 27, 1968	February 16, 1970	1	1	1,14
Joe Frazier	United States	WBA and WBC	February 16, 1970	January 22, 1973	4	4	Unified WBA and WBC titles.15
George Foreman	United States	WBA and WBC	January 22, 1973	October 30, 1974	2	2
Muhammad Ali (Second reign)	United States	WBA and WBC	October 30, 1974	February 15, 1978	10	10
Leon Spinks	United States	WBA and WBC	February 15, 1978	March 18, 1978	0	0	3
Leon Spinks	United States	WBA	March 18, 1978	September 15, 1978	0	0
Ken Norton	United States	WBC	March 18, 1978	June 9, 1978	0	0	16
Larry Holmes	United States	WBC	June 9, 1978	December 11, 1983	16	16	2
Muhammad Ali (Third reign)	United States	WBA	September 15, 1978	April 27, 1979	0	0	2
John Tate	United States	WBA	October 20, 1979	March 31, 1980	0	0	1
Mike Weaver	United States	WBA	March 31, 1980	December 10, 1982	2	2
Michael Dokes	United States	WBA	December 10, 1982	September 23, 1983	1	1
Gerrie Coetzee	South Africa	WBA	September 23, 1983	December 1, 1984	0	0
Larry Holmes	United States	IBF	December 11, 1983	September 21, 1985	3	3	17
Tim Witherspoon	United States	WBC	March 9, 1984	August 31, 1984	0	0	1
Pinklon Thomas	United States	WBC	August 31, 1984	March 22, 1986	1	1
Greg Page	United States	WBA	December 1, 1984	April 29, 1985	0	0
Tony Tubbs	United States	WBA	April 29, 1985	January 17, 1986	0	0
Michael Spinks	United States	IBF	September 21, 1985	February 19, 1987	2	2	3
Tim Witherspoon (Second reign)	United States	WBA	January 17, 1986	December 12, 1986	1	1
Trevor Berbick	Canada	WBC	March 22, 1986	November 22, 1986	0	0
Mike Tyson	United States	WBC	November 22, 1986	March 7, 1987	1	1
James "Bonecrusher" Smith	United States	WBA	December 12, 1986	March 7, 1987	0	0
Mike Tyson	United States	WBA and WBC	March 7, 1987	August 1, 1987	2	2	Unified WBA and WBC titles.
Tony Tucker	United States	IBF	May 30, 1987	August 1, 1987	0	0	1
Mike Tyson	United States	IBF, WBA and WBC	August 1, 1987	February 11, 1990	6	6	Unified IBF, WBA and WBC titles.
Francesco Damiani	Italy	WBO	May 6, 1989	January 11, 1991	1	1	1
James "Buster" Douglas	United States	IBF, WBA and WBC	February 11, 1990	October 25, 1990	0	0
Evander Holyfield	United States	IBF, WBA and WBC	October 25, 1990	November 13, 1992	3	3
Ray Mercer	United States	WBO	January 11, 1991	December 24, 1991	1	1	3
Michael Moorer	United States	WBO	May 15, 1992	February 3, 1993	0	0	1,2
Riddick Bowe	United States	IBF, WBA and WBC	November 13, 1992	December 14, 1992	0	0	2
Riddick Bowe	United States	IBF and WBA	December 14, 1992	November 6, 1993	2	2
Lennox Lewis	United Kingdom	WBC	December 14, 1992	September 24, 1994	3	3	18
Tommy Morrison	United States	WBO	June 7, 1993	October 29, 1993	1	1	1
Michael Bentt	United States	WBO	October 29, 1993	March 19, 1994	0	0
Evander Holyfield (Second reign)	United States	IBF and WBA	November 6, 1993	April 22, 1994	0	0
Herbie Hide	United Kingdom	WBO	March 19, 1994	March 11, 1995	0	0
Michael Moorer (Second reign)	United States	IBF and WBA	April 22, 1994	November 5, 1994	0	0
Oliver McCall	United States	WBC	September 24, 1994	September 2, 1995	1	1
George Foreman (Second reign)	United States	IBF and WBA	November 5, 1994	March 4, 1995	0	0	3
George Foreman	United States	IBF	March 4, 1995	June 28, 1995	1	1	2
Riddick Bowe (Second reign)	United States	WBO	March 11, 1995	May 1, 1996	1	1	3
Bruce Seldon	United States	WBA	April 8, 1995	September 7, 1996	1	1	1
Frank Bruno	United Kingdom	WBC	September 2, 1995	March 16, 1996	0	0	1
Francois Botha	South Africa	IBF	December 9, 1995	March 27, 1996	0	0	26
Mike Tyson (Second reign)	United States	WBC	March 16, 1996	September 7, 1996	1	1
Michael Moorer (Third reign)	United States	IBF	June 22, 1996	November 8, 1997	2	2	1,19
Henry Akinwande	United Kingdom	WBO	June 29, 1996	February 17, 1997	2	2	1,2
Mike Tyson	United States	WBA and WBC	September 7, 1996	September 24, 1996	0	0	2
Mike Tyson	United States	WBA	September 24, 1996	November 9, 1996	0	0
Evander Holyfield (Third reign)	United States	WBA	November 9, 1996	November 8, 1997	2	2
Lennox Lewis (Second reign)	United Kingdom	WBC	February 7, 1997	November 13, 1999	6	5	1
Herbie Hide (Second reign)	United Kingdom	WBO	June 28, 1997	June 26, 1999	2	2	1
Evander Holyfield	United States	IBF and WBA	November 8, 1997	November 13, 1999	2	2	Unified IBF and WBA titles.
Vitali Klitschko	Ukraine	WBO	June 26, 1999	April 1, 2000	2	2
Lennox Lewis	United Kingdom	IBF, WBA and WBC	November 13, 1999	April 29, 2000	0	0	Unified IBF, WBA and WBC titles.3
Chris Byrd	United States	WBO	April 1, 2000	October 14, 2000	0	0
Lennox Lewis	United Kingdom	IBF and WBC	April 29, 2000	April 22, 2001	3	3
Evander Holyfield (Fourth reign)	United States	WBA	August 12, 2000	March 3, 2001	0	0	1
Wladimir Klitschko	Ukraine	WBO	October 14, 2000	March 8, 2003	5	5
John Ruiz	United States	WBA	March 3, 2001	March 1, 2003	2	2
Hasim Rahman	United States	IBF and WBC	April 22, 2001	November 17, 2001	0	0
Lennox Lewis (Third reign)	United Kingdom	IBF and WBC	November 17, 2001	September 5, 2002	1	1	2
Lennox Lewis	United Kingdom	WBC	September 5, 2002	February 6, 2004	1	1	2
Chris Byrd (Second reign)	United States	IBF	December 14, 2002	April 22, 2006	4	4	1
Roy Jones, Jr.	United States	WBA	March 1, 2003	February 20, 2004	0	0	2
Corrie Sanders	South Africa	WBO	March 8, 2003	October 9, 2003	0	0	2
John Ruiz (Second reign)	United States	WBA	February 20, 2004	December 17, 2005	2	2	20
Lamon Brewster	United States	WBO	April 10, 2004	April 1, 2006	3	3	1
Vitali Klitschko (Second reign)	Ukraine	WBC	April 24, 2004	November 9, 2005	1	1	1,2
Hasim Rahman (Second reign)	United States	WBC	November 9, 2005	August 12, 2006	1	1	21
Nikolai Valuev	Russia	WBA	December 17, 2005	April 14, 2007	3	3
Siarhei Liakhovich	Belarus	WBO	April 1, 2006	November 4, 2006	0	0
Wladimir Klitschko (Second reign)	Ukraine	IBF	April 22, 2006	February 23, 2008	4	4
Oleg Maskaev	Russia	WBC	August 12, 2006	March 8, 2008	1	1
Shannon Briggs	United States	WBO	November 4, 2006	June 2, 2007	0	0
Ruslan Chagaev	Uzbekistan	WBA	April 14, 2007	June 20, 2009	1	1	22
Sultan Ibragimov	Russia	WBO	June 2, 2007	February 23, 2008	1	1
Wladimir Klitschko	Ukraine	IBF and WBO	February 23, 2008	July 2, 2011	6	6	Unified IBF and WBO titles.
Samuel Peter	Nigeria	WBC	March 8, 2008	October 11, 2008	0	0
Nikolai Valuev (Second reign)	Russia	WBA	August 30, 2008	November 7, 2009	1	1	1,22
Vitali Klitschko (Third reign)	Ukraine	WBC	October 11, 2008	December 15, 2013	9	9	2
David Haye	United Kingdom	WBA	November 7, 2009	July 2, 2011	2	2
Wladimir Klitschko	Ukraine	IBF, WBA "Super" and WBO	July 2, 2011	November 28, 2015	8	7	Unified IBF, WBA and WBO titles.
Alexander Povetkin	Russia	WBA "Regular"	August 27, 2011	October 5, 2013	4	4	1,23
Bermane Stiverne	Canada	WBC	May 10, 2014	January 17, 2015	0	0	1
Ruslan Chagaev (Second reign)	Uzbekistan	WBA "Regular"	July 6, 2014	March 5, 2016	1	1	1
Deontay Wilder	United States	WBC	January 17, 2015	Present	9	9
Tyson Fury	United Kingdom	IBF, WBA "Super" and WBO	November 28, 2015	December 8, 2015	0	0	3 Shortest reign
Tyson Fury	United Kingdom	WBA "Super" and WBO	December 8, 2015	October 12, 2016	0	0	2
Charles Martin	United States	IBF	January 16, 2016	April 9, 2016	0	0	1
Lucas Browne	Australia	WBA "Regular"	March 5, 2016	May 12, 2016	0	0	24
Anthony Joshua	United Kingdom	IBF	April 9, 2016	April 29, 2017	3	3
Ruslan Chagaev (Third reign)	Uzbekistan	WBA "Regular"	May 12, 2016	July 25, 2016	0	0	3
Joseph Parker	New Zealand	WBO	December 10, 2016	March 31, 2018	2	2	1
Anthony Joshua	United Kingdom	IBF and WBA "Super"	April 29, 2017	March 31, 2018	2	2	1
Manuel Charr	Syria	WBA "Regular"	November 25, 2017	Present	0	0	1
Anthony Joshua	United Kingdom	IBF, WBA "Super" and WBO	March 31, 2018	June 01, 2019	1	1	Unified IBF, WBA and WBO tiles.
Andy Ruiz Jr.	United States	IBF, WBA "Super" and WBO	June 01, 2019	Present	0	0	Unified IBF, WBA and WBO tiles.

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 Francois Botha 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
26. Botha defeated Axel Shultz for the vacant International Boxing Federation title, but Botha subsequently tested positive for nandralone, a banned substance. Following confirmation of the positive result, the IBF withdrew its recognition of Botha, next awarding its title to the winner of a bout between Shultz and Michael Moorer.

Current status of prominent championship titles

International Boxing Federation

• Andy Ruiz Jr. is the organization's currently recognized champion.

World Boxing Association

• Andy Ruiz Jr. is the organization's currently recognized 'super' champion.
• Manuel Charr is currently recognized as the organization's 'regular' champion. His next defence of this title is scheduled to be against WBA 'interim' champion Trevor Bryan. Agreement for the bout was reached on May 28, 2019, but details have not been announced.
• Trevor Bryan is currently recognized as the organization's 'interim' champion, having being awarded that distinction on August 11, 2018 by defeating B.J. Flores. His next bout will be against WBA 'regular' champion, Manuel Charr for Charr's title, at which time win or lose his 'interim' championship will be vacated. Agreement for the bout was reached on May 28, 2019, but details have not been announced.

World Boxing Council

• Deontay Wilder is the organization's currently recognized champion. His last defence of this title occurred on May 18, 2019, defeating Dominic Breazeale.

World Boxing Organization

• Andy Ruiz Jr. is the organization's currently recognized champion.

List of combined reigns

See also: Heavyweight boxing championship records and statistics

As of March 5, 2018. This list includes only major titles, and it does not include lineal championships after 1921.

Keys:

  Active title reign

  Reign has ended

WBO heavyweight title bouts before August 1997 are not included

Pos.	Name	Combined reign	Days as champion	Number of reigns	Title recognition	Cumulative title wins	Opponents beaten
1.	Wladimir Klitschko	12 years, 0 months, 0 days	4 382	2	IBF, WBA, WBO	25	23
2.	Joe Louis	11 years, 8 months, 8 days	4 270	1	NYSAC, NBA	27	22
3.	Muhammad Ali	9 years, 5 months, 5 days	3 443	3	NYSAC, WBC, WBA	22	21
4.	Lennox Lewis	8 years, 5 months, 13 days	3 086	3	WBC, IBF, WBA	15	15
5.	Vitali Klitschko	7 years, 5 months, 28 days	2 735	3	WBO, WBC	15	15
6.	Larry Holmes	7 years, 3 months, 12 days	2 661	1	WBC, IBF	20	20
7.	Jack Dempsey	7 years, 2 months, 19 days	2 638	1	NYSAC, NBA	6	6
8.	John L. Sullivan	7 years, 0 months, 10 days	2 566	1	Universal	5	5
9.	Jack Johnson	6 years, 3 months, 11 days	2 292	1	Universal	7	7
10.	Evander Holyfield	6 years, 1 month, 1 day	2 223	4	WBA, WBC, IBF	11	10
11.	James J. Jeffries	5 years, 11 months, 4 days	2 156	1	Universal	8	6
12.	Joe Frazier	4 years, 10 months, 18 days	1 785	1	NYSAC, WBA, WBC	10	10
13.	Floyd Patterson	4 years, 10 months, 0 days	1 765	2	NYSAC, NBA	8	7
14.	James J. Corbett	4 years, 6 months, 10 days	1 652	1	Universal	2	2
15.	Jess Willard	4 years, 2 months, 29 days	1 551	1	Universal	2	2
16.	Chris Byrd	3 years, 10 months, 22 days	1 421	2	IBF, WBO	5	5
17.	Mike Tyson	3 years, 10 months, 16 days	1 415	2	WBA, WBC, IBF	12	11
18.	John Ruiz	3 years, 9 months, 21 days	1 390	2	WBA	4	4
19.	Rocky Marciano	3 years, 7 months, 5 days	1 312	1	NYSAC, NBA	7	5
20.	Deontay Wilder	3 years, 2 months, 10 days	1 137	1	WBC	8	7

List of individual reigns

The list includes both The Ring and lineal championships. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.

Keys:

  Active Title Reign

  Reign has ended

The WBO heavyweight title bouts before August 1997 are not included

Pos.	Name	Title Reign	Title recognition	Successful Defenses	Opponents beaten
1.	Joe Louis	11 years, 8 months, 8 days	Universal	26	21
2.	Wladimir Klitschko	9 years, 7 months and 6 days	IBF (+WBA, WBO, The Ring)	18	17
3.	Larry Holmes	7 years, 3 months, 12 days	WBC-to-IBF (+The Ring/Lineal)	19	19
4.	Jack Dempsey	7 years, 2 months, 19 days	Universal	5	5
5.	John L. Sullivan	7 years, 0 months, 9 days	Universal	5	5
6.	Jack Johnson	6 years, 3 months, 10 days	Universal	8	8
7.	Muhammad Ali	5 years, 11 months, 9 days	The Ring/Lineal, (+WBA, WBC stripped)	9	9
8.	James J. Jeffries	5 years, 11 months, 4 days	Universal	7	6
9.	Vitali Klitschko	5 years, 2 months, 4 days	WBC	9	9
10.	Joe Frazier	4 years, 10 months, 18 days	NYSAC (+WBA, WBC)	9	9
11.	James J. Corbett	4 years, 6 months, 10 days	Universal	1	1
12.	Jess Willard	4 years, 2 months, 29 days	Universal	1	1
13.	Lennox Lewis	4 years, 2 months, 15 days	WBC (+IBF, WBA stripped, The Ring/Lineal)	9	8
14.	Rocky Marciano	3 years, 11 months, 29 days	Universal	6	5
15.	Chris Byrd	3 years, 4 months, 8 days	IBF	4	4
16.	Mike Tyson	3 years, 2 months, 20 days	WBC (+WBA, IBF, The Ring/Lineal)	9	9
17.	Deontay Wilder	3 years, 2 months, 14 days	WBC	7	7
18.	George Foreman	3 years, 0 months, 17 days	Lineal (+WBA, IBF stripped)	2	2
19.	Evander Holyfield	3 years, 0 months, 4 days	WBA (+IBF)	4	4
20.	Tommy Burns	2 years, 10 months, 3 days	Universal	11	9

By nationality

Country	Total	Boxers by Name
United States	55	John L. Sullivan, James J. Corbett, James J. Jeffries, Marvin Hart, Jack Johnson, Jess Willard, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Jack Sharkey, Max Baer, James J. Braddock, Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, Lee Savold, Jersey Joe Walcott, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, Ernie Terrell, Joe Frazier, Jimmy Ellis, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, John Tate, Mike Weaver, Michael Dokes, Tim Witherspoon, Pinklon Thomas, Greg Page, Tony Tubbs, Michael Spinks, Mike Tyson, James Smith, Tony Tucker, Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, Ray Mercer, Michael Moorer, Riddick Bowe, Tommy Morrison, Michael Bentt, Oliver McCall, Bruce Seldon, Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Roy Jones Jr., Lamon Brewster, Shannon Briggs, Deontay Wilder, Charles Martin, Andy Ruiz Jr.
United Kingdom	8	Bob Fitzsimmons, Lennox Lewis, Herbie Hide, Frank Bruno, Henry Akinwande, David Haye, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua
Russia	4	Nikolai Valuev, Oleg Maskaev, Sultan Ibragimov, Alexander Povetkin
Canada	3	Tommy Burns, Trevor Berbick, Bermane Stiverne
Italy	2	Primo Carnera, Francesco Damiani
South Africa	2	Gerrie Coetzee, Corrie Sanders
Ukraine	2	Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko
Germany	1	Max Schmeling
Sweden	1	Ingemar Johansson
Belarus	1	Siarhei Liakhovich
Uzbekistan	1	Ruslan Chagaev
Nigeria	1	Samuel Peter
Australia	1	Lucas Browne
New Zealand	1	Joseph Parker
Syria	1	Manuel Charr

See also

• Heavyweight boxing championship records and statistics
• List of Olympic medalists in boxing#Heavyweight
• List of WBA female world champions#Light heavyweight
• List of WBC female world champions#Heavyweight
• List of IBF female world champions#Heavyweight
• List of WBO female world champions#Heavyweight

Further reading

• Florio, John; Shapiro, Ouisie (2013). One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, and the Myth of the Heavyweight Title. Lyons Press. p. 279. ISBN 978-0-7627-8300-7.

Sources

• Arnold, Peter (1989). Encyclopedia of Boxing. London: WH Smith Books. ISBN 1-85435-200-8.
• Boxing Title Fights
• Barry Hugman's Lineal Champions
• NBA World Heavyweight Champion - BoxRec
• NYSAC World Heavyweight Champion - BoxRec
• The BoxRec Wiki Encyclopedia
• The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book (archive)