List of world heavyweight boxing champions

At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, though others weighed considerably more. John L. Sullivan was the first widely recognized champion under Marquess of Queensberry rules. Known as the "Boston Strong Boy," Sullivan weighed around 200 pounds when in shape, and helped transition the sport from its bare-knuckle era. Sullivan would be defeated for the title by "Gentleman" Jim Corbett over 21 rounds on September 7, 1892, the first heavyweight titleholder solely under Queensberry rules.

Current world heavyweight boxing champions

• 
  Current WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion Tyson Fury
• 
  Current WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua

In 1920 a de facto minimum weight for a heavyweight was set at 175 pounds (12 st 7 lb, 79 kg) with the standardization of a weight limit for the light heavyweight division. The addition of the cruiserweight division, which began in 1979, reset the de facto minimum, first to 190 pounds; and then again to 200 pounds in 2004 when boxing's major sanctioning bodies universally raised the weight limit at which they'd recognize champions. An effort is presently underway to establish an additional division at approximately 225 pounds, with the International Boxing Organization and World Boxing Council each announcing they would recognize champions in this new, "Super Cruiserweight" class.

The championship of the heavyweight division has been fractured or disputed at various times in its history. Until the 1960's, such disputes were settled in the ring, typically with alternate title claimants largely being forgotten. The rise of sanctioning organizations, however, has produced an environment where typically there is no single "Heavyweight Champion of the World," with titleholders recognized by one of these organizations (a "World Champion") or more (a "Super Champion," "Unified Champion," or in the rare cases where the four most prominent organizations recognize the same boxer, an "Undisputed Champion").

Some title reigns are considered dubious due to long periods of inactivity, the legitimacy of the organization granting championship recognition, and other factors. In 1967 for example, Muhammad Ali was denied a boxing license in every U.S. jurisdiction and stripped of his passport due to his refusal to be inducted into the armed forces. On April 29, 1967 his recognition as champion by both the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council was withdrawn. Yet Ali remained the lineal champion, and was recognized by The Ring magazine and most boxing purists until defeated in 1970. In pursuit of greater revenues, some organizations have now adopted a practice of simultaneously recognizing multiple champions in a weight division, creating a situation in which a champion may not only be unable to secure recognition from multiple sanctioning bodies, but to secure sole recognition from a single one.

Championship recognition

Public Acclamation: 1884 to 1921

Champions were recognized by wide public acclamation. A heavyweight champion was a boxer who had a notable win over another notable boxer, and who then went without defeat. Retirements from the ring periodically led to a "true" champion going unrecognized, or for several to be recognized by the public for periods of time. Typically, public interest in having a single, "true" champion resulted in any claimants to the heavyweight title being matched with one another; the winner of that bout was subsequently deemed the champion, with the claim (and title lineage) of the defeated boxer largely forgotten.

Sanctioning Bodies: 1921 to present

The National Boxing Association was formed in 1921 as the first organization aimed at regulating boxing on a national, and later global level. The prominence of New York as the epicenter of boxing would lead to a governmental entity, the powerful New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), to join the NBA in sanctioning bouts as "world championships." A third entity with lesser public recognition, the European Boxing Union, would follow suit, with this triumvirate typically (but not always) recognizing the same boxers as world champions.

At its 1962 convention the NBA's non-U.S. members exploited a membership rule and took control of the organization. Rebranding it the World Boxing Association, the now-WBA would be joined a year later by a combination of state and national boxing commissions (including the NYSAC and IBU) to form a separate sanctioning body, the World Boxing Council. Each organization would later have a spin-off competing sanctioning body emerge: the International Boxing Federation (IBF), which was formed by members of the United States Boxing Association in 1983; and the World Boxing Organization (WBO), which was formed in 1989. A fifth significant, but not as publicly accepted, body came in the form of the International Boxing Organization (IBO) in 1991; and today there are over a dozen sanctioning organizations, of varying degrees of public acceptance, sanctioning bouts as for a world championship and proclaiming their winners as "Heavyweight Champion of the World."

The Ring: 1922 to present

From its outset until the 1990s, and again since 2002, The Ring has recognized heavyweight champions. Under its original policy a champion won the title either by defeating a recognized champion or winning a bout between the magazine's top-rated contenders. Once recognized as champion, championship recognition could be lost only by death, retirement, or loss. In 2012 these policies were revised so that a champion could be more readily recognized, and expanding the means by which championship recognition could be withdrawn (specifically, by not scheduling a fight with a top five rated contender for two years, or any bout at all for 18 months).[1]

Current status of prominent championship titles

• 
  WBA world championship
• 
  WBC world championship
• 
  IBF world championship
• 
  WBO world championship
• 
  The Ring world championship

World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association presently recognizes up to five distinct 'types' of champion in its weight divisions: a 'Super' Champion (one who holds the WBA title along with that of at least one other widely recognized sanctioning body), a 'Regular' Champion (one who holds the WBA title alone), an 'Interim' Champion (one who, ostensibly, holds the title during a period of illness or injury to a 'Super' or 'Regular' titleholder), a 'Champion in Recess' (a champion who retains some form of championship recognition, but for reasons beyond their own control are presently inactive), and a 'Gold' Champion (a designation which not even the organization's governing documents explain). The current status of these titles is as follows:

World Boxing Association Championship Recognition

Championship Status	Title Holder	Recognized Since	How Title Acquired	Next Scheduled Defense or Defense Obligation
Super Champion	Anthony Joshua	December 7, 2019	Defeated Andy Ruiz Jr.	No defense formalized.
Regular Champion	Trevor Bryan	January 29, 2021	Defeated Bermane Stiverne for vacant title	Obligated to face Mahmoud Manuel Charr by May 30, 2021.
Champion in Recess	Mahmoud Charr	January 29, 2021	Reclassified from 'Regular Champion' status	Obligated to face Trevor Bryan by May 30, 2021.
Interim Champion	vacant	January 29, 2021	Last held by Trevor Bryan	No present plan for filling vacancy.
Gold Champion	Robert Helenius	September 28, 2018	Defeated Erkan Teper	No information available.

World Boxing Council

The World Boxing Council presently recognizes up to six distinct 'types' of champion in its weight divisions: a 'Franchise' Champion (one who holds the WBC title along with that of at least one other widely recognized sanctioning body; a distinction it has thus far only awarded once), a 'World' Champion (ostensibly one who holds the WBC title alone, but to date no unified champions in the heavyweight division have been attributed the 'Franchise' Champion status), an 'Interim' Champion (one who, ostensibly, holds the title during a period of illness or injury to the 'World' Champion), a 'Champion in Recess (a champion who retains some form of championship recognition, but who are presently inactive), and a 'Silver' Champion (a designation which has no clear distinction, but which nevertheless is recognized as a world championship-level title). The WBC also recognizes a 'Diamond' Champion in its divisions, but this title is apparently not afforded similar status as the other types. The current status of these titles is as follows:

World Boxing Council Championship Recognition

Championship Status	Title Holder	Recognized Since	How Title Acquired	Next Scheduled Defense or Defense Obligation
Franchise Champion	vacant	Never awarded		No information available.
World Champion	Tyson Fury	February 22, 2020	Defeated Deontay Wilder	No defense formalized.
Champion in Recess	vacant		Last held by Ruslan Chagaev
Interim Champion	Alexander Povetkin	August 22, 2020	Defeated Dillian Whyte	March 6, 2021, vs. Dillian Whyte.
Silver Champion	Joe Joyce	November 28, 2020	Defeated Daniel DuBois	No defense formalized.

International Boxing Federation

The International Boxing Federation recognizes but a single champion in the heavyweight division.

• Anthony Joshua is recognized as the organization's world champion. He earned this distinction by defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. on December 7, 2019. Presently no defense of this title is scheduled, though there are talks of a unification bout with Tyson Fury that are currently ongoing.

International Boxing Organization

The International Boxing Organization recognizes but a single champion in each of its weight divisions.

• Anthony Joshua is recognized as the organization's world champion. He earned this distinction by defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. on December 7, 2019. Presently no defense of this title is scheduled, though there are talks of a unification bout with Tyson Fury that are currently ongoing.

World Boxing Organization

The World Boxing Organization recognizes up to three distinct 'types' of champion in its weight divisions: a 'Super' Champion (one who holds the WBO title along with that of at least one other widely recognized sanctioning body), a 'World' Champion (though unlike the WBA, if a WBO 'Super' Champion exists a separate 'World' Champion is not simultaneously recognized), and an 'Interim' Champion (one who holds the title during a period of illness or injury to the 'Super' or 'World' Champion). At present however, there is a single titleholder: Anthony Joshua, who is officially recognized as its 'Super' Champion after defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. on December 7, 2019. No defense of this title has been formalized. The Ring

• Tyson Fury is recognized as the organization's world champion. He earned this distinction by defeating Deontay Wilder on February 22, 2020. Presently no defense of this title is scheduled, though there are talks of a unification bout with Anthony Joshua that are currently ongoing.

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]
2	James J. Corbett	United States	Universal	September 7, 1892	March 17, 1897	def. Charley Mitchell on Jan 25, 1894		^5	[3]
3	Bob Fitzsimmons	United Kingdom	Universal	March 17, 1897	June 9, 1899	-			[4]
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]
5	Marvin Hart def. Jack Root	United States	Universal	July 3, 1905	February 23, 1906	-		^1	[6]
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]
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]
8	Jess Willard	United States	Universal	April 5, 1915	July 4, 1919	def. Frank Moran on Mar 25, 1916			[9]
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	The Ring awarded the title in 1922		[10]
			NBA	July 2, 1921	July 24, 1922	-			[10]
			NBA, and NYSAC	July 24, 1922	September 23, 1926	def. Tommy Gibbons on Jul 4, 1923 def. Luis Angel Firpo on Sept 14, 1923			[10]
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]
11	Max Schmeling def. Jack Sharkey	Germany	NBA, and NYSAC	June 12, 1930	January 7, 1931	-	The Ring	^1,^8	[12]
			NBA, and IBU	January 7, 1931	June 21, 1932	def. Young Stribling on Jul 3, 1931		^1,^10	[12]
12	Jack Sharkey	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 21, 1932	June 29, 1933	-	The Ring		[13]
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]
14	Max Baer	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 14, 1934	June 13, 1935	-	The Ring	^9	[15]
15	James J. Braddock	United States	NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 13, 1935	June 22, 1937	-	The Ring		[16]
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 Paychek 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][18]
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	The Ring	^1,^10	[19]
			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		^1,^10	[19]
			NBA, NYSAC, and IBU	June 16, 1951	July 18, 1951	-			[19]
18	Jersey Joe Walcott	United States	NBA, and NYSAC	July 18, 1951	September 23, 1952	def. Ezzard Charles on Jun 5, 1952	The Ring		[20]
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	[21]
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	[22]
21	Ingemar Johansson	Sweden	NBA, and NYSAC	June 26, 1959	June 20, 1960	-	The Ring		[23]
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		[22]
23	Sonny Liston	United States	NYSAC, and WBA	September 25, 1962	July 22, 1963	def. Floyd Patterson on Jul 22, 1963	The Ring		[24]
			NYSAC, WBA, and WBC	July 22, 1963	February 25, 1964	-			[24]
24	Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)	United States	NYSAC, WBA, and WBC	February 25, 1964	June 19, 1964	-	The Ring	^12	[25]
			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			[25]
			NYSAC, WBA, and WBC	February 6, 1967	April 29, 1967	def. Zora Folley on Mar 22, 1967		^13	[25]
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	[26]
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	The Ring def. Muhammad Ali on Mar 8, 1971	^1	[27]
			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		^15	[27]
27	Jimmy Ellis def. Jerry Quarry	United States	WBA	April 27, 1968	February 16, 1970	def. Floyd Patterson on Sep 14, 1968	-	^1,^14	[28]
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]
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		[25]
30	Leon Spinks	United States	WBA, and WBC	February 15, 1978	March 18, 1978	-	The Ring	^3	[30]
			WBA	March 18, 1978	September 15, 1978	-			[30]
31	Ken Norton awarded the title	United States	WBC	March 18, 1978	June 9, 1978	-	-	^16	[31]
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	[32]
			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		^17	[32]
33	Muhammad Ali (Third reign)	United States	WBA	September 15, 1978	October 18, 1979	-	The Ring	^2	[25]
34	John Tate def. Gerrie Coetzee	United States	WBA	October 20, 1979	March 31, 1980	-	-	^1	[33]
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	-		[34]
36	Michael Dokes	United States	WBA	December 10, 1982	September 23, 1983	draw vs. Mike Weaver on May 20, 1983	-		[35]
37	Gerrie Coetzee	South Africa	WBA	September 23, 1983	December 1, 1984	-	-		[36]
38	Tim Witherspoon def. Greg Page	United States	WBC	March 9, 1984	August 31, 1984	-	-	^1	[37]
39	Pinklon Thomas	United States	WBC	August 31, 1984	March 22, 1986	def. Mike Weaver on Jun 15, 1985	-		[38]
40	Greg Page	United States	WBA	December 1, 1984	April 29, 1985	-	-		[39]
41	Tony Tubbs	United States	WBA	April 29, 1985	January 17, 1986	-	-		[40]
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	[41]
43	Tim Witherspoon (Second reign)	United States	WBA	January 17, 1986	December 12, 1986	def. Frank Bruno on Jul 19, 1986	-		[37]
44	Trevor Berbick	Jamaica Canada	WBC	March 22, 1986	November 22, 1986	-	-		[42]
45	Mike Tyson	United States	WBC	November 22, 1986	March 7, 1987	def. James Smith on Mar 7, 1987	The Ring def. Michael Spinks on Jun 27, 1988		[43]
			WBA, and WBC	March 7, 1987	August 1, 1987	def. Pinklon Thomas on May 30, 1987 def. Tony Tucker on Aug 1, 1987			[43]
			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			[43]
46	James "Bonecrusher" Smith	United States	WBA	December 12, 1986	March 7, 1987	-	-		[44]
47	Tony Tucker def. Buster Douglas	United States	IBF	May 30, 1987	August 1, 1987	-	-	^1	[45]
48	Francesco Damiani def. Johnny du Plooy	Italy	WBO	May 6, 1989	January 11, 1991	def. Daniel Eduardo Neto on Dec 16, 1989	-	^1	[46]
49	James "Buster" Douglas	United States	WBA, WBC, and IBF	February 11, 1990	October 25, 1990	-			[47]
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	-		[48]
51	Ray Mercer	United States	WBO	January 11, 1991	December 24, 1991	def. Tommy Morrison on Oct 18, 1991	-	^3	[49]
52	Michael Moorer def. Bert Cooper	United States	WBO	May 15, 1992	February 3, 1993	-	-	^1,^2	[50]
53	Riddick Bowe	United States	WBA, WBC, and IBF	November 13, 1992	December 14, 1992	-	-	^2	[51]
			WBA, and IBF	December 14, 1992	November 6, 1993	def. Michael Dokes on Feb 6, 1993 def. Jesse Ferguson on May 22, 1993	-		[51]
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	[52]
55	Tommy Morrison def. George Foreman	United States	WBO	June 7, 1993	October 29, 1993	def. Tim Tomashek on Aug 30, 1993	-	^1	[53]
56	Michael Bentt	United Kingdom United States	WBO	October 29, 1993	March 19, 1994	-	-		[54]
57	Evander Holyfield (Second reign)	United States	WBA, and IBF	November 6, 1993	April 22, 1994	-	-		[48]
58	Herbie Hide	United Kingdom	WBO	March 19, 1994	March 11, 1995	-	-		[55]
59	Michael Moorer (Second reign)	United States	WBA, and IBF	April 22, 1994	November 5, 1994	-			[50]
60	Oliver McCall	United States	WBC	September 24, 1994	September 2, 1995	def. Larry Holmes on Apr 8, 1995	-		[56]
61	George Foreman (Second reign)	United States	WBA, and IBF	November 5, 1994	March 4, 1995	-	-	^3	[29]
			IBF	March 4, 1995	June 28, 1995	def. Axel Schulz on Apr 22, 1995		^2	[29]
62	Riddick Bowe (Second reign)	United States	WBO	March 11, 1995	May 1, 1996	def. Jorge Luis Gonzalez on Jun 17, 1995	-	^3	[51]
63	Bruce Seldon def. Tony Tucker	United States	WBA	April 8, 1995	September 7, 1996	def. Joe Hipp on Aug 19, 1995	-	^1	[57]
64	Frank Bruno	United Kingdom	WBC	September 2, 1995	March 16, 1996	-	-		[58]
65	Mike Tyson (Second reign)	United States	WBC	March 16, 1996	September 7, 1996	-	-		[43]
			WBA, and WBC	September 7, 1996	September 24, 1996	-	-	^2	[43]
			WBA	September 24, 1996	November 9, 1996	-	-		[43]
66	Michael Moorer (Third reign) def. Axel Schulz	United States	IBF	June 22, 1996	November 8, 1997	def. Francois Botha on Nov 9, 1996 def. Vaughn Bean on Mar 29, 1997	-	^1,^19	[50]
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	[59]
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	-		[48]
			WBA, and IBF	November 8, 1997	November 13, 1999	def. Vaughn Bean on Sep 19, 1998 draw vs. Lennox Lewis on Mar 13, 1999	-		[48]
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	[52]
			WBA, WBC, and IBF	November 13, 1999	April 29, 2000	-	-	^3	[52]
			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	-		[52]
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	[55]
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	-		[60]
72	Chris Byrd	United States	WBO	April 1, 2000	October 14, 2000	-	-		[61]
73	Evander Holyfield (Fourth reign) def. John Ruiz	United States	WBA	August 12, 2000	March 3, 2001	-	-	^1	[48]
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	-		[62]
75	John Ruiz	United States	WBA	March 3, 2001	March 1, 2003	draw vs. Evander Holyfield on Dec 15, 2001 def. Kirk Johnson on Jul 27, 2002	-		[63]
76	Hasim Rahman	United States	WBC, and IBF	April 22, 2001	November 17, 2001	-	-		[64]
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	[52]
			WBC	September 5, 2002	February 6, 2004	def. Vitali Klitschko on Jun 21, 2003		^2	[52]
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	[61]
79	Roy Jones Jr.	United States	WBA	March 1, 2003	February 20, 2004	-	-	^2	[65]
80	Corrie Sanders	South Africa	WBO	March 8, 2003	October 9, 2003	-	-	^2	[66]
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	-	^20	[63]
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	[67]
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	[60]
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	[64]
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	[68]
86	Siarhei Liakhovich	Belarus	WBO	April 1, 2006	November 4, 2006	-	-		[69]
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	The Ring def. Ruslan Chagaev on Jun 20, 2009		[62]
			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			[62]
			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			[62]
88	Oleg Maskaev	United States	WBC	August 12, 2006	December 9, 2006	-	-		[70][71]
		Russia		December 9, 2006	March 8, 2008	def. Okello Peter on Dec 10, 2006	-
89	Shannon Briggs	United States	WBO	November 4, 2006	June 2, 2007	-	-		[72]
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	[73]
91	Sultan Ibragimov	Russia	WBO	June 2, 2007	February 23, 2008	def. Evander Holyfield on Oct 13, 2007	-		[74]
92	Samuel Peter	Nigeria	WBC	March 8, 2008	October 11, 2008	-	-		[75]
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	[68]
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. Derek Chisora on Feb 18, 2012 def. Manuel Charr on Sep 8, 2012	-	^2	[60]
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	-		[76]
-	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	[77]
96	Bermane Stiverne def. Chris Arreola	Canada	WBC	May 10, 2014	January 17, 2015	-	-	^1	[78]
-	Ruslan Chagaev def. Fres Oquendo	Uzbekistan	WBA (Regular)	July 6, 2014	March 5, 2016	def. Francesco Pianeta on Jul 11, 2015	-	^1	[73]
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	-		[79]
98	Tyson Fury	United Kingdom	WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO	November 28, 2015	December 8, 2015	-	The Ring	^3	[80]
			WBA (Super), and WBO	December 8, 2015	October 12, 2016	-		^2	[80]
99	Charles Martin def. Vyacheslav Glazkov	United States	IBF	January 16, 2016	April 9, 2016	-	-	^1	[81]
-	Lucas Browne	Australia	WBA (Regular)	March 5, 2016	May 12, 2016	-	-	^24	[82]
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	-		[83]
			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	[83]
			WBA (Super), IBF, WBO	March 31, 2018	June 1, 2019	def. Alexander Povetkin on Sep 22, 2018	-		[83]
-	Ruslan Chagaev awarded the title	Uzbekistan	WBA (Regular)	May 12, 2016	July 25, 2016	-	-	^3	[73]
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	[84]
-	Manuel Charr def. Alexander Ustinov	Syria	WBA (Regular)	November 25, 2017	January 29, 2021	-	-	^1	[85]
102	Andy Ruiz Jr.	United States Mexico	WBA (Super), IBF, WBO	June 1, 2019	December 7, 2019	-	-		[86]
103	Anthony Joshua (Second reign)	United Kingdom	WBA (Super), IBF, WBO	December 7, 2019	present	def. Kubrat Pulev on Dec 12, 2020	-		[83]
104	Tyson Fury (Second reign)	United Kingdom	WBC	February 22, 2020	present	-	The Ring		[80]
-	Trevor Bryan def. Bermane Stiverne	United States	WBA (Regular)	January 29, 2021	present	-	-	^26

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 defeated 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.
26. On January 29, 2021, the World Boxing Association announced it would henceforth recognize Manuel Charr as its 'Champion in Recess,' following his inability to secure a visa to box against then-interim champion Trevor Bryan. Bryan was subsequently matched with former WBC titleholder Bermane Stiverne for the now-vacant "regular" championship. Bryan won the bout, and with it the "regular" championship designation.

List of combined reigns

As of December 14, 2020.

Keys:

  Active title reign

  Reign has ended

WBO heavyweight title bouts before August 1997 are not included[87]

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	6	6
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.	Deontay Wilder	5 years, 1 month, 5 days	1 790	1	WBC	10	8
13.	Joe Frazier	4 years, 10 months, 18 days	1 785	1	NYSAC, WBA, WBC	10	10
14.	Floyd Patterson	4 years, 10 months, 0 days	1 765	2	NYSAC, NBA	8	7
15.	James J. Corbett	4 years, 6 months, 10 days	1 652	1	Universal	2	2
16.	Jess Willard	4 years, 2 months, 29 days	1 551	1	Universal	2	2
17.	Anthony Joshua	4 years, 2 months, 0 days	1 521	2	WBA, IBF, WBO	9	9
18.	Chris Byrd	3 years, 10 months, 22 days	1 421	2	IBF, WBO	5	5
19.	Mike Tyson	3 years, 10 months, 16 days	1 415	2	WBA, WBC, IBF	12	11
20.	John Ruiz	3 years, 9 months, 21 days	1 390	2	WBA	4	4

List of individual reigns

The list includes The Ring belt. 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)	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	6	6
7.	Muhammad Ali	5 years, 11 months, 9 days	The Ring, (+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.	Deontay Wilder	6 years and 23 days	WBC	10	8
11.	Joe Frazier	4 years, 10 months, 18 days	NYSAC (+WBA, WBC)	9	9
12.	James J. Corbett	4 years, 6 months, 10 days	Universal	1	1
13.	Jess Willard	4 years, 2 months, 29 days	Universal	1	1
14.	Lennox Lewis	4 years, 2 months, 15 days	WBC (+IBF, WBA stripped, The Ring)	9	8
15.	Rocky Marciano	3 years, 11 months, 29 days	Universal	6	5
16.	Chris Byrd	3 years, 4 months, 8 days	IBF	4	4
17.	Mike Tyson	3 years, 2 months, 20 days	WBC (+WBA, IBF, The Ring)	9	9
18.	Anthony Joshua	3 years, 1 month and 23 days	IBF (+WBA, WBO)	6	6
19.	George Foreman	3 years, 0 months, 17 days	(+WBA, IBF stripped)	2	2
20.	Evander Holyfield	3 years, 0 months, 4 days	WBA (+IBF)	4	4

By nationality

Map of countries, number of current and former world heavyweight boxing champions per country (as of February 2020). Note: interim titles, as well as WBA's secondary belts (Regular, Gold etc.) are not included

Country	Total	Boxers by Name
United States	56	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, Oleg Maskaev*, 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
Canada	4	Lennox Lewis*, Tommy Burns, Trevor Berbick*, Bermane Stiverne
Russia	3	Nikolai Valuev, Oleg Maskaev*, Sultan Ibragimov
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
New Zealand	1	Joseph Parker
Mexico	1	Andy Ruiz Jr.*
Jamaica	1	Trevor Berbick*

See also

• World 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.

References

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73. "Professional boxing record: Ruslan Chagaev". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
74. "Professional boxing record: Sultan Ibragimov". Retrieved March 21, 2020.
75. "Professional boxing record: Samuel Peter". Retrieved March 21, 2020.
76. "Professional boxing record: David Haye". Retrieved March 21, 2020.
77. "Professional boxing record: Alexander Povetkin". Retrieved March 21, 2020.
78. "Professional boxing record: Bermane Stiverne". Retrieved March 21, 2020.
79. "Professional boxing record: Deontay Wilder". Retrieved March 21, 2020.
80. "Professional boxing record: Tyson Fury". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
81. "Professional boxing record: Charles Martin". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
82. "Professional boxing record: Lucas Browne". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
83. "Professional boxing record: Anthony Joshua". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
84. "Professional boxing record: Joseph Parker". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
85. "Professional boxing record: Manuel Charr". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
86. "Professional boxing record: Andy Ruiz Jr". Retrieved March 20, 2020.
87. James B. Roberts, Alexander G. Skutt: The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall of Fame Official Record Book, p. 331–32. The record of Ricardo Lopez indicates his opponent Alex Sánchez as WBO "World Champion" on August 23, 1997, meanwhile Michael Carbajal's opponent Josue Camacho (fought on July 15, 1994) didn't receive the same recognition, thus suggesting that WBO title hadn't been viewed by IBHOF as a major title prior to (at least) August 1997, when Herbie Hide (won the title on June 28, 1997) was WBO heavyweight champion

Sources

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