List of world heavyweight boxing champions

Championship recognition

1884–1921

Sanctioning organizations: 1921–present

• The New York State Athletic Commission. 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.
• The National Boxing Association was organized in 1921. In 1962, the organization was renamed the World Boxing Association.
• The World Boxing Council was organized in 1963.
• The International Boxing Federation, 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, which was founded in 1989 by disgruntled members of the World Boxing Association.
• The Ring began awarding championship belts in 1922, stopped giving belts to world champions in the 1990s, then reintroduced their title in 2002, and ignored the current ongoing world championship lineage. Under the original version of the policy, you could win the title by either defeating the reigning champion or winning a box-off between the magazine's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked contenders. A fighter could not be stripped of the title unless he lost or retired. Since May 2012, under the new policy, The Ring title can be awarded when the No. 1 and No. 2 contenders face each other or when either of them faces No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 contender. In addition, the title can be taken away by losing the fight, not scheduling a fight for 18 months, not scheduling a fight with a top 5 contender for two years, or retiring.

  Current status of prominent championship titles

• Anthony Joshua is currently recognized as the organization's 'super' world champion, having won the title on December 7, 2019 over Andy Ruiz Jr. His next bout is scheduled against Kubrat Pulev on June 20, 2020, to satisfy his IBF mandatory defense obligation. However, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Manuel Charr is currently recognized as the organization's 'regular' world champion. His next defence of this title is scheduled to be against WBA 'interim' champion Trevor Bryan. The WBA has scheduled a purse bid for the bout on March 2, 2020.
• Trevor Bryan is currently recognized as the organization's 'interim' world champion, having being awarded that distinction on August 11, 2018 by defeating B.J. Flores. Why the WBA awarded an interim championship title when it already had active boxers holding its 'super' and 'regular' world championships is unclear. 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. The WBA has scheduled a purse bid for the bout on March 2, 2020.

• Tyson Fury is the currently recognized as the organization's world champion, having won the title on February 22, 2020 by defeating Deontay Wilder.
• Dillian Whyte was recognized as the organization's 'interim' world champion, having been awarded that distinction on July 20, 2019 by defeating Oscar Rivas via 12 round unanimous decision. As with the WBA's championship title, at the time of Whyte's recognition as 'interim' champion, their recognized world champion was not inactive, so why this recognition was bestowed is unclear. This recognition was suspended from July 30, 2019 to December 11, 2019, after it was reported a post-bout UKAD gathered urine sample "yielded an adverse finding." On December 6, 2019, UKAD exonerated Whyte of any wrongdoing and five days later the WBC reinstated Whyte as its 'interim' champion.

• Anthony Joshua is currently recognized as the organization's world champion, having won the title on December 7, 2019 by defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. His next bout is scheduled against Kubrat Pulev, the IBF's mandatory challenger, on June 20, 2020 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

• Anthony Joshua is the currently recognized as the organization's world champion, having won the title on December 7, 2019 by defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. His next bout is scheduled against Kubrat Pulev on June 20, 2020, to satisfy his IBF mandatory defense obligation.

• Tyson Fury is currently recognized as the organization's world champion, having won the title on February 22, 2020 by defeating Deontay Wilder.

  List of champions

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 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 Jackson a second time on July 29, 1957.
12. The World Boxing Association withdrew their championship recognition of Clay 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 : 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.

    List of combined reigns

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.	Chris Byrd	3 years, 10 months, 22 days	1 421	2	IBF, WBO	5	5
18.	Mike Tyson	3 years, 10 months, 16 days	1 415	2	WBA, WBC, IBF	12	11
19.	John Ruiz	3 years, 9 months, 21 days	1 390	2	WBA	4	4
20.	Rocky Marciano	3 years, 7 months, 5 days	1 312	1	NYSAC, NBA	7	5

List of individual reigns

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	18	17
3.	Larry Holmes	7 years, 3 months, 12 days	WBC-to-IBF	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,	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		WBC	10	8
11.	Joe Frazier	4 years, 10 months, 18 days	NYSAC	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	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	9	9
18.	Anthony Joshua		IBF	6	6
19.	George Foreman	3 years, 0 months, 17 days		2	2
20.	Evander Holyfield	3 years, 0 months, 4 days	WBA	4	4

By nationality