List of world light-heavyweight boxing champions

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This is a chronological list of world light heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations:

Championship recognition[edit]

1903–1910[edit]

The light-heavyweight division was created in 1903, the brainchild of Chicago journalist Lou Houseman who was also a boxing manager and promoter. He matched his own fighter Jack Root with Kid McCoy and announced the fight as being for the light-heavyweight championship of the world. The boxing press accepted the new weight division and Root was accepted as the inaugural world champion. Jack Root was defeated in his first title defense against George Gardner (boxer), who was considered the most thrilling fighter in the division, and the first undisputed Light - Heavyweight Champion of the World. During the 1980s, however, some boxing historians found records indicating that Joe Choynski won a twenty-round decision over Jimmy Ryan on August 18, 1899, in a fight billed as being for the light heavyweight championship. Choynski never seems to have made any claim to be the first light heavyweight champion.

  • The International Boxing Union (IBU), formed in Paris in 1910. Changed name to European Boxing Union in 1946. It organised world title fights from 1913 to 1963 after which it was incorporated into the World Boxing Council (WBC).
  • The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), formed originally in 1911, banned in 1917, and then reformed in 1920. It organized world title bouts until the early 1970s when it became a member of World Boxing Council (WBC).
  • The National Boxing Association (NBA) formed in the USA in 1921.

1961–present[edit]

Championship awarding organizations[edit]

Reign Began Reign Ended Champion Recognition
World
1903-04-22 1903-07-04 United States Jack Root World
1903-07-04 1903-11-25 United Kingdom George Gardiner World
The light-heavyweight division was not recognized outside North America until the Gardiner-Fitzsimmons title fight of November 1903
1903-11-25 1905-12-20 United Kingdom Bob Fitzsimmons World
1905-12-20 1905-12-20-Vacated United States Philadelphia Jack O'Brien World
1913-02-17 1914-06-15 United States Bob Moha NYSAC
1914-04-14 1916-10-24 United States Jack Dillon World
1916-10-24 1920-10-12 United States Battling Levinsky World
1920-10-12 1922-09-24 France Georges Carpentier World
1922-09-24 1923-03-17 France Battling Siki World
1923-03-17 1925-05-30 Republic of Ireland Mike McTigue World
1925-05-30 1926-07-16 United States Paul Berlenbach World
1926-07-16 1927-07-27-Vacated Canada Jack Delaney World
Delaney vacated the title to campaign in the heavyweight division.
1927-08-30 1927-12-12 United States Jimmy Slattery NBA
1927-10-07 1929-07-18-Vacated United States Tommy Loughran [1] NYSAC
1930-02-10 1930-06-25 United States Jimmy Slattery NYSAC
1930-06-25 1933-03-10 United States Maxie Rosenbloom NYSAC
1932-03-18 1932-12-17-Stripped United States George Nichols NBA
Nichols was stripped of the title after losing a non-title bout to Lou Scozza.
Awarded the title 1933-03-01 United States Joe Knight NBA
1933-03-01 1933-03-24 United States Bob Godwin NBA
1933-03-24 1934-11-16 United States Maxie Rosenbloom World
1934-11-16 1935-10-31 United States Bob Olin World
1935-10-31 1938-10-28-Vacated United States John Henry Lewis World
Lewis retired due to failing eyesight.
1938-11-29 1939-02-03 United States Tiger Jack Fox NYSAC
1939-02-03 1939-07-13 Italy Melio Bettina NYSAC
1939-07-10 1942-06-20 United Kingdom Len Harvey EBU
1939-07-13 1940-06-05-Vacated United States Billy Conn NBA/NYSAC
1941-01-13 1941-05-22 Greece Anton Christoforidis NBA
1941-05-22 1941-11-14 United States Gus Lesnevich NBA/NYSAC
1942-06-20 1946-05-14 United Kingdom Freddie Mills EBU
1946-05-14 1948-07-26 United States Gus Lesnevich World
1948-07-26 1950-01-24 United Kingdom Freddie Mills World
1950-01-24 1952-12-17 United States Joey Maxim World
1952-12-17 1960-10-?? United States Archie Moore World
Moore was stripped of the NBA title for inactivity but retained the NYSAC and EBU versions.
1960-10-?? 1962-02-09 United States Archie Moore NYSAC/EBU
Moore was stripped of the EBU and NYSAC titles for inactivity.
1961-02-07 1962-05-12 United States Harold Johnson NBA
1962-05-12 1963-06-01 United States Harold Johnson World
1963-06-01 1965-03-30 United States Willie Pastrano WBA/WBC
1965-03-30 1966-12-16 United States José Torres WBA/WBC
1966-12-16 1968-05-24 Nigeria Dick Tiger WBA/WBC
Title Split into WBA and WBC Belts
WBC
Title inaugurated
1963-06-01 1965-03-30 United States Willie Pastrano WBC
1965-05-30 1966-12-16 United States José Torres WBC
1966-12-16 1968-05-24 Nigeria Dick Tiger WBC
1968-05-24 1974-06-17-Vacated United States Bob Foster WBC
1974-10-01 1977-05-21-Stripped United Kingdom John Conteh WBC
1977-05-21 1978-01-07 Argentina Miguel Angel Cuello WBC
1978-01-07 1978-12-02 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Mate Parlov WBC
1978-12-02 1979-04-22 United States Marvin Johnson WBC
1979-04-22 1981-12-19 United States Matthew Saad Muhammad WBC
1981-12-19 1983-03-18 United States Dwight Muhammad Qawi WBC
1983-03-18 1985-06-06-Vacated United States Michael Spinks WBC
1985-12-10 1986-04-30 United States JB Williamson WBC
1986-04-30 1987-03-07 United Kingdom Dennis Andries WBC
1987-03-07 1987-Vacated United States Thomas Hearns WBC
1987-11-27 1988-11-07 Canada Donny Lalonde WBC
1988-11-07 1989-Vacated United States Sugar Ray Leonard WBC
1989-02-21 1989-06-24 United Kingdom Dennis Andries WBC
1989-06-24 1990-07-28 Australia Jeff Harding WBC
1990-07-28 1991-09-11 United Kingdom Dennis Andries WBC
1991-09-11 1994-07-23 Australia Jeff Harding WBC
1994-07-23 1995-06-16 Jamaica Mike McCallum WBC
1995-06-16 1997-03-Vacated France Fabrice Tiozzo WBC
1997-03 1997-03-21 United States Roy Jones Jr. WBC
1997-03-21 1997-08-07 United States Montell Griffin WBC
1997-08-07 2003-03-01-Vacated United States Roy Jones Jr. WBC
1998-03-21 2000-04-15 Germany Graciano Rocchigiani WBC (Restored Champion)
2003-04-23 2003-11-08 United States Antonio Tarver WBC
2003-11-08 2004-05-15 United States Roy Jones Jr. WBC
2004-05-15 2004-12-Stripped United States Antonio Tarver WBC
2005-05-21 2007-02-03 Poland Tomasz Adamek WBC
2007-02-03 2008-07-11-Stripped United States Chad Dawson WBC
2008-07-11 2009-06-19 Romania Adrian Diaconu WBC
2009-06-19 2011-05-21 Canada Jean Pascal WBC
2011-05-21 2012-04-28 United States Bernard Hopkins WBC
2012-04-28 2013-06-08 United States Chad Dawson WBC
2013-06-08 2018-12-01 Canada Adonis Stevenson WBC
2018-12-01 2019-10-18 Ukraine Oleksandr Gvozdyk WBC
2019-10-18 Present Canada Artur Beterbiev WBC
WBA
Title inaugurated
1963-06-01 1965-03-30 United States Willie Pastrano WBA
1965-03-30 1966-12-16 United States José Torres WBA
1966-12-16 1968-05-24 Nigeria Dick Tiger WBA
1968-05-24 1970-12-09-Stripped United States Bob Foster WBA
1971-02-27 1972-04-07 Venezuela Vicente Rondon WBA
1972-04-07 1974-09-16-Vacated United States Bob Foster WBA
1974-12-07 1978-09-15 Argentina Victor Galindez WBA
1978-09-15 1979-04-14 United States Mike Rossman WBA
1979-04-14 1979-11-30 Argentina Victor Galindez WBA
1979-11-30 1980-03-31 United States Marvin Johnson WBA
1980-03-31 1981-07-18 United States Eddie Mustafa Muhammad WBA
1981-07-18 1985-09-21-Vacated United States Michael Spinks WBA
1986-02-09 1987-05-23 United States Marvin Johnson WBA
1987-05-23 1987-09-05 Trinidad and Tobago Leslie Stewart WBA
1987-09-05 1991-06-03 United States Virgil Hill WBA
1991-06-03 1992-03-20 United States Thomas Hearns WBA
1992-03-20 1992-Vacated United States Iran Barkley WBA
1992-09-29 1997-06-13 United States Virgil Hill WBA
1997-06-13 1997-07-01-Vacated Poland Dariusz Michalczewski WBA
1997-09-20 1998-07-18 United States Lou Del Valle WBA
1998-07-18 2004-05-15 United States Roy Jones Jr. WBA Super Champion
2001-12-22 2003-03-08 France Bruno Girard WBA Regular Champion
2003-03-08 2003-10-10 France Mehdi Sahnoune WBA Regular Champion
2003-10-10 2004-03-20 Italy Silvio Branco WBA Regular Champion
2004-03-20 2006-10-19-Retired France Fabrice Tiozzo WBA Regular Champion
2004-05-15 2004-12-Stripped United States Antonio Tarver WBA Super Champion
2006-10-19 2007-04-28 Italy Silvio Branco WBA
2007-04-28 2007-12-16 Croatia Stipe Drvis WBA
2007-12-16 2008-03-25-Retired Australia Danny Green WBA
2008-07-03 2009-06-20 Argentina Hugo Garay WBA
2009-06-20 2010-01-29 Spain Gabriel Campillo WBA
2010-01-29 2014-04-19 Kazakhstan Beibut Shumenov WBA Super Champion
2013-12-14 2016-10-01 Germany Juergen Braehmer WBA Regular Champion
2014-04-19 2014-11-08 United States Bernard Hopkins WBA Super Champion
2014-11-08 2016-11-19 Russia Sergey Kovalev WBA Super Champion
2016-10-01 Present United Kingdom Nathan Cleverly WBA Regular Champion
2016-11-19 2017-09-21 United States Andre Ward WBA Super Champion
2017-09-23 Present Russia Dmitry Bivol WBA
IBF
Title inaugurated
1984-02-25 1985-09-21-Vacated United States Michael Spinks IBF
1985-12-21 1986-09-06 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Kačar IBF
1986-09-06 1987-10-29 United States Bobby Czyz IBF
1987-10-29 1993-03-20 United States Charles Williams IBF
1993-03-20 1996-11-23 Germany Henry Maske IBF
1996-11-23 1997-06-13 United States Virgil Hill IBF
1997-06-13 1997-06-16-Vacated Poland Dariusz Michalczewski IBF
1997-07-19 1998-02-06 United States William Guthrie IBF
1998-02-06 1999-06-05 United States Reggie Johnson IBF
1999-06-05 2003-03-01-Vacated United States Roy Jones Jr. IBF
2003-04-26 2003-11-08-Stripped United States Antonio Tarver IBF
2004-02-06 2004-12-Vacated Jamaica Glen Johnson IBF
2005-03-04 2008-04-12 United Kingdom Clinton Woods IBF
2008-04-12 2008-10-11 United States Antonio Tarver IBF
2008-10-11 2009-05-27-Vacated United States Chad Dawson IBF
2009-08-28 2013-03-09 United States Tavoris Cloud IBF
2013-03-09 2014-11-08 United States Bernard Hopkins IBF
2014-11-08 2016-11-19 Russia Sergey Kovalev IBF
2016-11-19 2017-09-21 United States Andre Ward IBF
2017-11-11 Present Canada Artur Beterbiev IBF
WBO
Title inaugurated
1988-12-03 1990-12-15-Vacated United States Michael Moorer WBO
1991-05-09 1994-09-10 United States Leeonzer Barber WBO
1994-09-10 2003-10-18 Poland Dariusz Michalczewski WBO
2003-10-18 2004-01-17 Mexico Julio César González WBO
2004-01-17 2009-11-Vacated Hungary Zsolt Erdei WBO
2009-11-13 2011-05-19-Stripped Germany Jürgen Brähmer WBO
2011-05-19 2013-08-17 United Kingdom Nathan Cleverly WBO
2013-08-17 2016-11-19 Russia Sergey Kovalev WBO
2016-11-19 2017-09-21 United States Andre Ward WBO
2017-11-25 2018-08-04 Russia Sergey Kovalev WBO
2018-08-04 2019-02-02 Colombia Eleider Álvarez WBO
2019-02-02 2019-11-02 Russia Sergey Kovalev WBO
2019-11-02 2019-12-17 Vacated Mexico Canelo Álvarez WBO
2021-04-10 2022-06-18 United States Joe Smith Jr. WBO
2022-06-18 Present Canada Artur Beterbiev WBO

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Nat Fleischer, Sam Andre, An Illustrated History of Boxing (Citadel Press, 2002) pp195-196

External links[edit]

  • Arnold, Peter (1989). Encyclopedia of Boxing. London: WH Smith Books. ISBN 1-85435-200-8.
  • World Title Lineages