Heavyweight Title Reigns by Champion, 1885–2026
All 154 recognized heavyweight title reigns from John L. Sullivan to the current belt-holders: dates, days held, defenses, and which body recognized each.
Vince Okonkwo
· 1 min read
This table lists 154 recognized heavyweight championship reigns from 1885 to the September 2026 retrieval date, one row per recognizing body. A champion holding several belts at once, or recognized by several bodies, appears on more than one row. Each row carries the reign dates, the number of days held, and the count of successful defenses and draws as printed on the source page.
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Reigns Listed
154
One row per recognizing body; 4 active at retrieval
Longest Reign
4,270 days
Joe Louis, 1937–1949
Most Defenses
26
Joe Louis (NBA, NYSAC, and IBU)
Claims in 2026
3
Separate recognized titles on 1 July 2026
Since 1963 the Title Has Averaged 2.4 Claims a Year, and Reigns Are Shorter
To measure fragmentation we took a snapshot on 1 July of every year from 1885 to 2026 and counted how many rows on this table were active on that day. Before 1963, when the WBC was founded and the sanctioning bodies split, the average was 0.95 claims a year. From 1963 on it is 2.42, peaking at 4 claims in 1996, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2016. 88 of the 124 reigns that began in 1963 or later (71%) were recognized by a single body.
Reign length moved the other way. Among the 149 completed reigns with a printed day count, the median reign that began before 1963 lasted 637 days (n=30); the median reign that began in 1963 or later lasted 344 days (n=119). The 4 reigns still active at retrieval are left out of that comparison because their length is not yet known.
Recognized Title Claims per Year
Number of rows in this table active on 1 July of each year. Zero-claim years (1885, 1905, 1929, 1956, 1967) are days on which the source lists no reign in progress. Hover a point for the year.
All Recognized Heavyweight Reigns, 1885–2026
Showing 154 of 154 rows
| No.▼ | Champion▼ | Recognition▼ | Began▼ | Begin Year▼ | Ended▼ | End Year▼ | Days▼ | Defenses▼ | Draws▼ | Note▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John L. Sullivan | World | August 29, 1885 | 1885 | September 7, 1892 | 1892 | 2,566 | 0 | 0 | def. Dominick McCaffrey |
| 2 | James J. Corbett | World | September 7, 1892 | 1892 | March 17, 1897 | 1897 | 1,652 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 3 | Bob Fitzsimmons | World | March 17, 1897 | 1897 | June 9, 1899 | 1899 | 814 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 | James J. Jeffries | World | June 9, 1899 | 1899 | May 15, 1905 | 1905 | 2,166 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 5 | Marvin Hart | World | July 3, 1905 | 1905 | February 23, 1906 | 1906 | 235 | 0 | 0 | def. Jack Root |
| 6 | Tommy Burns | World | February 23, 1906 | 1906 | December 26, 1908 | 1908 | 1,037 | 12 | 1 | — |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | World | December 26, 1908 | 1908 | August 1911 | 1911 | 948 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 7 | Jack Johnson | NYSAC | August 1911 | 1911 | April 5, 1915 | 1915 | 1,343 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 8 | Jess Willard | NYSAC | April 5, 1915 | 1915 | November 14, 1917 | 1917 | 954 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 8 | Jess Willard | World | November 14, 1917 | 1917 | July 4, 1919 | 1919 | 597 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Jack Dempsey | World | July 4, 1919 | 1919 | March 25, 1920 | 1920 | 265 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Jack Dempsey | NYSAC | March 25, 1920 | 1920 | July 2, 1921 | 1921 | 464 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Jack Dempsey | NBA, and NYSAC | July 2, 1921 | 1921 | September 23, 1926 | 1926 | 1,909 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 10 | Gene Tunney | NBA, and NYSAC | September 23, 1926 | 1926 | July 31, 1928 | 1928 | 677 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 11 | Max Schmeling | NBA, and NYSAC | June 12, 1930 | 1930 | January 7, 1931 | 1931 | 209 | 0 | 0 | def. Jack Sharkey |
| 11 | Max Schmeling | NBA, and IBU | January 7, 1931 | 1931 | June 21, 1932 | 1932 | 531 | 1 | 0 | def. Jack Sharkey |
| 12 | Jack Sharkey | NBA, NYSAC, and IBU | June 21, 1932 | 1932 | June 29, 1933 | 1933 | 373 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Primo Carnera | NBA, NYSAC, and IBU | June 29, 1933 | 1933 | June 14, 1934 | 1934 | 350 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Max Baer | NBA, NYSAC, and IBU | June 14, 1934 | 1934 | June 13, 1935 | 1935 | 364 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | James J. Braddock | NBA, NYSAC, and IBU | June 13, 1935 | 1935 | June 22, 1937 | 1937 | 740 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 | Joe Louis | NBA, NYSAC, and IBU | June 22, 1937 | 1937 | March 1, 1949 | 1949 | 4,270 | 26 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Ezzard Charles | NBA | June 22, 1949 | 1949 | September 27, 1950 | 1950 | 462 | 4 | 0 | def. Jersey Joe Walcott |
| 17 | Ezzard Charles | NBA, and NYSAC | September 27, 1950 | 1950 | June 16, 1951 | 1951 | 261 | 4 | 0 | def. Jersey Joe Walcott |
| 17 | Ezzard Charles | NBA, NYSAC, and IBU | June 16, 1951 | 1951 | July 18, 1951 | 1951 | 33 | 0 | 0 | def. Jersey Joe Walcott |
| 18 | Jersey Joe Walcott | NBA and NYSAC | July 18, 1951 | 1951 | September 23, 1952 | 1952 | 433 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Rocky Marciano | NBA and NYSAC | September 23, 1952 | 1952 | April 27, 1956 | 1956 | 1,312 | 6 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Floyd Patterson | NBA and NYSAC | November 30, 1956 | 1956 | June 26, 1959 | 1959 | 938 | 4 | 0 | def. Archie Moore |
| 21 | Ingemar Johansson | NBA and NYSAC | June 26, 1959 | 1959 | June 20, 1960 | 1960 | 360 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 22 | Floyd Patterson | NBA and NYSAC | June 20, 1960 | 1960 | September 25, 1962 | 1962 | 827 | 2 | 0 | Second reign |
| 23 | Sonny Liston | NYSAC and WBA | September 25, 1962 | 1962 | July 22, 1963 | 1963 | 270 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 23 | Sonny Liston | NYSAC, WBA, and WBC | July 22, 1963 | 1963 | February 25, 1964 | 1964 | 248 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Muhammad Ali | NYSAC, WBA, and WBC | February 25, 1964 | 1964 | June 19, 1964 | 1964 | 115 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Muhammad Ali | NYSAC, and WBC | June 19, 1964 | 1964 | February 6, 1967 | 1967 | 962 | 8 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Muhammad Ali | NYSAC, WBA, and WBC | February 6, 1967 | 1967 | April 29, 1967 | 1967 | 82 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Ernie Terrell | WBA | March 5, 1965 | 1965 | February 6, 1967 | 1967 | 703 | 2 | 0 | def. Eddie Machen |
| 26 | Joe Frazier | NYSAC | March 4, 1968 | 1968 | February 16, 1970 | 1970 | 714 | 5 | 0 | def. Buster Mathis |
| 26 | Joe Frazier | WBA, and WBC | February 16, 1970 | 1970 | January 22, 1973 | 1973 | 1,071 | 4 | 0 | def. Buster Mathis |
| 27 | Jimmy Ellis | WBA | April 27, 1968 | 1968 | February 16, 1970 | 1970 | 660 | 1 | 0 | def. Jerry Quarry |
| 28 | George Foreman | WBA and WBC | January 22, 1973 | 1973 | October 30, 1974 | 1974 | 646 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Muhammad Ali | WBA and WBC | October 30, 1974 | 1974 | February 15, 1978 | 1978 | 1,204 | 10 | 0 | Second reign |
| 30 | Leon Spinks | WBA and WBC | February 15, 1978 | 1978 | March 18, 1978 | 1978 | 31 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Leon Spinks | WBA | March 18, 1978 | 1978 | September 15, 1978 | 1978 | 181 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 31 | Ken Norton awarded the title | WBC | March 18, 1978 | 1978 | June 9, 1978 | 1978 | 83 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 32 | Larry Holmes | WBC | June 9, 1978 | 1978 | December 11, 1983 | 1983 | 2,011 | 16 | 0 | — |
| 32 | Larry Holmes | IBF | December 11, 1983 | 1983 | September 21, 1985 | 1985 | 650 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 33 | Muhammad Ali | WBA | September 15, 1978 | 1978 | July 3, 1979 | 1979 | 288 | 0 | 0 | Third reign |
| 34 | John Tate | WBA | October 20, 1979 | 1979 | March 31, 1980 | 1980 | 163 | 0 | 0 | def. Gerrie Coetzee |
| 35 | Mike Weaver | WBA | March 31, 1980 | 1980 | December 10, 1982 | 1982 | 984 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 36 | Michael Dokes | WBA | December 10, 1982 | 1982 | September 23, 1983 | 1983 | 287 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 37 | Gerrie Coetzee | WBA | September 23, 1983 | 1983 | December 1, 1984 | 1984 | 435 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 38 | Tim Witherspoon | WBC | March 9, 1984 | 1984 | August 31, 1984 | 1984 | 175 | 0 | 0 | def. Greg Page |
| 39 | Pinklon Thomas | WBC | August 31, 1984 | 1984 | March 22, 1986 | 1986 | 568 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 40 | Greg Page | WBA | December 1, 1984 | 1984 | April 29, 1985 | 1985 | 149 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 41 | Tony Tubbs | WBA | April 29, 1985 | 1985 | January 17, 1986 | 1986 | 263 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 42 | Michael Spinks | IBF | September 21, 1985 | 1985 | February 26, 1987 | 1987 | 523 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 43 | Tim Witherspoon | WBA | January 17, 1986 | 1986 | December 12, 1986 | 1986 | 329 | 1 | 0 | Second reign |
| 44 | Trevor Berbick | WBC | March 22, 1986 | 1986 | November 22, 1986 | 1986 | 245 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 45 | Mike Tyson | WBC | November 22, 1986 | 1986 | March 7, 1987 | 1987 | 105 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 45 | Mike Tyson | WBA and WBC | March 7, 1987 | 1987 | August 1, 1987 | 1987 | 147 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 45 | Mike Tyson | WBA, WBC, and IBF | August 1, 1987 | 1987 | February 11, 1990 | 1990 | 925 | 6 | 0 | — |
| 46 | James "Bonecrusher" Smith | WBA | December 12, 1986 | 1986 | March 7, 1987 | 1987 | 85 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 47 | Tony Tucker | IBF | May 30, 1987 | 1987 | August 1, 1987 | 1987 | 64 | 0 | 0 | def. Buster Douglas |
| 48 | Francesco Damiani | WBO | May 6, 1989 | 1989 | January 11, 1991 | 1991 | 616 | 1 | 0 | def. Johnny du Plooy |
| 49 | James "Buster" Douglas | WBA, WBC, and IBF | February 11, 1990 | 1990 | October 25, 1990 | 1990 | 257 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 50 | Evander Holyfield | WBA, WBC, and IBF | October 25, 1990 | 1990 | November 13, 1992 | 1992 | 751 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 51 | Ray Mercer | WBO | January 11, 1991 | 1991 | December 24, 1991 | 1991 | 348 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 52 | Michael Moorer | WBO | May 15, 1992 | 1992 | February 3, 1993 | 1993 | 265 | 0 | 0 | def. Bert Cooper |
| 53 | Riddick Bowe | WBA, WBC, and IBF | November 13, 1992 | 1992 | December 14, 1992 | 1992 | 32 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 53 | Riddick Bowe | WBA, and IBF | December 14, 1992 | 1992 | November 6, 1993 | 1993 | 328 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 54 | Lennox Lewis awarded the title | WBC | December 14, 1992 | 1992 | September 24, 1994 | 1994 | 650 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 55 | Tommy Morrison | WBO | June 7, 1993 | 1993 | October 29, 1993 | 1993 | 145 | 1 | 0 | def. George Foreman |
| 56 | Michael Bentt | WBO | October 29, 1993 | 1993 | March 19, 1994 | 1994 | 142 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 57 | Evander Holyfield | WBA, and IBF | November 6, 1993 | 1993 | April 22, 1994 | 1994 | 168 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 58 | Herbie Hide | WBO | March 19, 1994 | 1994 | March 11, 1995 | 1995 | 358 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 59 | Michael Moorer | WBA, and IBF | April 22, 1994 | 1994 | November 5, 1994 | 1994 | 198 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 60 | Oliver McCall | WBC | September 24, 1994 | 1994 | September 2, 1995 | 1995 | 344 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 61 | George Foreman | WBA, and IBF | November 5, 1994 | 1994 | March 4, 1995 | 1995 | 119 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 61 | George Foreman | IBF | March 4, 1995 | 1995 | June 29, 1995 | 1995 | 117 | 1 | 0 | Second reign |
| 62 | Riddick Bowe | WBO | March 11, 1995 | 1995 | May 1, 1996 | 1996 | 418 | 1 | 0 | Second reign |
| 63 | Bruce Seldon | WBA | April 8, 1995 | 1995 | September 7, 1996 | 1996 | 519 | 1 | 0 | def. Tony Tucker |
| 64 | Frank Bruno | WBC | September 2, 1995 | 1995 | March 16, 1996 | 1996 | 197 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 65 | Mike Tyson | WBC | March 16, 1996 | 1996 | September 7, 1996 | 1996 | 175 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 65 | Mike Tyson | WBA, and WBC | September 7, 1996 | 1996 | September 24, 1996 | 1996 | 17 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 65 | Mike Tyson | WBA | September 24, 1996 | 1996 | November 9, 1996 | 1996 | 46 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 66 | Michael Moorer | IBF | June 22, 1996 | 1996 | November 8, 1997 | 1997 | 505 | 2 | 0 | Third reign |
| 67 | Henry Akinwande | WBO | June 29, 1996 | 1996 | February 17, 1997 | 1997 | 234 | 2 | 0 | def. Jeremy Williams |
| 68 | Evander Holyfield | WBA | November 9, 1996 | 1996 | November 8, 1997 | 1997 | 365 | 2 | 0 | Third reign |
| 68 | Evander Holyfield | WBA, and IBF | November 8, 1997 | 1997 | November 13, 1999 | 1999 | 736 | 1 | 1 | Third reign |
| 69 | Lennox Lewis | WBC | February 7, 1997 | 1997 | November 13, 1999 | 1999 | 1,010 | 5 | 1 | Second reign |
| 69 | Lennox Lewis | WBA, WBC, and IBF | November 13, 1999 | 1999 | April 29, 2000 | 2000 | 168 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 69 | Lennox Lewis | WBC, and IBF | April 29, 2000 | 2000 | April 22, 2001 | 2001 | 358 | 3 | 0 | Second reign |
| 70 | Herbie Hide | WBO | June 28, 1997 | 1997 | June 26, 1999 | 1999 | 729 | 2 | 0 | Second reign |
| 71 | Vitali Klitschko | WBO | June 26, 1999 | 1999 | April 1, 2000 | 2000 | 281 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 72 | Chris Byrd | WBO | April 1, 2000 | 2000 | October 14, 2000 | 2000 | 197 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 73 | Evander Holyfield | WBA | August 12, 2000 | 2000 | March 3, 2001 | 2001 | 204 | 0 | 0 | Fourth reign |
| 74 | Wladimir Klitschko | WBO | October 14, 2000 | 2000 | March 8, 2003 | 2003 | 876 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 75 | John Ruiz | WBA | March 3, 2001 | 2001 | March 1, 2003 | 2003 | 729 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 76 | Hasim Rahman | WBC and IBF | April 22, 2001 | 2001 | November 17, 2001 | 2001 | 210 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 77 | Lennox Lewis | WBC and IBF | November 17, 2001 | 2001 | September 5, 2002 | 2002 | 293 | 1 | 0 | Third reign |
| 77 | Lennox Lewis | WBC | September 5, 2002 | 2002 | February 6, 2004 | 2004 | 519 | 1 | 0 | Third reign |
| 78 | Chris Byrd | IBF | December 14, 2002 | 2002 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 79 | Roy Jones Jr. | WBA | March 1, 2003 | 2003 | February 20, 2004 | 2004 | 357 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 80 | Corrie Sanders | WBO | March 8, 2003 | 2003 | October 9, 2003 | 2003 | 216 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 81 | John Ruiz | WBA | February 20, 2004 | 2004 | December 17, 2005 | 2005 | 667 | 2 | 0 | Second reign |
| 82 | Lamon Brewster | WBO | April 10, 2004 | 2004 | April 1, 2006 | 2006 | 722 | 3 | 0 | def. Wladimir Klitschko |
| 83 | Vitali Klitschko | WBC | April 24, 2004 | 2004 | November 9, 2005 | 2005 | 565 | 1 | 0 | Second reign |
| 84 | Hasim Rahman | WBC | November 9, 2005 | 2005 | August 12, 2006 | 2006 | 277 | 0 | 1 | Second reign |
| 85 | Nikolai Valuev | WBA | December 17, 2005 | 2005 | April 14, 2007 | 2007 | 484 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 86 | Siarhei Liakhovich | WBO | April 1, 2006 | 2006 | November 4, 2006 | 2006 | 218 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 87 | Wladimir Klitschko | IBF | April 22, 2006 | 2006 | February 23, 2008 | 2008 | 673 | 4 | 0 | Second reign |
| 87 | Wladimir Klitschko | IBF and WBO | February 23, 2008 | 2008 | July 2, 2011 | 2011 | 1,226 | 6 | 0 | Second reign |
| 87 | Wladimir Klitschko | WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO | July 2, 2011 | 2011 | November 28, 2015 | 2015 | 1,611 | 8 | 0 | Second reign |
| 88 | Oleg Maskaev | WBC | August 12, 2006 | 2006 | December 9, 2006 | 2006 | 120 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 88 | Oleg Maskaev | WBC | December 9, 2006 | 2006 | March 8, 2008 | 2008 | 456 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 89 | Shannon Briggs | WBO | November 4, 2006 | 2006 | June 2, 2007 | 2007 | 211 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 90 | Ruslan Chagaev | WBA | April 14, 2007 | 2007 | July 3, 2008 | 2008 | 799 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 91 | Sultan Ibragimov | WBO | June 2, 2007 | 2007 | February 23, 2008 | 2008 | 267 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 92 | Samuel Peter | WBC | March 8, 2008 | 2008 | October 11, 2008 | 2008 | 218 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 93 | Nikolai Valuev | WBA | August 30, 2008 | 2008 | November 7, 2009 | 2009 | 435 | 1 | 0 | Second reign |
| 94 | Vitali Klitschko | WBC | October 11, 2008 | 2008 | December 15, 2013 | 2013 | 1,892 | 9 | 0 | Third reign |
| 95 | David Haye | WBA | November 7, 2009 | 2009 | July 2, 2011 | 2011 | 603 | 2 | 0 | — |
| – | Alexander Povetkin | WBA (Regular) | August 27, 2011 | 2011 | October 5, 2013 | 2013 | 771 | 4 | 0 | def. Ruslan Chagaev |
| 96 | Bermane Stiverne | WBC | May 10, 2014 | 2014 | January 17, 2015 | 2015 | 253 | 0 | 0 | def. Chris Arreola |
| – | Ruslan Chagaev | WBA (Regular) | July 6, 2014 | 2014 | March 5, 2016 | 2016 | 609 | 1 | 0 | def. Fres Oquendo |
| 97 | Deontay Wilder | WBC | January 17, 2015 | 2015 | February 22, 2020 | 2020 | 1,863 | 9 | 1 | — |
| 98 | Tyson Fury | WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO | November 28, 2015 | 2015 | December 8, 2015 | 2015 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 98 | Tyson Fury | WBA (Super) and WBO | December 8, 2015 | 2015 | October 12, 2016 | 2016 | 310 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 99 | Charles Martin | IBF | January 16, 2016 | 2016 | April 9, 2016 | 2016 | 85 | 0 | 0 | def. Vyacheslav Glazkov |
| – | Lucas Browne | WBA (Regular) | March 5, 2016 | 2016 | May 12, 2016 | 2016 | 69 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 100 | Anthony Joshua | IBF | April 9, 2016 | 2016 | April 29, 2017 | 2017 | 386 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 100 | Anthony Joshua | WBA (Super) and IBF | April 29, 2017 | 2017 | March 31, 2018 | 2018 | 337 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 100 | Anthony Joshua | WBA (Super), IBF, WBO | March 31, 2018 | 2018 | June 1, 2019 | 2019 | 428 | 1 | 0 | — |
| – | Ruslan Chagaev awarded the title | WBA (Regular) | May 12, 2016 | 2016 | July 25, 2016 | 2016 | 75 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 101 | Joseph Parker | WBO | December 10, 2016 | 2016 | March 31, 2018 | 2018 | 477 | 2 | 0 | def. Andy Ruiz Jr. |
| – | Mahmoud Charr | WBA (Regular) | November 25, 2017 | 2017 | January 29, 2021 | 2021 | 1,162 | 0 | 0 | def. Alexander Ustinov |
| 102 | Andy Ruiz Jr. | WBA (Super), IBF, WBO | June 1, 2019 | 2019 | December 7, 2019 | 2019 | 190 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 103 | Anthony Joshua | WBA (Super), IBF, WBO | December 7, 2019 | 2019 | September 25, 2021 | 2021 | 659 | 1 | 0 | Second reign |
| 104 | Tyson Fury | WBC | February 22, 2020 | 2020 | May 18, 2024 | 2024 | 1,548 | 3 | 0 | Second reign |
| – | Trevor Bryan | WBA (Regular) | January 29, 2021 | 2021 | June 11, 2022 | 2022 | 498 | 1 | 0 | def. Bermane Stiverne |
| 105 | Oleksandr Usyk | WBA (Super), IBF, WBO | September 25, 2021 | 2021 | May 18, 2024 | 2024 | 967 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 105 | Oleksandr Usyk | WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO | May 18, 2024 | 2024 | June 25, 2024 | 2024 | 38 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 105 | Oleksandr Usyk | WBA (Super), WBC, WBO | June 25, 2024 | 2024 | July 19, 2025 | 2025 | 389 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 105 | Oleksandr Usyk | WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO | July 19, 2025 | 2025 | November 17, 2025 | 2025 | 121 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 105 | Oleksandr Usyk | WBA (Super), WBC, IBF | November 17, 2025 | 2025 | June 26, 2026 | 2026 | 221 | 1 | 0 | — |
| − | Daniel Dubois | WBA (Regular) | June 11, 2022 | 2022 | August 26, 2023 | 2023 | 441 | 1 | 0 | — |
| – | Mahmoud Charr Reinstated by legal appeal | WBA (Regular) | August 31, 2023 | 2023 | December 7, 2024 | 2024 | 464 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 106 | Daniel Dubois | IBF | June 26, 2024 | 2024 | July 19, 2025 | 2025 | 388 | 1 | 0 | interim champion promoted |
| – | Kubrat Pulev | WBA (Regular) | December 7, 2024 | 2024 | December 12, 2025 | 2025 | 370 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 107 | Fabio Wardley | WBO | November 17, 2025 | 2025 | May 9, 2026 | 2026 | 299 | 0 | 0 | interim champion promoted |
| – | Murat Gassiev | WBA (Regular) | December 12, 2025 | 2025 | June 26, 2026 | 2026 | 196 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 108 | Daniel Dubois | WBO | May 9, 2026 | 2026 | present | 2026 | 126 | 0 | 0 | Second reign |
| 109 | Murat Gassiev | WBA | June 26, 2026 | 2026 | present | 2026 | 78 | 1 | 0 | Elevated to primary champion |
| 110 | Agit Kabayel | WBC | June 27, 2026 | 2026 | present | 2026 | 77 | 0 | 0 | interim champion promoted |
| 111 | Filip Hrgović | IBF | August 29, 2026 | 2026 | present | 2026 | 14 | 0 | 0 | def. Moses Itauma |
— marks a value the source does not print. Active reigns show 'present' and count days to 2026-09-13.
Download the full table (CSV) · 154 rows
How the Numbers Were Made
The table reproduces the 'List of champions' table from the Wikipedia article List of heavyweight boxing champions, retrieved 13 September 2026, with one row per recognizing body exactly as the source lays it out (154 rows). Defense and draw counts were tallied from the source's own defense-list text for each reign. BoxRec was not used: it requires a login and is not a source for this page, so this is a table of reigns, not a fight-by-fight record with methods or rounds.
Two rows have a value the source does not print cleanly: Chris Byrd's 2002 IBF reign has no readable end date and Jack Johnson's 1911 hand-over is dated to the month only. Both are shown as printed or as a dash; the July snapshot treats 'August 1911' as 1 August. Pre-1921 'World' recognition reflects public acclamation rather than a sanctioning body; the source itself flags those years as contested. Country and body names are as printed; nothing was re-mapped.
The fragmentation count is a 1 July snapshot: a row counts for a year if its start date is on or before 1 July and its end date is after it. Reign-length medians use only completed reigns with a printed day count (149 rows) and split them by the year the reign began, before and from 1963.
Sources
- List of heavyweight boxing championssecondaryWikipedia · secondary · retrieved 2026-09-13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 — Reign table used as printed; its footnotes point to The Ring, ESPN, the sanctioning bodies and BoxRec
- The Ring Ratings and Championship PolicyprimaryThe Ring · primary · All rights reserved — Cited by the article for Ring recognition; not fetched for this page
- International Boxing FederationprimaryIBF · primary · All rights reserved — Cited by the article for IBF reigns; not fetched for this page