List of world light-heavyweight boxing champions

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

Championship recognition

1903–1910

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.

Championship awarding organizations

Reign Began Reign Ended Champion Recognition
World
1903-04-22 1903-07-04 Jack Root World
1903-07-04 1903-11-25 George Gardner 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 Bob Fitzsimmons World
1905-12-20 1905-12-20-Vacated Philadelphia Jack O'Brien World
1913-02-17 1913-02-17 Bob Moha NYSAC
1914-04-14 1916-10-24 Jack Dillon World
1916-10-24 1920-10-12 Battling Levinsky World
1920-10-12 1922-09-24 Georges Carpentier World
1922-09-24 1923-03-17 Battling Siki World
1923-03-17 1925-05-30 Mike McTigue World
1925-05-30 1926-07-16 Paul Berlenbach World
1926-07-16 1927-07-27-Vacated Jack Delaney World
Delaney vacated the title to campaign in the heavyweight division.
1927-08-30 1927-12-12 Jimmy Slattery NBA
1927-10-07 1929-07-18-Vacated Tommy Loughran [1] NYSAC
1930-02-10 1930-06-25 Jimmy Slattery NYSAC
1930-06-25 1933-03-10 Maxie Rosenbloom NYSAC
1932-03-18 1932-12-17-Stripped George Nichols NBA
Nichols was stripped of the title after losing a non-title bout to Lou Scozza.
Awarded the title 1933-03-01 Joe Knight NBA
1933-03-01 1933-03-24 Bob Godwin NBA
1933-03-24 1934-11-16 Maxie Rosenbloom World
1934-11-16 1935-10-31 Bob Olin World
1935-10-31 1938-10-28-Vacated John Henry Lewis World
Lewis retired due to failing eyesight.
1938-11-29 1939-02-03 Tiger Jack Fox NYSAC
1939-02-03 1939-07-13 Melio Bettina NYSAC
1939-07-10 1942-06-20 Len Harvey EBU
1939-07-13 1940-06-05-Vacated Billy Conn NBA/NYSAC
1941-01-13 1941-05-22 Anton Christoforidis NBA
1941-05-22 1941-11-14 Gus Lesnevich NBA/NYSAC
1942-06-20 1946-05-14 Freddie Mills EBU
1946-05-14 1948-07-26 Gus Lesnevich World
1948-07-26 1950-01-24 Freddie Mills World
1950-01-24 1952-12-17 Joey Maxim World
1952-12-17 1960-10-?? Archie Moore World
Moore was stripped of the NBA title for inactivity but retained the NYSAC and EBU versions.
1960-10-?? 1962-02-09 Archie Moore NYSAC/EBU
Moore was stripped of the EBU and NYSAC titles for inactivity.
1961-02-07 1962-05-12 Harold Johnson NBA
1962-05-12 1963-06-01 Harold Johnson World
1963-06-01 1965-03-30 Willie Pastrano WBA/WBC
1965-03-30 1966-12-16 José Torres WBA/WBC
1966-12-16 1968-05-24 Dick Tiger WBA/WBC
Title Split into WBA and WBC Belts
WBC
Title inaugurated
1963-06-01 1965-03-30 Willie Pastrano WBC
1965-05-30 1966-12-16 José Torres WBC
1966-12-16 1968-05-24 Dick Tiger WBC
1968-05-24 1974-06-17-Vacated Bob Foster WBC
1974-10-01 1977-05-21-Stripped John Conteh WBC
1977-05-21 1978-01-07 Miguel Angel Cuello WBC
1978-01-07 1978-12-02 Mate Parlov WBC
1978-12-02 1979-04-22 Marvin Johnson WBC
1979-04-22 1981-12-19 Matthew Saad Muhammad WBC
1981-12-19 1983-03-18 Dwight Muhammad Qawi WBC
1983-03-18 1985-06-06-Vacated Michael Spinks WBC
1985-12-10 1986-04-30 JB Williamson WBC
1986-04-30 1987-03-07 Dennis Andries WBC
1987-03-07 1987-Vacated Thomas Hearns WBC
1987-11-27 1988-11-07 Donny Lalonde WBC
1988-11-07 1989-Vacated Sugar Ray Leonard WBC
1989-02-21 1989-06-24 Dennis Andries WBC
1989-06-24 1990-07-28 Jeff Harding WBC
1990-07-28 1991-09-11 Dennis Andries WBC
1991-09-11 1994-07-23 Jeff Harding WBC
1994-07-23 1995-06-16 Mike McCallum WBC
1995-06-16 1997-03-Vacated Fabrice Tiozzo WBC
1997-03 1997-03-21 Roy Jones Jr. WBC
1997-03-21 1997-08-07 Montell Griffin WBC
1997-08-07 2003-03-01-Vacated Roy Jones Jr. WBC
1998-03-21 2000-04-15 Graciano Rocchigiani WBC (Restored Champion)
2003-04-23 2003-11-08 Antonio Tarver WBC
2003-11-08 2004-05-15 Roy Jones Jr. WBC
2004-05-15 2004-12-Stripped Antonio Tarver WBC
2005-05-21 2007-02-03 Tomasz Adamek WBC
2007-02-03 2008-07-11-Stripped Chad Dawson WBC
2008-07-11 2009-06-19 Adrian Diaconu WBC
2009-06-19 2011-05-21 Jean Pascal WBC
2011-05-21 2012-04-28 Bernard Hopkins WBC
2012-04-28 2013-06-08 Chad Dawson WBC
2013-06-08 2018-12-01 Adonis Stevenson WBC
2018-12-01 2019-10-18 Oleksandr Gvozdyk WBC
2019-10-18 Present Artur Beterbiev WBC
WBA
Title inaugurated
1963-06-01 1965-03-30 Willie Pastrano WBA
1965-03-30 1966-12-16 José Torres WBA
1966-12-16 1968-05-24 Dick Tiger WBA
1968-05-24 1970-12-09-Stripped Bob Foster WBA
1971-02-27 1972-04-07 Vicente Rondon WBA
1972-04-07 1974-09-16-Vacated Bob Foster WBA
1974-12-07 1978-09-15 Victor Galindez WBA
1978-09-15 1979-04-14 Mike Rossman WBA
1979-04-14 1979-11-30 Victor Galindez WBA
1979-11-30 1980-03-31 Marvin Johnson WBA
1980-03-31 1981-07-18 Eddie Mustafa Muhammad WBA
1981-07-18 1985-09-21-Vacated Michael Spinks WBA
1986-02-09 1987-05-23 Marvin Johnson WBA
1987-05-23 1987-09-05 Leslie Stewart WBA
1987-09-05 1991-06-03 Virgil Hill WBA
1991-06-03 1992-03-20 Thomas Hearns WBA
1992-03-20 1992-Vacated Iran Barkley WBA
1992-09-29 1997-06-13 Virgil Hill WBA
1997-06-13 1997-07-01-Vacated Dariusz Michalczewski WBA
1997-09-20 1998-07-18 Lou Del Valle WBA
1998-07-18 2004-05-15 Roy Jones Jr. WBA Super Champion
2001-12-22 2003-03-08 Bruno Girard WBA Regular Champion
2003-03-08 2003-10-10 Mehdi Sahnoune WBA Regular Champion
2003-10-10 2004-03-20 Silvio Branco WBA Regular Champion
2004-03-20 2006-10-19-Retired Fabrice Tiozzo WBA Regular Champion
2004-05-15 2004-12-Stripped Antonio Tarver WBA Super Champion
2006-10-19 2007-04-28 Silvio Branco WBA
2007-04-28 2007-12-16 Stipe Drvis WBA
2007-12-16 2008-03-25-Retired Danny Green WBA
2008-07-03 2009-06-20 Hugo Garay WBA
2009-06-20 2010-01-29 Gabriel Campillo WBA
2010-01-29 2014-04-19 Beibut Shumenov WBA Super Champion
2013-12-14 2016-10-01 Juergen Braehmer WBA Regular Champion
2014-04-19 2014-11-08 Bernard Hopkins WBA Super Champion
2014-11-08 2016-11-19 Sergey Kovalev WBA Super Champion
2016-10-01 Present Nathan Cleverly WBA Regular Champion
2016-11-19 2017-09-21 Andre Ward WBA Super Champion
2017-09-23 Present Dmitry Bivol WBA
IBF
Title inaugurated
1984-02-25 1985-09-21-Vacated Michael Spinks IBF
1985-12-21 1986-09-06 Slobodan Kačar IBF
1986-09-06 1987-10-29 Bobby Czyz IBF
1987-10-29 1993-03-20 Charles Williams IBF
1993-03-20 1996-11-23 Henry Maske IBF
1996-11-23 1997-06-13 Virgil Hill IBF
1997-06-13 1997-06-16-Vacated Dariusz Michalczewski IBF
1997-07-19 1998-02-06 William Guthrie IBF
1998-02-06 1999-06-05 Reggie Johnson IBF
1999-06-05 2003-03-01-Vacated Roy Jones Jr. IBF
2003-04-26 2003-11-08-Stripped Antonio Tarver IBF
2004-02-06 2004-12-Vacated Glen Johnson IBF
2005-03-04 2008-04-12 Clinton Woods IBF
2008-04-12 2008-10-11 Antonio Tarver IBF
2008-10-11 2009-05-27-Vacated Chad Dawson IBF
2009-08-28 2013-03-09 Tavoris Cloud IBF
2013-03-09 2014-11-08 Bernard Hopkins IBF
2014-11-08 2016-11-19 Sergey Kovalev IBF
2016-11-19 2017-09-21 Andre Ward IBF
2017-11-11 Present Artur Beterbiev IBF
WBO
Title inaugurated
1988-12-03 1990-12-15-Vacated Michael Moorer WBO
1991-05-09 1994-09-10 Leeonzer Barber WBO
1994-09-10 2003-10-18 Dariusz Michalczewski WBO
2003-10-18 2004-01-17 Julio César González WBO
2004-01-17 2009-11-Vacated Zsolt Erdei WBO
2009-11-13 2011-05-19-Stripped Jürgen Brähmer WBO
2011-05-19 2013-08-17 Nathan Cleverly WBO
2013-08-17 2016-11-19 Sergey Kovalev WBO
2016-11-19 2017-09-21 Andre Ward WBO
2017-11-25 2018-08-04 Sergey Kovalev WBO
2018-08-04 2019-02-02 Eleider Álvarez WBO
2019-02-02 2019-11-02 Sergey Kovalev WBO
2019-11-02 2019-12-17 Vacated Canelo Álvarez WBO

References

  1. Nat Fleischer, Sam Andre, An Illustrated History of Boxing (Citadel Press, 2002) pp195-196
  • Arnold, Peter (1989). Encyclopedia of Boxing. London: WH Smith Books. ISBN 1-85435-200-8.
  • World Title Lineages
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