The Heavyweight Champions

　

The Historical Succession

　

From the Great John L. to Lennox Lewis, there is an unbroken line of heavyweight champions.  The greatest title in the world has been passed on through the generations from one fighter to another. In our modern world of high purses and legalistics, there is often a debate about just who is the champion at any given moment.  There are now four major sanctioning bodies and, as of this writing, there are four different "champions".  No sanctioning body can determine the true heavyweight king, only action in the ring.  The truth is, in order to be the champion, one must defeat the reigning champion or, in the case of a vacated title, one must defeat the best active fighters of his era.  This is the equation by which the true heavyweight champions are determined.
　

Champion

 　

Reign Began

 　

Reign Ended

 　

Photo

1. John L. Sullivan*

 February 7, 1882 September 7, 1892

*Sullivan was the first champion under Marquess of Queensberry rules, having defeated Paddy Ryan in a bare-knuckle fight in 1882 to earn championship recognition.
2. James J. Corbett September 7, 1892 March 17, 1897
3. Bob Fitzsimmons March 17, 1897 June 9, 1899
4. James J. Jeffries* June 9, 1899 May 13, 1905
*Jeffries was the first champion to relinquish the title, announcing his retirement and declaring that the winner of a match between Marvin Hart and Jack Root would be the next legitimate champion. Jeffries would return to the ring to face Jack Johnson.
5. Marvin Hart July 3, 1905 February 23, 1906
6. Tommy Burns February 23, 1906 December 26, 1908
7. Jack Johnson December 26, 1908 April 5, 1915
8. Jess Willard April 5, 1915 July 4, 1919
9. Jack Dempsey July 4, 1919 September 23, 1926
10. Gene Tunney* September 23, 1926 July 31, 1928
*Tunney announced his retirement from professional boxing on July 31, 1928, relinquishing the championship.
11. Max Schmeling* June 12, 1930 June 21, 1932

*Schmeling defeated NBA champion Jack Sharkey to earn universal recognition as champion.
12. Jack Sharkey June 21, 1932 June 29, 1933
13. Primo Carnera June 29, 1933 June 14, 1934
14. Max Baer June 14, 1934 June 13, 1935
15. James J. Braddock June 13, 1935 June 22, 1937
16. Joe Louis June 22, 1937 March 1, 1949
17. Ezzard Charles* September 27, 1950 July 18, 1951
*Charles won the vacant National Boxing Association championship, but was not universally recognized as champion until defeating Joe Louis, the former champion who had come out of retirement.
18. Jersey Joe Walcott July 18, 1951 September 23, 1952
19. Rocky Marciano September 23, 1952 April 27, 1956
20. Floyd Patterson* November 30, 1956 June 26, 1959
*Rocky Marciano announced his retirement in 1956 from professional boxing, relinquishing the championship. With the heavyweight title vacant, Floyd Patterson decisioned Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson in a title elimination bout and then knocked out 42-year-old light heavyweight champion Archie Moore in the fifth round to win the vacant crown. He was 21 years and 10 months old, the youngest man to ever capture the heavyweight title.
21. Ingemar Johansson June 26, 1959 June 20, 1960
22. Floyd Patterson June 20, 1960 September 25, 1962
23. Sonny Liston September 25, 1962 February 25, 1964
24. Cassius Clay/ Muhammad Ali* February 25, 1964 April 29, 1967
*All sanctioning bodies withdrew recognition of Ali as champion for his refusal to be inducted into the United States Army subsequent to being drafted in early 1967. The World Boxing Association staged an 8-man tournament to determine Ali's successor. Joe Frazier was recognized as heavyweight champion after defeating Jimmy Ellis, but his reign was not officially recognized by the public until his defeat of Ali.
25. Joe Frazier March 4, 1968 January 22, 1973
26. George Foreman January 22, 1973 October 30, 1974
27. Muhammad Ali October 30, 1974 February 15, 1978
28. Leon Spinks February 15, 1978 September 15, 1978
29. Muhammad Ali* September 15, 1978 April 27, 1979
*With Ali's defeat of Spinks, Ali was again the world champion. Believing his career over, Ali relinquished his WBA title.  The WBC champ was Ken Norton.  Larry Holmes defeated Norton on June 9, 1978 and defeated Ali on October 2, 1980.
30. Larry Holmes June 9, 1978 September 21, 1985
31. Michael Spinks* September 21, 1985 February 19, 1987
*Spinks defended the heavyweight title with a fourth-round knockout of Stefan Tangstad in 1986 but was stripped of his IBF crown five months later.  On November 22, 1986m, Mike Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick to claim the WBC title, on March 7, 1987 he defeated “Bonecrusher” Smith to claim the WBC title and on August 1, 1987 defeated Tony Tucker to claim the IBF title, thus unifying the heavyweight division titles.  Spinks knocked out Gerry Cooney in June of 1987 and declared himself the People's heavyweight champion. That paved the way for a showdown against Mike Tyson on June 27, 1988. The fight lasted just 91 seconds, with Tyson scoring a knockout and erasing all doubt as to who was the heavyweight champion. Spinks retired after the fight.
32. Mike Tyson November 22, 1986 February 10, 1990
33. James "Buster" Douglas February 10, 1990 October 25, 1990
34. Evander Holyfield October 25, 1990 November 13, 1992
35. Riddick Bowe November 13, 1992 November 6, 1993
36. Evander Holyfield November 6, 1993 April 22, 1994
37. Michael Moorer April 22, 1994 November 5, 1994
38. George Foreman* November 5, 1994 March 4, 1995
*The World Boxing Association withdrew its recognition of Foreman, but Foreman retained IBF championship recognition until it too was withdrawn. Michael Moorer again won IBF belt in 1996, defended it twice before losing it to Holyfield on Nov. 8, 1997.  Some authorities still recognized Foreman as the linear champion and so did the World Boxing Union, who installed him as their heavyweight champion.  On November 22, 1997 in Atlantic City, Foreman lost his claim to the linear title on a controversial decision against Shannon Briggs.  By stopping Briggs in the 5th round on March 28, 1998, Lewis could add the linear title to his resume.
39. Shannon Briggs November 22, 1997 March 28, 1998
40. Lennox Lewis March 28, 1998 April 21, 2001
41. Hasim Rahman April 21, 2001 November 17, 2001
42. Lennox Lewis* November 17, 2001 February 6, 2004
*Although the unification match on March 13, 1999 between WBC-champ Lewis and WBA/IBF-boss Holyfield officially ended in a draw verdict, Lewis was the moral victor as it was generally seen as one of the most controversial decisions in heavyweight title history.  They met in rematch on November 13, 1999 and this time Lewis left no doubts, winning a unanimous decision and the undisputed heavyweight title. Lewis retired in 2004 generally regarded as the heavyweight champion of the world.

　

The Current Picture

　

Currently, the heavyweight divisions are split between three fighters, Ukrainian brothers Wladimir Klitschko (IBF/WBO/WBA Super) and Vitali Klitschko (WBC) along with Russia's Alexander Povetkin (WBA Regular). The Klitschko brothers will not fight each other, so it is certain that the title will remain divided until a contender comes along who can unify the division by unseating the two or retirement takes one or both. Perhaps Povetkin is the guy. Only time will tell.

　

　

Vitali Klitschko defeats Samuel Peter, 2008 Wladimir Klitschko defeats David Haye, 2011

　

Russia's Alexander Povetkin defeated Ruslan Chagaev (2011)

　

Back In My Day.......

Every true boxing fan spends an inordinate amount of time pondering the question, "Who was the greatest heavyweight champion of all time?" We compare the champions of different eras and everyone has his or her opinion. This preoccupation came to full fruit with the computer fight between Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano in 1970 (video). This argument has been going on forever. But, in my research, I found this amazing article from the Las Cruces Sun-News,  1943,  in which the author ponders a dream match between then champion, Joe Louis, and the first heavyweight champion, John L. Sullivan. I just felt I had to share this.

　

 

RUGGED SULLIVAN WOULD HAVE BEATEN JOE LOUIS

By JAMES J. JOHNSTON

Manager of Boxing Champions

Las Cruces Sun-News

February 12, 1943

 

Back in 1881, in the lower part of little old New York City, Harry Hill's "free and easy" was synonymous with prize fighting and fighting men. One day a short pugnacious young man strode up to Hill and said: "I'm John L Sullivan from Boston and I can knock out any man in the world in four rounds, bar none."

 

Now Harry often staged fights to whet the boxing appetites of his bar customers, and the arrival of this cock-sure gent made little impression on him. "You're on. young man." he said. "Take off your clothes and we'll soon see how good you are."

 

Steve Taylor, a local heavy, was matched with Sullivan. John L knocked Taylor out and within the year, was champion. That started the 12-year reign of the most colorful and scintillating figure the prize ring has ever seen.

 

Sullivan was a fairly good boxer, terrifically strong with bull-like aggressiveness, powerful punching ability and a good wrestler. Speed didn't matter in bare knuckle finish fights for men wore spiked shoes to give them a hold on the turf.

 

Too Rugged For Louis

 

Comparing the strength, punching power, aggressiveness, and general all-round ruggedness, the great Sullivan, with the boxing skill and hard hitting of Joe Louis, both at the same age, both boxing the same length of time and then to meet, I must say that Sullivan would without a doubt win from Louis.

 

Fighters of today are not trained for a really hard grueling pace such as Sullivan would have set in his prime. Moderns don’t train as long or as hard or under such Spartan conditions. They lose their resistance and strength after too many tough rounds.

　

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