World boxing championship records and statistics

Since at least John L. Sullivan, in the late 19th century, there have been world champions in professional boxing. At the very beginnings, before any sanctioning body was established, many boxers proclaimed themselves as legitimate champions. Eventually, champions were recognized through public acclamation, succesively establishing a lineage. Important sets of weight classes were those specified in 1909 by the National Sporting Club of London, and those contained in the 1920 Walker Law which established the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). NYSAC recognized champions from its foundation in 1920.^[1] The National Boxing Association (NBA) was founded by other U.S. state bodies in 1921.^[1] Until the 1960s, both usually recognised the same lineal champion.^[2] However, disputes could arise if the champion retired or moved to a different weight class. Occasionally, the International Boxing Union (renamed the European Boxing Union in 1946) recognised a different champion. The disputes were usually short-lived as a lucrative fight would be organised between the rival champions.

The growing popularity of boxing outside of the USA led to creation of various boxing organizations, each strengthening their influence (most notably BBBofC) and having their own champion. This resulted in a growing number of boxers claiming to be legitimate champions. On August 23, 1962, the NBA officially became the World Boxing Association and moved their headquarters to Panama City, Panama. A year later NYSAC along with European Boxing Union and BBBofC supported creation of the World Boxing Council. In April 1983, members of United States Boxing Association along with Robert W. Lee (a former WBA vice-president) voted to expand the organisation and form the USBA-International. The organization later changed the name to International Boxing Federation.^[3] The inaugural IBF Heavyweight Champion was Larry Holmes, who relinquished the WBC title to accept IBF's recognition, thus helping the newly formed organization to establish its legitimacy.^[4] Another major sanctioning body, the World Boxing Organisation, was established in 1988 in San Juan, Puerto Rico by a group of local businessmen. At the beginnings, when most of the challengers for WBA, WBC and IBF titles were Americans, WBO had a wider variety of countries, mainly United Kingdom, represented in title bouts. As of 2018, WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA are all recognized as major boxing organizations by each other and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Championship recognition

1884–1910

Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a championship being split among several men for periods of time. With only minor exceptions, the heavyweight division remained free from dual title-holders until the 1960s. For an early example, see the 1896 World Heavyweight Championship.

Sanctioning organizations: 1910–present

Gradually, the role of recognizing champions in the division evolved into a more formal affair, with public acclamation being supplemented (or in some cases, contradicted) by recognition by one or more athletic commissions, sanctioning organizations, or a combination of them. The most notable examples with respect to the heavyweight division have included:

The International Boxing Union (IBU), which was formed in Paris in 1910. The organization would become the European Boxing Union in 1946, but would recognize "world" champions in various divisions until it subordinated itself in that area to the World Boxing Council.
The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). 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 (WBC).
The National Boxing Association (NBA) was organized in 1921. In 1962, the organization was renamed the World Boxing Association (WBA).
The World Boxing Council (WBC) was organized in 1963.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF), 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 (WBO), which was founded in 1989 by disgruntled members of the World Boxing Council.

There are also titles that aren't considered major but play a significant role in legitimizing the champion:

Lineal championship was considered as the only form of the world championship until 1921. In professional boxing, the lineal champion is informally called "the man who beat the man", implying that the only way to win the championship is either to beat the current champion or (when the title is vacated due to suspension, retirement etc.) to become the winner of a fight between No. 1 and No. 2 (ocasionally No. 3) ranked contenders.
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 eather defeating the reigning champion or winning a box-off between the magazine's No. 1 and No. 2 (ocasionally No. 3) 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, moving to another weight class, not scheduling a fight for 18 months in the division, not scheduling a fight with a top 5 contender for two years in any weight class, or retiring.^[5]

Title fight wins & beaten opponents — The Ring/lineal champions

Though these lists do not include The Ring and lineal championship fights after 1921, they only include title fight wins in weight classes where the champion have also captured The Ring or lineal title.

Keys:

Active title reign

Reign has ended

Note: WBA (Regular) champions are not included

Highest avg. of wins & beaten opponents

As of October 11, 2018.

	Name	Division	Recognition	Avg. of wins & BO
1.	Wladimir Klitschko	Heavyweight	WBA, IBF, WBO	24
1.	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	Light middleweight Welterweight Lightweight Super featherweight	WBA, WBC WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO WBC WBC	24
3.	Joe Louis	Heavyweight	NYSAC, NBA	23.5
3.	Bernard Hopkins	Light heavyweight Middleweight	WBA, WBC, IBF WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO	23.5
4.	Dariusz Michalczewski	Light heavyweight	WBA, IBF, WBO	23
5.	Ricardo López	Minimumweight	WBA, WBC, WBO	22
6.	Muhammad Ali	Heavyweight	WBA, WBC	21.5
6.	Joe Calzaghe	Super middleweight	WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO	21.5
6.	Pongsaklek Wonjongkam	Flyweight	WBC	21.5
6.	Virgil Hill	Light heavyweight	WBA, WBC, IBF	21.5
10.	Julio César Chávez	Light welterweight Lightweight	WBC, IBF WBA, WBC	21
11.	Larry Holmes	Heavyweight	WBC	20
12.	George Dixon	Featherweight	Universal	19.5
13.	Henry Armstrong	Welterweight Lightweight Featherweight	NBA, NYSAC	19
14.	Eusebio Pedroza	Featherweight	WBA	18.5
14.	Wilfredo Gómez	Super featherweight Super bantamweight	WBA WBC	18.5

Most opponents beaten in title fights

As of October 11, 2018.

	Name	Beaten opponents
1.	Wladimir Klitschko	23
1.	Bernard Hopkins	23
1.	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	23
4.	Dariusz Michalczewski	22
4.	Ricardo López	22
6.	Joe Louis	21
6.	Muhammad Ali	21
6.	Joe Calzaghe	21
6.	Pongsaklek Wonjongkam	21
6.	Virgil Hill	21
6.	Julio César Chávez	21
12.	Larry Holmes	20
13.	George Dixon	19
14.	Eusebio Pedroza	18
14.	Wilfredo Gómez	18

Most wins in title fights

As of October 11, 2018.

	Name	Title bout wins
1.	Joe Louis	26
2.	Wladimir Klitschko	25
2.	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	25
4.	Bernard Hopkins	24
4.	Dariusz Michalczewski	24
6.	Ricardo López	22
6.	Muhammad Ali	22
6.	Joe Calzaghe	22
6.	Pongsaklek Wonjongkam	22
6.	Virgil Hill	22
6.	Henry Armstrong	22
6.	Abe Attell	22
13.	Julio César Chávez	21
14.	Larry Holmes	20
14.	George Dixon	20