The unified heavyweight title history is a prestigious and continued badge of honor that shows a champion is usually number one in his division. World Boxing News charts the reign of every top-flight boxer to hold more than one belt over sixty years since the inception of split world titles in 1963.
The story begins in 1960 as other entities began to make waves in the sport by securing the loyalty of commissions, promoters, and, ultimately, fighters.
Following the WBA’s breakaway and the WBC’s formation, a new world order erupted as boxing faced an uncertain and unprecedented time.
An eagerly-anticipated fight between Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson spawned the age we all know – multiple champions in one division. After Liston easily defeated Patterson, the big-punching slugger agreed to be the flagbearer for unified titles. Unfortunately for Liston, he handed over the WBA and WBC titles to heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali following their famous feud in 1964. Ali never embraced the WBA at the time, though.
Ali never carried the double championships to keep one ruler holding the belts consistently. And, as the WBA and WBC didn’t see eye-to-eye about everything, the weight class split for the first time for the rematch.
Ernie Terrell then made two defenses of the WBA strap after winning the vacant version against Eddie Machen in 1965. Ironically, Ali was in the opposite corner, and the titles were reunited under Ali. This time, “The Greatest” kept hold of the WBA and ruled as the first active unified heavyweight champion until his famous draft refusal in 1967.
Jimmy Ellis took the vacant WBA strap a year later, but it wasn’t until Joe Frazier faced Ellis in 1970 that there was one sole heavyweight champion again. As the WBA and WBC kept the championships as a whole for an impressive eight years, the IBF came into the reckoning during the early 1980s. The fans worried back then that the sport would struggle to have one champion until Mike Tyson unified all the belts in 1987 to become the first undisputed three-belt heavyweight champion.
James Buster Douglas shocked Tyson to enjoy eight months in the hot seat before Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe took the baton. Lennox Lewis then cleaned out the weight class, including the recognized IBO strap at the time, to become the first heavyweight ruler to hold four titles at once.
The Klitschko brothers followed Lewis, but only Wladimir was ever unified. Vital enjoyed two spells as WBC champion, but only on either side of a reversed retirement.
Since then, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr., and current king Oleksandr Usyk have claimed multiple versions simultaneously.
Unified Heavyweight Champions – 1963 to 2023
Sonny Liston – 1963 to 1964
Liston defeated Floyd Patterson before running into a young and fresher Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad Ali – [Three Times] 1964 to 1965 / 1967 / 1974 to 1978
Ali held the belts briefly after one victory – a rematch with Liston. He regained the WBC and WBA straps in 1967 for one defense before reclaiming at the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ seven years later.
Four years of defenses culminated in Leon Spinks shocking the world – as Ali did fourteen years prior. By the time Ali gained revenge. Spinks had already been stripped of the WBC version.
Joe Frazier – 1970
Frazier briefly reigned as WBA and WBC ruler until running into an unstoppable George Foreman.
George Foreman – 1973 to 1974 / 1994 to 1995
Foreman took both belts into his fateful rope-a-dope with Ali. ‘Big’ George then split the titles twenty years later in his second run before making a successful defense against Axel Schulz.
Mike Tyson – 1987 to 1990
Boxing fans waited another nine years before a juggernaut came along to put two of the now three versions together. However, it’s hard to say much about the mid-1990s Mike Tyson due to the lack of real opposition until his match-ups with Holyfield and Lewis.
A 1980s Tyson is a far easier measuring stick. But that’s not what we saw when he came out of prison. Tyson also had mental struggles to deal with. Self-esteem issues ultimately led to Tyson’s second downfall and put the New Yorker away, killing any chance of adding to his legacy. He briefly returned to his glory days in 1996 but won the WBC and WBA separately in two victories over Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon.
James Buster Douglas – 1990
Douglas wiped out Tyson in one of history’s most controversial and memorable knockouts. Eight months later, it was all over.
Evander Holyfield [Three Times] – 1990 to 1992 / 1993 to 1994 / 1997 to 1999
A two-weight, undisputed all-time legend, there aren’t many fighters on the planet who could be compared with Holyfield. Taking Douglas’ belts quickly, Holyfield is arguably the greatest unified champion ever.
Ironically, a champion today may have equaled Holyfield’s unbelievable achievements – Oleksandr Usyk. It will only be a matter of time before comparisons between the pair lead to a debate.
Holyfield had a great chin, will, and a champion’s heart – seemingly from birth. He’s undoubtedly the number one due to his cruiserweight and heavyweight standouts.
Riddick Bowe – 1992 to 1993
Despite his impressive heavyweight run, Bowe only reigned once as a unified champion. His win over Holyfield in 1992 saw him at the top of the sport. In subsequent rematches with Holyfield, Bowe lost two belts before the rubber match was non-title.
Michael Moorer – 1994
Moorer defeated Holyfield for the IBF and WBA before losing out to George Foreman as the big man became the oldest heavyweight champion ever. Foreman never took the WBA strap into any of his future defenses.
Lennox Lewis – 1999 to 2001 / 2001 to 2002
After Holyfield enjoyed another reign, it was over to the great Lennox Lewis. One thing is for sure: when hit on the chin, his frailties don’t come close to diminishing his achievements. Lewis had a meditational mental state, which helped him during big challenges as he ended the Holyfield and Tyson eras single-handedly.
Hasim Rahman – 2001
Rahman was an opportunist who could take advantage of an off-night for the champion then. Lennox Lewis was the victim, but Rahman wasn’t as bad as some of his losses suggest.
Lewis won the titles back with a wipeout victory.
Wladimir Klitschko 2008 to 2015
Klitschko was on top for a decade until Tyson Fury called in 2015. Klitschko’s three-belt, 23-title defense run puts him possibly at number one on the overall list of unified champions. Holyfield may question that.
Tyson Fury – 2015
Fury dethroned the king of his time in a career-best victory. However, Fury’s time at the top was cut short due to a mass of red tape and a subsequent three-year career blackout.
Anthony Joshua – 2016 to 2019 / 2019 to 2021
The Briton, also a two-time titleholder, has held more than one title on and off from 2016 to 2021. A record-breaker, Joshua has achieved massive amounts in the numbers game. Recently, he was smashing barriers between casual and regular fans on home soil. Apart from losing his titles to Andy Ruiz Jr. on his United States debut, it took Usyk to humble AJ and leave him beltless.
Andy Ruiz Jr – 2019
Andy Ruiz Jr. beat Joshua simply due to his Eye of the Tiger and complacency the first time. Holding the belts for six months, Ruiz didn’t train enough in the rematch to give himself any chance. It could be a trilogy that opens doors to a future world title shot, provided both are in the right condition.
Oleksandr Usyk – 2021 to present
Holding the title of Pound for Pound King and undisputed heavyweight champion, Usyk could be the top dog for a long time.
Two dominant wins over Anthony Joshua won’t tell the complete story. However, the May 2024 Tyson Fury victory put a firm exclamation point on his reign.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
