The criteria of an undisputed champion has changed throughout the history of boxing. This is due to the inclusion of different boxing organizations and sanctioning bodies since 1921. Below we discuss some of the most notable undisputed champions within each weight division. The International Boxing Federation (IBF) was founded as the USBA-I in 1976 and by 1984 had enough credibility to be considered major.8 The fragmentation of titles was thus increased. Some of the most highly-regarded and lucrative fights were unification bouts between rival champions to create an “undisputed champion”.

By definition, an Undisputed Boxing Champion is a fighter who holds world titles from all sanctioning bodies in one particular weight class. From 2007 onward, there are four major sanctioning bodies – WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO. Only 7 men and 8 women boxers have become Undisputed Champions since 2007. A unified boxing champion is a boxer who holds more than one world title, but not all four. They are the champions of two to three sanctioning bodies within their weight class. Despite no longer being undisputed, Usyk is one of 26 stars who have held all of the heavyweight titles at once with the first-ever undisputed heavyweight champion being Jack Dempsey in 1922.

While becoming an undisputed champion in two categories will always be rare, four boxers now have the chance to do that usyk dubois in the heavyweight division. Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, and Joesph Parker will do their best to win their next bout and make history. But the accomplishment does not only depend on a boxer’s skills but timing and boxing politics also play a major role in a fighter becoming an undisputed champion apart from several other unrecognizable factors. As the number of recognized sanctioning bodies increased, becoming an undisputed champion became much harder. Some of boxing’s greatest-ever have been undisputed heavyweight champions during their career and now Oleksandr Usyk is the latest.

Women’s current unified champions

Jon Jones has officially retired from the sport and Tom Aspinall is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. Only twelve women have held all four versions of the belts at the same time, two have done so in two divisions. The Ukrainian modern-day boxing legend could easily have decided to call it a day there, but he wants to become undisputed champion for a second time. Unified status shows a fighter has not only won big fights but navigated the often-complicated politics of the sport. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have both held multiple titles simultaneously.

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A lineal champion is a boxer who beats the reigning and defending champion—specifically beating the former undisputed to become the new champion of a weight division. This guide breaks down the different types of boxing championships, explains how they came to be, and helps fans make sense of the sport’s often tangled title scene. In order for a boxer to be considered the undisputed champion in his or her division, they must be in possession of each body’s world title belt simultaneously.

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• Obviously, Jones eventually made the decision to call it a career and allow the UFC’s heavyweight division to move on without him.
• But the accomplishment does not only depend on a boxer’s skills but timing and boxing politics also play a major role in a fighter becoming an undisputed champion apart from several other unrecognizable factors.
• The disruption in boxing was solved after World War II when the World Championship Committee (WCC) was created with NBA as its unanimous authority.
• Legends like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, and Lennox Lewis have all held the lineal crown.
• He regained the WBC and IBF belts following victory over Rahman seven months later in a rematch.

This resulted in a growing number of boxers claiming to be legitimate champions. The disruption in boxing was solved after World War II when the World Championship Committee (WCC) was created with NBA as its unanimous authority. Joe Louis is the boxer who has been the undisputed heavyweight champion for the longest, sitting at the top of the sport for 12 years. Ukraine sensation Oleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 following a split-decision win over Tyson Fury in May 2024. The status of being an Undisputed Champion in Boxing is unparalleled with different weight classes, several sanctioning bodies, and multiple champions in a division.

Boxing champions list

Fights involving unified champions often draw attention from bettors across online casino platforms which offer competitive odds on major title bouts—enhancing the fan experience while adding a layer of excitement. Will we see another undisputed two-division champion in the four-belt era? Before the May 18th match, Usyk already had the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts. However, IBF had already mandated that Usyk should defend his IBF title against Dubois.

Heavyweight

‘Bud’ unified the Light-Welterweight division in 2017 and the Welterweight division in 2023 to achieve this feat. However, according to His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh, the fans won’t have to wait for another decade to see a new undisputed champion. If Oleksandr Usyk once again defeats Fury, he will face either Dubois or Joesph Parker for the undisputed belt.

As Breakker and Zayn were going at it, Penta dove off the stage onto them. Penta emerged to help him, followed by Sami Zayn to completely neutralize The Vision alongside Cena and Punk. Punk then offered his hand to Cena, which was accepted as a ruse; Cena went for the low blow, only to have his foot caught and put up for the GTS. Rollins then hit Punk with the briefcase, hitting a curbstomp before Cena cast him from the ring and made the cover on Punk to retain the title. White had just recently said that he was setting a deadline to book Jones vs. Aspinall after months of back and forth on whether or not the fight would actually happen. To check the top 10 fighters in each division, visit ESPN’s divisional rankings.

Instead of taking on the mandatory challenger, Usyk arranged to fight Fury again and came out on top once more. Because in boxing, every belt has a history—and every title tells a story. Whether you’re following the sport closely or placing your next wager through an online casino like Mostbet PK, knowing the difference between these belts brings the story of each fight into sharper focus. Still, for those seeking clarity, the lineal and undisputed titles remain the cleanest measure of greatness. While the International Boxing Federation accepted Usyk’s terms for the bout, he had to face Dubois pretty soon and defend his title.

With multiple governing bodies and overlapping titles, fans are often left wondering what each belt means and how fighters earn them. Mostbet PK provides a reliable way to keep up with the latest championship fights and outcomes. The growing popularity of boxing outside of the U.S. led to creation of various boxing organizations, each strengthening their influence – most notably the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) – and having their own champion.

Becoming an undisputed champion in two divisions is a near-impossible task. Even during the three-belt era, only Evander Holyfield was able to achieve this feat by winning the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in Cruiserweight and Heavyweight divisions. With the victory, he became the first boxer to unify the cruiserweight division during the four-belt era. Apart from him, only Terence Crawford achieved the rare feat of becoming an undisputed champion in modern boxing.