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Jack Dempsey , Legendary HW champion
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds (14 st 4 lb/90.7 kg) are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing Organization.
For most boxing organizations, the maximum weight for a cruiserweight is 200 pounds. Thus, a fighter whose weight is over 200 lb may not fight as anything but a heavyweight.
Historical development[]
Because this division has no weight limit, it has been historically vaguely defined. In the 19th century, for example, many heavyweight champions weighed 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less (although others weighed 200 pounds.
The first heavyweight champion under the Marquess of Queensberry rules was John L. Sullivan, known as "The Boston Strong Boy". He weighed around 200 pounds when in shape and was a bare-knuckle champion. He was defeated by Jim Corbett on September 7, 1892, in 21 rounds.
In 1920, the minimum weight for a heavyweight was set at 175 pounds (12 st 7 lb, 79 kg), which today is the light heavyweight division maximum. Since 1980, for most boxing organizations, the maximum weight for a cruiserweight has been 200 pounds.
Since the 1960s, the heavyweight title has become fractured amongst various sanctioning organizations, and so what was once known as the single "Heavyweight Champion", is now referred to as the "Undisputed Champion" as the one fighter that has defeated all the other titlists.
Professional champions[]
Current champions[]
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA Super | September 25,2021 |  Oleksandr Usyk
|
19-0
(13 KO) |
0 |
| The Ring | February 22, 2020 |  Tyson Fury
|
30-0-1 (21 KO) | 6 |
| WBC | February 22, 2020 | Tyson Fury
|
30-0-1
(21 KO) |
0 |
| IBF | September 25,2021 | Oleksandr Usyk
|
19-0
(13 KO) |
0 |
| WBO | September 25,2021 | Oleksandr Usyk
|
19-0
(13 KO) |
0 |
Longest reigning heavyweight champions[]
Below is a list of longest reigning heavyweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.
| Name | Title Reign | Title Recognition | Successful Defenses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Joe Louis |
11 years, 8 months, 8 days | Universal | 25 |
| 2. | Larry Holmes |
7 years, 3 months, 12 days | WBC-to-IBF (+The Ring/Lineal) | 20 |
| 3. | Jack Dempsey |
7 years, 2 months, 19 days | Universal | 5 |
| 4. | John L. Sullivan |
7 years, 0 months, 9 days | Universal | 5 |
| 5. | Wladimir Klitschko |
18 years, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days | IBF (+WBA, WBO, The Ring) | 13 |
| 6. | Jack Johnson |
6 years, 3 months, 10 days | Universal | 8 |
| 7. | James J. Jeffries |
5 years, 11 months, 4 days | Universal | 7 |
| 8. | Joe Frazier |
4 years, 10 months, 18 days | NYAC (+WBA, WBC) | 9 |
| 9. | Vitali Klitschko |
15 years, 11 months and 3 days | WBC | 9 |
| 10. | James J. Corbett |
4 years, 6 months, 10 days | Universal | 1 |
| 11. | Jess Willard |
4 years, 2 months, 29 days | Universal | 1 |
| 12. |  Lennox Lewis |
4 years, 2 months, 15 days | WBC (+IBF, WBA stripped, The Ring/Lineal) | 9 |
| 13. | Rocky Marciano |
3 years, 11 months, 29 days | Universal | 6 |
| 14. | Chris Byrd |
3 years, 4 months, 8 days | IBF | 4 |
| 15. | Muhammad Ali |
3 years, 3 months, 16 days | The Ring/Lineal, (+WBA, WBC stripped) | 10 |
| 16. | Mike Tyson |
3 years, 2 months, 20 days | WBC (+WBA, IBF, The Ring/Lineal) | 9 |
| 17. | George Foreman |
3 years, 0 months, 17 days | Lineal (+WBA, IBF stripped) | 3 |
| 18. | Evander Holyfield |
3 years, 0 months, 4 days | WBA (+IBF) | 4 |
| 19. |  Tommy Burns |
2 years, 10 months, 3 days | Universal | 11 |
| 20. | Michael Spinks |
2 years, 9 months, 6 days | The Ring/Lineal (+IBF stripped) | 3 |
Unofficial Long Title reigns[]
The following title reigns are not recognized as official reigns due to: long periods of inactivity, legitimacy of title, false billing & promotion etc.
| Name | Title Reign | Title Recognition | Successful Defenses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Vitali Klitschko |
20 years, 4 months and 3 weeks | Full WBC-to-WBC Emeritus-to-Full WBC (+The Ring rel) | 11 |
| N/A | Muhammad Ali |
7 years, 0 months, 11 days | The Ring/Lineal | 11 |
| N/A |  Brian Nielsen |
3 years, 7 months, 20 days | IBO | 5 |
Key[]
- Active Title Reign
- Reign has ended
Analogous uses[]
The word "heavyweight" is sometimes used in other fields (e.g. politics) to denote a person who is especially powerful or influential. In this context, "big beast" has a similar meaning. Other boxing analogies include "punching above his [their] weight" to denote a person or entity (e.g. a country) whose influence is arguably greater than his/its basic attributes would suggest.
See also[]
References[]
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