Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Male boxers who weigh over 200 pounds (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, [1] the World Boxing Association, [2] and the World Boxing Organization. [3] In 2020, the World Boxing Council [4] increased their heavyweight classification to 224 pounds (102 kg; 16 st) to allow for their creation of the bridgerweight division. Female boxers who weigh over 175 pounds (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major boxing organizations: the IBF and the WBC. The WBA and WBO don't have a female heavyweight world title.
Because this division had no weight limit, it has been historically vaguely defined. In the 19th century, for example, many heavyweight champions weighed 170 pounds (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) or less (although others weighed 200 pounds).
In 1920, the light heavyweight division was formed, with a maximum weight of 175 pounds (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb). Any fighter weighing more than 175 pounds was a heavyweight. The cruiserweight division (first for boxers in the 175–190 pound range) was established in 1979 and recognized by the various boxing organizations in the 1980s with a maximum weight of either 190 pounds (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) or 195 pounds (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb). Later these organizations increased the cruiserweight limit to 200 pounds.
Since 1975, the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States and the Soviet Sports Committee established a new concept in international boxing, called "Heavy Duals," an all-heavyweight team contest between the United States and the Soviet Union. [5]
As of 2023, Wladimir Klitschko holds the record of most boxers beaten for the world heavyweight title, with 23. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Klitschko holds the record for the longest cumulative heavyweight title reign of all time, with 4,382 days as world heavyweight champion. [8] [9] Joe Louis has won the most world heavyweight title bouts, with 27. [9] Louis holds the record for most consecutive title defenses at this division, with 26 defenses of the world title. [nb 1] This is also the record for most consecutive title defenses in boxing history. [11]
Four boxers have regained the heavyweight title in an immediate rematch: Floyd Patterson in 1960, Muhammad Ali in 1978, Lennox Lewis in 2001, and Anthony Joshua in 2019. George Foreman holds the record for being the oldest heavyweight to ever achieve championship status, becoming champion at the age of 45, while Mike Tyson possesses the record for youngest heavyweight champion at 20. Tyson also became the first heavyweight to own all three major belts – WBA, WBC, and IBF as well as The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles at the same time.
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | September 25, 2021 | Oleksandr Usyk | 21–0 (14 KO) | 2 |
| WBC | February 22, 2020 | Tyson Fury | 34–0–1 (24 KO) | 3 |
| IBF | September 25, 2021 | Oleksandr Usyk | 21–0 (14 KO) | 2 |
| WBO | September 25, 2021 | Oleksandr Usyk | 21–0 (14 KO) | 2 |
As of November 6, 2023. [12]
Keys:
| Rank | Name | Record (W–L–D) | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Oleksandr Usyk | 21–0 (14 KO) | IBF, WBA, WBO |
| 1 | Tyson Fury | 34–0–1 (24 KO) | WBC |
| 2 | Deontay Wilder | 43–3-1 (42 KO) | |
| 3 | Anthony Joshua | 26–3 (23 KO) | |
| 4 | Zhilei Zhang | 26–1–1 (21 KO) | |
| 5 | Joseph Parker | 32–3 (22 KO) | |
| 6 | Filip Hrgović | 15–0 (12 KO) | |
| 7 | Jared Anderson | 16–0 (15 KO) | |
| 8 | Joe Joyce | 15–2 (14 KO) | |
| 9 | Frank Sánchez | 23–0–0–1 (16 KO) | |
| 10 | Otto Wallin | 26–1–0–1 (14 KO) |
As of April4, 2024. [13]
| Rank | Name | Record (W–L–D) | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oleksandr Usyk | 21–0 (14 KO) | IBF, WBA, WBO |
| 2 | Anthony Joshua | 26–3 (23 KO) | |
| 3 | Tyson Fury | 34–0–1 (24 KO) | WBC |
| 4 | Daniel Dubois | 19–2 (18 KO) | |
| 5 | Otto Wallin | 26–1 (14 KO) | |
| 6 | Zhilei Zhang | 26–1–1 (21 KO) | |
| 7 | Joe Joyce | 15–2 (14 KO) | |
| 8 | Murat Gassiev | 30–2 (23 KO) | |
| 9 | Dillian Whyte | 29–3 (19 KO) | |
| 10 | Filip Hrgovic | 16–0 (13 KO) |
Keys:
The list does not include The Ring and lineal championship fights after 1921.
As of 22 February 2020.
| Pos. | Name | Combined reign | Days as champion | Number of reigns | Title recognition | Title fight wins | Beaten opponents | Fights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Wladimir Klitschko | 12 years, 0 months, 0 days | 4 382 | 2 | WBA, IBF, WBO | 25 | 23 | [15] |
| 2. | Joe Louis | 11 years, 8 months, 8 days | 4 270 | 1 | NYSAC, NBA | 27 | 22 | [16] [17] |
| 3. | Muhammad Ali | 9 years, 5 months, 5 days | 3 443 | 3 | NYSAC, WBA, WBC | 22 | 21 | [18] |
| 4. | Lennox Lewis | 8 years, 5 months, 13 days | 3 086 | 3 | WBA, WBC, IBF | 15 | 15 | [19] |
| 5. | Vitali Klitschko | 7 years, 5 months, 28 days | 2 735 | 3 | WBC, WBO | 15 | 15 | [20] |
| 6. | Larry Holmes | 7 years, 3 months, 12 days | 2 661 | 1 | WBC, IBF | 20 | 20 | [21] |
| 7. | Jack Dempsey | 7 years, 2 months, 19 days | 2 638 | 1 | NYSAC, NBA | 6 | 6 | [22] |
| 8. | John L. Sullivan | 7 years, 0 months, 10 days | 2 566 | 1 | lineal | 1 | 1 | [23] |
| 9. | Jack Johnson | 6 years, 3 months, 11 days | 2 292 | 1 | lineal | 6 | 6 | [24] |
| 10. | Evander Holyfield | 6 years, 1 month, 1 day | 2 223 | 4 | WBA, WBC, IBF | 10 | 9 | [25] |
| 11. | James J. Jeffries | 5 years, 11 months, 4 days | 2 156 | 1 | lineal | 8 | 6 | [26] |
| 12. | Deontay Wilder | 5 years, 1 months, 5 days | 1 859 | 1 | WBC | 10 | 8 | [27] |
| 13. | Joe Frazier | 4 years, 10 months, 18 days | 1 785 | 1 | NYSAC, WBA, WBC | 10 | 10 | [28] |
| 14. | Floyd Patterson | 4 years, 10 months, 0 days | 1 765 | 2 | NYSAC, NBA | 8 | 7 | [29] |
| 15. | James J. Corbett | 4 years, 6 months, 10 days | 1 652 | 1 | lineal | 2 | 2 | [30] |
Below is a list of longest reigning heavyweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. The list includes both The Ring and lineal championships. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.
| Pos. | Name | Title Reign | Title recognition | Successful defenses | Beaten opponents [31] | Fights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Joe Louis | 11 years, 8 months, 8 days | lineal | 26 | 21 | [16] [17] |
| 2. | Wladimir Klitschko | 9 years, 7 months and 6 days | IBF (+WBA, WBO, The Ring/Lineal) | 18 | 17 | [15] |
| 3. | Larry Holmes | 7 years, 3 months, 12 days | WBC-to-IBF (+The Ring/Lineal) | 19 | 19 | [21] |
| 4. | Jack Dempsey | 7 years, 2 months, 19 days | lineal | 5 | 5 | [22] |
| 5. | John L. Sullivan | 7 years, 0 months, 9 days | lineal | 0 | 0 | [23] |
| 6. | Jack Johnson | 6 years, 3 months, 10 days | lineal | 5 | 5 | [24] |
| 7. | Muhammad Ali | 5 years, 11 months, 9 days | The Ring/Lineal, (+WBA, WBC stripped) | 9 | 9 | [18] |
| 8. | James J. Jeffries | 5 years, 11 months, 4 days | lineal | 7 | 6 | [26] |
| 9. | Vitali Klitschko | 5 years, 2 months, 4 days | WBC | 9 | 9 | [20] |
| 10. | Deontay Wilder | 5 years, 1 month 5 days | WBC | 10 | 9 | [27] |
| 11. | Joe Frazier | 4 years, 10 months, 18 days | NYSAC (+WBA, WBC) | 9 | 9 | [28] |
| 12. | James J. Corbett | 4 years, 6 months, 10 days | lineal | 1 | 1 | [30] |
| 13. | Jess Willard | 4 years, 2 months, 29 days | lineal | 1 | 1 | [32] |
| 14. | Lennox Lewis | 4 years, 2 months, 15 days | WBC (+IBF, WBA stripped, The Ring/Lineal) | 9 | 8 | [19] |
| 15. | Tyson Fury | 4 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days | WBC | 3 | 3 | [33] |
| 16. | Rocky Marciano | 3 years, 11 months, 29 days | lineal | 6 | 5 | [34] |
The lower limit for heavyweight was established in 1948 at 81 kg (178.6 lb). A weight class named "super heavyweight" was established in 1984, and with it a maximum 91 kg (200.6 lb) for the heavyweight division.
The heavyweight division in MMA generally groups fighters between 206 and 265 lb (93 and 120 kg).
Heavyweight is also the title of a documentary film that documented the fight camp of Fabrício Werdum when he became the UFC Heavyweight Champion. [35]
The term "world heavyweight" in modern wrestling generally refers to a champion wrestler who is seen as a prominent competitor, rather than an adherent to a particular weight class. The World Heavyweight Championship in wrestling is usually considered the main title in a given promotion. Prior to the wrestling industry publicly acknowledging the predetermined nature of the sport, a Heavyweight title was generally competed for by larger wrestlers while smaller wrestlers competed as (among other names and classifications) "Junior Heavyweights", "Cruiserweights" and "Light-Heavyweights". The lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre notably still has weight division for it's champions. While most other promotions do not.
The word "heavyweight" is sometimes used in other fields (e.g. politics) to denote a person who is especially powerful or influential. 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.
Lennox Claudius Lewis is a boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed championship. Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship, Lewis represented Canada as an amateur at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics; in the latter, he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division.
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF). The WBO's headquarters are located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Thomas Hearns is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowed him to move up over fifty pounds in his career and become the first boxer in history to win world titles in five weight divisions: welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight.
Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held the world heavyweight championship twice, including the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring magazine titles. A strategic and intelligent boxer, Klitschko is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time. He was known for his exceptional knockout power, using a strong jab, straight right hand and left hook, quick hand speed, great physical strength which he employed when clinching opponents, as well as athletic footwork and mobility, unusual for boxers of his size.
Virgil Eugene Hill is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2007, and in 2015. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBA light heavyweight title twice, from 1987 to 1997; the IBF and lineal light heavyweight titles from 1996 to 1997; and the WBA cruiserweight title twice, from 2000 to 2002 and 2006 to 2007. As an amateur, Hill won a silver medal in the middleweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In 2013, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Christopher Cornelius Byrd is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2009. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having first won the WBO title in 2000 after an upset corner stoppage over then-undefeated Vitali Klitschko. In his first title defense later that year, he lost to Vitali's brother Wladimir Klitschko. In 2002, Byrd defeated Evander Holyfield to win the IBF heavyweight title for his second reign as world champion. He made four successful defenses until losing his title again to Wladimir Klitschko in a 2006 rematch. He was ranked by BoxRec in the world's top 10 heavyweight from 1998 to 2004, reaching his highest ranking of No.3 in 2000.
Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Cruiserweight, also referred to as junior heavyweight, is a weight class in professional boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Before the advent of the current cruiserweight class, "light heavyweight" and "cruiserweight" were sometimes used interchangeably in the United Kingdom.
Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Zsolt Erdei is a Hungarian former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2014. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO and lineal light-heavyweight titles from 2004 to 2009, and the WBC cruiserweight title from 2009 to 2010. Erdei is the first boxer from Hungary to win world titles in two weight divisions. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 2000 Olympics. He also competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko, known as the Klitschko Brothers, are Ukrainian former professional boxers. During their peak years between 2004 and 2015, they were considered the dominant world heavyweight champions of their era, and among the most successful champions in boxing history. In 2011, they entered the Guinness World Records book as brothers with most world heavyweight title fight wins. In the years following the retirement of heavyweight titlist Lennox Lewis in 2004, the Klitschko brothers would eventually accumulate all four major world heavyweight titles. Known for their exceptionally large physiques, speed, and punching power, they each developed a style that utilized their athleticism and arm reach to break down opponents.
Tyson Luke Fury is a British professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title since 2020. Previously, he held the unified heavyweight titles from 2015 to 2016, and the Ring magazine title twice between 2015 and 2022. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title during his first reign as champion. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the British title twice between 2011 and 2015; the European title from 2014 to 2015; and the Commonwealth title from 2011 to 2012.
In combat sports where champions are decided by a challenge, the lineal championship in a weight class represents an intangible world title initially held by the victor of a bout between top contenders in the division, as commonly interpreted. An alternative, less mainstream perspective suggests that vacancies in divisional championships can only be filled by an undisputed champion. A fighter who defeats the reigning champion in a match within that weight class becomes the next lineal champion. In professional boxing, the informal term for the lineal champion is "the man who beat the man."
Below is a list of world heavyweight boxing championship records and statistics.
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua is a British professional boxer. He is a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, having held the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles twice between 2016 and 2021. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title twice during that reign. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2015 to 2016.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Ruslan Chagaev, billed as "Knockout Auf Schalke", was a professional boxing match contested on 20 June 2009 for the IBF, WBO, IBO, and vacant The Ring heavyweight championship.
Over 200 lbs.
Heavy More than 700 Lbs.
Heavyweight Over 200lbs or 90.91 kg.
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