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Heavy Weight Boxing Champions
Boxing has many ruling bodies, each of which has a world champion belt and title holder, so it can get quite confusing trying to follow who is the current world champion heavyweight boxer. Listed below are the past champions from 5 of the major boxing organisations since 1970. The WBA (World Boxing Association), the WBC (World Boxing Council), the IBF (International Boxing Federation), the WBO (World Boxing Organization) and the IBO (International Boxing Organization).
For clarity I've listed the champion boxers in a flowchart sort of way with the 5 boxing ruling bodies listed across the top and the consecutive boxing champs running down the columns in alternating dark and light colours.
| Year | WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | IBO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | John Ruiz Feb 04 - present | Vitali Klitschko Apr 04 - present | Chris Byrd Dec 02- present | Lamon Brewster Apr 04 - present | Vacant Apr 04 - present | |
| 2004 | ||||||
| Roy Jones Jr. Mar 03 - Feb 04 | Lennox Lewis Nov 01 - Feb 04 | Vacant Oct 03 - Apr 04 | Lennox Lewis Nov 01 - Feb 04 | |||
| 2003 | ||||||
| Corrie Sanders Mar 03 - Oct 03 | ||||||
| John Ruiz Mar 01 - Mar 03 | Wladimir Klitschko Oct 00 - Mar 03 | |||||
| 2002 | Vacant | |||||
| Lennox Lewis Nov 01 - Sep 02 | ||||||
| 2001 | ||||||
| Hasim Rahman Apr 01 - Nov 01 | Hasim Rahman Apr 01 - Nov 01 | Hasim Rahman Apr 01 - Nov 01 | ||||
| Evander Holyfield Aug 00 - Mar 01 | Lennox Lewis Feb 97 - Apr 01 | Lennox Lewis Nov 99 01 - Apr 01 | Lennox Lewis Nov 99 - Apr 01 | |||
| 2000 | ||||||
| Chris Byrd Apr 00 - Oct 00 | ||||||
| Vacant | ||||||
| Lennox Lewis Nov 99 - Apr 00 | Vitali Klitschko Jun 99 - Apr 00 | |||||
| 1999 | ||||||
| Evander Holyfield Nov 96 - Nov 99 | Evander Holyfield Nov 97 - Nov 99 | Brian Nielsen Jan 96 - Sep 99 | ||||
| Herbie Hide Jun 97 - Jun 99 | ||||||
| 1998 | ||||||
| 1997 | ||||||
| Michael Moorer Jun 96 - Nov 97 | ||||||
| Vacant | ||||||
| Henry Akinwande Jun 96 - Feb 97 | ||||||
| 1996 | Mike Tyson | Vacant | ||||
| Bruce Seldon Apr 95 - Sep 96 | Mike Tyson Mar 96 - Sep 96 | |||||
| Vacant Jun 95 - Jun 96 Francois Botha title revoked - drug abuse | Riddick Bowe Mar 95 - May 96 | |||||
| Frank Bruno Sep 95 - Mar 96 | ||||||
| 1995 | Jimmy Thunder Oct 94 - Nov 95 | |||||
| Oliver McCall Sep 94 - Sep 95 | ||||||
| George Foreman Nov 94 - Jun 95 | ||||||
| George Foreman Nov 94 - Mar 95 | Herbie Hide Mar 94 - Mar 95 | |||||
| 1994 | ||||||
| Michael Moorer Apr 94 - Nov 94 | Lennox Lewis Dec 92 - Sep 94 | Michael Moorer Apr 94 - Nov 94 | Danell Nicholson | |||
| Vacant Jan 93 - Aug 94 | ||||||
| Evander Holyfield Nov 93 - Apr 94 | Evander Holyfield Nov 93 - Apr 94 | Michael Bentt Oct 93 - Mar 94 | ||||
| 1993 | ||||||
| Riddick Bowe Nov 92 - Nov 93 | Riddick Bowe Nov 92 - Nov 93 | Tommy Morrison Jun 93 - Oct 93 | ||||
| Michael Moorer May 92 - Feb 93 | ||||||
| 1992 | Riddick Bowe | Pinklon Thomas Nov 92 - Jan 93 | ||||
| Evander Holyfield Oct 90 - Nov 92 | Evander Holyfield Oct 90 - Nov 92 | Evander Holyfield Oct 90 - Nov 92 | ||||
| IBO founded 1991 | ||||||
| Vacant | ||||||
| 1991 | Ray Mercer Jan 91 - Dec 91 | |||||
| 1990 | Francesco Damiani May 89 - Jan 91 | |||||
| James "Buster" Douglas Feb 90 - Oct 90 | James "Buster" Douglas Feb 90 - Oct 90 | James "Buster" Douglas Feb 90 - Oct 90 | ||||
| Mike Tyson Mar 87 - Feb 90 | Mike Tyson Nov 86 - Feb 90 | Mike Tyson Aug 87 - Feb 90 | ||||
| 1989 | ||||||
| WBO founded 1988 | ||||||
| 1988 | ||||||
| 1987 | ||||||
| Tony Tucker | ||||||
| James "Bonecrusher" Smith | Michael Spinks Sep 85 - Feb 87 | |||||
| 1986 | Tim Witherspoon Jan 86 - Dec 86 | |||||
| Trevor Berbick Mar 86 - Nov 86 | ||||||
| Pinklon Thomas Aug 84 - Mar 86 | ||||||
| 1985 | Tony Tubbs Apr 85 - Jan 86 | |||||
| Larry Holmes Dec 83 - Sep 85 | ||||||
| Greg Page | ||||||
| 1984 | Gerrie Coetzee Sep 83 - Dec 84 | |||||
| Tim Witherspoon Mar 84 - Aug 84 | ||||||
| Vacant | ||||||
| 1983 | Larry Holmes Jun 78 - Dec 83 | IBF founded 1983 | ||||
| Michael Dokes Dec 82 - Sep 83 | ||||||
| 1982 | Mike Weaver Mar 80 - Dec 82 | |||||
| 1981 | ||||||
| 1980 | ||||||
| John Tate Oct 79 - Mar 80 | ||||||
| 1979 | ||||||
| Vacant Apr 79 - Oct 79 | ||||||
| Muhammad Ali Sep 78 - Apr 79 | ||||||
| 1978 | ||||||
| Leon Spinks Feb 78 - Sep 78 | Ken Norton | |||||
| Leon Spinks | ||||||
| Muhammad Ali Oct 74 - Feb 78 | Muhammad Ali Oct 74 - Feb 78 | |||||
| 1977 | ||||||
| 1976 | ||||||
| 1975 | ||||||
| 1974 | ||||||
| George Foreman Jan 73 - Oct 74 | George Foreman Jan 73 - Oct 74 | |||||
| 1973 | ||||||
| 1972 | Joe Frazier Feb 70 - Jan 73 | Joe Frazier Feb 70 - Jan 73 | ||||
| 1971 | ||||||
| 1970 | ||||||