This is a list of current boxing world champions who are certified by the four major boxing sanctioning bodies[1] and The Ring magazine. Each champion's professional boxing record is shown in the following format: wins-losses-draws-no contests (knockout wins).
The World Boxing Association (WBA) was founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA)—a national regulating body of the United States. On August 23, 1962, the NBA became the WBA—a Venezuelan-based worldwide regulating body.[2] According to WBA championship rules, when a boxer holds at least two titles of the four major sanctioning bodies, the boxer is granted special recognition: he is called the undisputed or super world champion. The "regular" WBA world title is vacated if it is one of the titles the respective boxer holds. When a boxer defends his WBA title for the tenth consecutive time, he is normally granted the "WBA Super belt".[3]
The World Boxing Council (WBC) was founded in Mexico City, Mexico on February 14, 1963 in order to establish an international regulating body.[4] The WBC established many of today's safety measures in boxing, such as the standing eight-count,[5] a limit of 12 rounds instead of 15,[6] and additional weight classes.[6] In its discretion, the WBC may designate and recognize, upon a two-thirds majority vote of their Board of Governors, one or more emeritus world champions in each weight class. Such a recognition is for life and is only bestowed upon present or past WBC world champions. The following boxers have earned the emeritus championship appellation throughout their careers: Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Kostya Tszyu, Manny Pacquiao, and Erik Morales.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) originated in September 1976 as the United States Boxing Association (USBA) when American members of the WBA withdrew in order to legitimize boxing in the United States with "unbiased" ratings.[7] In April 1983, The organization established an international division that was known as the United States Boxing Association-International (USBA-I).[7] In May 1984, the New Jersey-based USBA-I was renamed and became the IBF.[7]
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) was founded in San Juan, Puerto Rico (which is a self-governing commonwealth of the United States) in 1988. Its motto is "dignity, democracy, honesty."[8] Though Bernard Hopkins and Óscar De La Hoya don't have WBO belts at the moment, the WBO actually calls them "Super champion". Some media sites do not include the WBO in their list of champions,[9][10] whereas others do.[11][12]
The Ring is not a sanctioning body but is a boxing magazine that was founded in 1922. In 2002, The Ring created a championship system that is "intended to reward fighters who, by satisfying rigid criteria, can justify a claim as the true and only world champion in a given weight class."[13] There are currently only two ways that a boxer can win The Ring's title: defeat the reigning champion; or win a box-off between The Ring's number-one and number-two rated contenders (or, sometimes, number-one and number-three rated).[14] There are also only three ways that a boxer can lose The Ring's title: lose a championship fight, move to a different weight class, or retire.[14] (The Ring does not strip its champions' titles like the sanctioning bodies do.)
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 49-1-0-1 (34 KO) August 30, 2008 |
![]() 36-2 (35 KO) October 11, 2008 |
![]() 52-3 (46 KO) April 22, 2006 |
![]() 52-3 (46 KO) February 23, 2008 |
vacant |
![]() 24-0-1 (17 KO) April 14, 2007 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 36-3-2 (28 KO) September 27, 2008 |
![]() 26-1 (10 KO) October 24, 2008 |
![]() 36-1 (24 KO) December 11, 2008 |
vacant | ![]() 36-1 (24 KO) December 11, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 32-3 (17 KO) July 3, 2008 |
![]() 25-0 (15 KO) July 11, 2008 |
![]() 27-0-0-1 (17 KO) October 11, 2008 |
![]() 29-0 (17 KO) January 17, 2004 |
![]() 46-0 (32 KO) April 19, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 41-1 (31 KO) June 21, 2008 |
![]() 24-0 (19 KO) December 6, 2008 |
![]() 23-0 (18 KO) October 19, 2007 |
![]() 34-0 (24 KO) September 27, 2008 |
vacant |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 31-2-1 (13 KO) April 28, 2007 |
![]() 34-1 (30 KO) September 29, 2007 |
![]() 28-0 (23 KO) December 10, 2005 |
![]() 34-1 (30 KO) September 29, 2007 |
![]() 34-1 (30 KO) September 29, 2007 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 32-3-1-1 (23 KO) July 11, 2008 |
![]() 41-3-0-1 (29 KO) September 13, 2008 |
vacant | ![]() 36-0 (22 KO) December 3, 2005 |
vacant |
![]() 44-1-1 (24 KO) October 4, 2008 |
![]() 36-1 (27 KO) November 29, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 37-5-0-1 (27 KO) October 3, 2008 |
![]() 23-0 (19 KO) June 21, 2008 |
![]() 35-2-0-1 (20 KO) August 2, 2008 |
vacant | vacant |
![]() 27-0-1 (13 KO) October 3, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 30-2-1 (13 KO) March 22, 2008 |
![]() 23-0 (11 KO) May 10, 2008 |
vacant | ![]() 25-2 (13 KO) July 5, 2008 |
![]() 45-1 (32 KO) June 4, 2005 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 32-5-1 (25 KO) March 8, 2008 |
![]() 48-3-2 (36 KO) June 28, 2008 |
![]() 32-5-1 (25 KO) March 8, 2008 |
![]() 32-5-1 (25 KO) March 8, 2008 |
![]() 49-4-1 (36 KO) September 13, 2008 |
![]() 23-2-1 (12 KO) May 19, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 26-0 (17 KO) November 28, 2008 |
vacant | ![]() 36-3-1 (19 KO) April 12, 2008 |
![]() 29-1 (16 KO) September 6, 2008 |
vacant |
![]() 45-7-2-1 (29 KO) October 11, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 42-0-1 (22 KO) November 1, 2003 |
![]() 63-6-1 (39 KO) August 13, 2008 |
![]() 37-11-1-1 (23 KO) October 23, 2008 |
![]() 36-1-1 (15 KO) July 14, 2007 |
vacant |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 31-2 (22 KO) November 21, 2008 |
![]() 43-4 (31 KO) August 4, 2007 |
![]() 31-2 (22 KO) November 21, 2008 |
![]() 24-0 (22 KO) June 7, 2008 |
![]() 43-4 (31 KO) August 4, 2007 |
![]() 34-1-2 (21 KO) November 21, 2008 |
![]() 32-4-3 (19 KO) September 15, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 24-1-1 (8 KO) May 31, 2008 |
![]() 25-2 (9 KO) April 16, 2005 |
![]() 26-1 (22 KO) September 29, 2007 |
![]() 53-6-2 (36 KO) August 11, 2007 |
vacant |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 31-1-1 (25 KO) November 1, 2008 |
![]() 31-1-1 (25 KO) November 1, 2008 |
![]() 31-1-1 (25 KO) August 2, 2008 |
![]() 38-2-1 (28 KO) April 9, 2005 |
vacant |
![]() 12-1 (7 KO) September 15, 2008 |
||||
![]() 51-4-1 (39 KO) September 15, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 33-4-2 (15 KO) March 19, 2007 |
![]() 33-2-3 (21 KO) July 18, 2007 |
![]() 20-1 (13 KO) July 7, 2007 |
![]() 28-0-2 (17 KO) July 13, 2002 |
vacant |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 23-2 (9 KO) December 8, 2007 |
![]() 34-5 (18 KO) April 14, 2007 |
![]() 28-1-2 (20 KO) January 7, 2006 |
![]() 32-0 (6 KO) August 25, 2007 |
![]() 32-0 (6 KO) August 25, 2007 |
![]() 27-1 (21 KO) July 26, 2008 |
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | The Ring |
![]() 22-0 (20 KO) September 15, 2008 |
![]() 29-0 (12 KO) November 29, 2007 |
![]() 25-0-1 (15 KO) June 14, 2008 |
![]() 23-1-3 (14 KO) September 30, 2007 |
vacant |
![]() 25-2-0-1 (20 KO) August 2, 2008 |
![]() 25-3-1 (11 KO) December 6, 2008 |
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