World Lightweight Champions									Cumulative
Nat.	Date	Champion	Defeated	Result	W	Days	Years	Notes	W	Days	Years	Rank
IRL	1/14/1887	Jack McAuliffe	Harry Gilmore	KO-28	8	2779	7.61					2
	8/27/1894	Vacant				647	1.77	(1)
USA	6/1/1896	Kid Lavigne	Dick Burge	KO-17	8	1127	3.09	(2)				12
SUI	7/3/1899	Frank Erne	Kid Lavigne	W-20	3	1043	2.86					14
USA	5/12/1902	Joe Gans	Frank Erne	KO-1	11	953	2.61
USA	12/20/1904	Jimmy Britt	Battling Nelson	W-20	3	263	0.72
DEN	9/9/1905	Battling Nelson	Jimmy Britt	KO-18	1	359	0.98
USA	9/3/1906	Joe Gans	Battling Nelson	DQ-42	6	670	1.84		17	1623	4.45	6
DEN	7/4/1908	Battling Nelson	Joe Gans	KO-17	4	598	1.64		5	957	2.62
USA	2/22/1910	Ad Wolgast	Battling Nelson	KO-40	7	1010	2.77
USA	11/28/1912	Willie Ritchie	Ad Wolgast	DQ-16	5	544	1.49
	5/26/1914	Vacant				42	0.12	(3)
WAL	7/7/1914	Freddie Welsh	Willie Ritchie	W-20	13	1056	2.89					13
USA	5/28/1917	Benny Leonard	Freddie Welsh	KO-9	9	2789	7.64					1
	1/15/1925	Vacant				179	0.49
USA	7/13/1925	Jimmy Goodrich	Stanislaus Loayza	KO-2	1	147	0.40	(4)
USA	12/7/1925	Rocky Kansas	Jimmy Goodrich	W-15	1	208	0.57
USA	7/3/1926	Sammy Mandell	Rocky Kansas	W-10	5	1475	4.04					7
USA	7/17/1930	Al Singer	Sammy Mandell	KO-1	1	120	0.33
USA	11/14/1930	Tony Canzoneri	Al Singer	KO-1	5	952	2.61
USA	6/23/1933	Barney Ross	Tony Canzoneri	W-10	2	647	1.77
	4/1/1935	Vacant				39	0.11
USA	5/10/1935	Tony Canzoneri	Lou Ambers	W-15	2	482	1.32		7	1434	3.93	8
USA	9/3/1936	Lou Ambers	Tony Canzoneri	W-15	3	713	1.95
USA	8/17/1938	Henry Armstrong	Lou Ambers	W-15	1	370	1.01
USA	8/22/1939	Lou Ambers	Henry Armstrong	W-15	1	262	0.72		4	975	2.67
USA	5/10/1940	Lew Jenkins	Lou Ambers	KO-3	2	578	1.58
USA	12/9/1941	Sammy Angott	Lew Jenkins	W-15	2	210	0.58
	7/7/1942	Vacant				164	0.45
USA	12/18/1942	Beau Jack	Tippy Larkin	KO-3	1	154	0.42
USA	5/21/1943	Bob Montgomery	Beau Jack	W-15	1	182	0.50
USA	11/19/1943	Beau Jack	Bob Montgomery	W-15	1	105	0.29		2	259	0.71
USA	3/3/1944	Bob Montgomery	Beau Jack	W-15	3	1249	3.42		4	1431	3.92	9
USA	8/4/1947	Ike Williams	Bob Montgomery	KO-6	6	1390	3.81					10
USA	5/25/1951	Jimmy Carter	Ike Williams	KO-14	3	355	0.97
MEX	5/14/1952	Lauro Salas	Jimmy Carter	W-15	1	154	0.42
USA	10/15/1952	Jimmy Carter	Lauro Salas	W-15	4	506	1.39
USA	3/5/1954	Paddy DeMarco	Jimmy Carter	W-15	1	257	0.70
USA	11/17/1954	Jimmy Carter	Paddy DeMarco	KO-15	1	224	0.61		8	1085	2.97
USA	6/29/1955	Wallace 'Bud' Smith	Jimmy Carter	W-15	2	422	1.16
USA	8/24/1956	Joe Brown	Wallace 'Bud' Smith	W-15	12	2066	5.66					4
PRI	4/21/1962	Carlos Ortiz	Joe Brown	W-15	5	1085	2.97
PAN	4/10/1965	Ismael Laguna	Carlos Ortiz	W-15	1	217	0.59
PRI	11/13/1965	Carlos Ortiz	Ismael Laguna	W-15	6	959	2.63		11	2044	5.60	5
DOM	6/29/1968	Carlos Teo Cruz	Carlos Ortiz	W-15	2	234	0.64
USA	2/18/1969	Mando Ramos	Carlos Teo Cruz	KO-11	2	378	1.04
PAN	3/3/1970	Ismael Laguna	Mando Ramos	KO-9	2	207	0.57		3	424	1.16
SCO	9/26/1970	Ken Buchanan	Ismael Laguna	W-15	3	847	2.32
PAN	1/20/1973	Roberto Duran	Ken Buchanan	KO-13	13	2172	5.95					3
	1/1/1979	Vacant				1006	2.76
NIC	10/3/1981	Alexis Arguello	Ray Mancini	KO-14	4	294	0.81	(5)
USA	7/24/1982	Ray Mancini	Ernesto Espana	KO-6	4	678	1.86
VIR	6/1/1984	Livingstone Bramble	Ray Mancini	KO-14	2	847	2.32
PRI	9/26/1986	Edwin Rosario	Livingstone Bramble	KO-2	2	421	1.15
MEX	11/21/1987	Julio Cesar Chavez	Edwin Rosario	KO-11	5	455	1.25
USA	2/18/1989	Pernell Whitaker	Greg Haugen	W-12	10	1288	3.53					11
	8/29/1992	Vacant				134	0.37
USA	1/10/1993	Freddie Pendleton	Tracy Spann	W-12	3	405	1.11
MEX	2/19/1994	Rafael Ruelas	Freddie Pendleton	W-12	3	441	1.21
USA	5/6/1995	Oscar De La Hoya	Rafael Ruelas	KO-2	3	279	0.76
	2/9/1996	Vacant				750	2.05
USA	2/28/1998	Stevie Johnston	George Scott	W-12	1	105	0.29	(6)
MEX	6/13/1998	Cesar Bazan	Stevie Johnston	W-12	3	259	0.71
USA	2/27/1999	Stevie Johnston	Cesar Bazan	W-12	5	476	1.30		6	581	1.59
MEX	6/17/2000	Jose Luis Castillo	Stevie Johnston	W-12	4	672	1.84
USA	4/20/2002	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	Jose Luis Castillo	W-12	4	777	2.13
MEX	6/5/2004	Jose Luis Castillo	Juan Lazcano	W-12	3	336	0.92		7	1008	2.76
USA	5/7/2005	Diego Corrales	Jose Luis Castillo	KO-10	1	518	1.42
CUB	10/7/2006	Joel Casamayor	Diego Corrales	W-12	3	707	1.94
MEX	9/13/2008	Juan Manuel Marquez	Joel Casamayor	KO-11	4	1036	2.84					15
	7/16/2011	Vacant				490	1.34
USA	11/17/2012	Adrien Broner	Antonio DeMarco	KO-8	3	217	0.59
	6/22/2013	Vacant				35	0.10
USA	7/27/2013	Omar Figueroa	Nihito Arakawa	W-12	3	388	1.06
	8/19/2014	Vacant				767	2.10
VEN	9/24/2016	Jorge Linares	Anthony Crolla	W-12	4	595	1.63
UKR	5/12/2018	Vasyl Lomachenko	Jorge Linares	KO-10	4	482	1.32
	9/6/2019
(1)	McAuliffe was awarded a corrupt decision over Young Griffo; McAuliffe retired Dec. 1894.
(2)	Lavigne was McAuliffe's chosen successor; and Burge had beaten Jem Carney, who drew with McAuliffe (1/14/87) in a fight stopped by the crowd, on account of Carney's foul tactics.
(3)	Ritchie was badly beaten by Charley White over 10 rounds, but the title could only be lost on a stoppage.
(4)	This was the final of an elimination tournament held by the NYSAC after Leonard's retirement. Goodrich had beaten top lightweight Sammy Mandell (DQ-6) in the quarterfinal on 5/18/25.
(5)	After Duran left the division, the WBC and WBA had mediocre titlists until Arguello took the WBC title from Jim Watt and solidified his claim by beating Mancini.
(6)	After De La Hoya moved up, the title was split. This was the first meeting of top contenders.