World Heavyweight Champions									Cumulative
Nat.	Date	Champion	Defeated	Result	W	Days	Years	Notes	W	Days	Years	Rank
USA	8/29/1885	John L. Sullivan	Dominick McCaffrey	W-6	7	2566	7.03					5
USA	9/7/1892	Jim Corbett	John L. Sullivan	KO-21	3	1649	4.52					10
ENG	3/17/1897	Bob Fitzsimmons	Jim Corbett	KO-14	2	817	2.24
USA	6/9/1899	James Jeffries	Bob Fitzsimmons	KO-11	8	2164	5.93					8
	5/13/1905	Vacant				51	0.14
USA	7/3/1905	Marvin Hart	Jack Root	KO-12	1	235	0.64
CAN	2/23/1906	Tommy Burns	Marvin Hart	W-20	12	1037	2.84
USA	12/26/1908	Jack Johnson	Tommy Burns	KO-14	9	2291	6.28					6
USA	4/5/1915	Jess Willard	Jack Johnson	KO-26	2	1561	4.28					12
USA	7/14/1919	Jack Dempsey	Jess Willard	KO-3	6	2628	7.20					4
USA	9/23/1926	Gene Tunney	Jack Dempsey	W-10	3	677	1.85
	7/31/1928	Vacant				1421	3.89
GER	6/12/1930	Max Schmeling	Jack Sharkey	W-4	2	740	2.03
USA	6/21/1932	Jack Sharkey	Max Schmeling	W-15	1	373	1.02
ITA	6/29/1933	Primo Carnera	Jack Sharkey	KO-6	3	350	0.96
USA	6/14/1934	Max Baer	Primo Carnera	KO-11	1	364	1.00
USA	6/13/1935	James Braddock	Max Baer	W-15	1	740	2.03
USA	6/22/1937	Joe Louis	James Braddock	KO-8	27	4270	11.70					1
	3/1/1949	Vacant				113	0.31
USA	6/22/1949	Ezzard Charles	Jersey Joe Walcott	W-15	9	756	2.07
USA	7/18/1951	Jersey Joe Walcott	Ezzard Charles	KO-7	2	433	1.19
USA	9/23/1952	Rocky Marciano	Jersey Joe Walcott	KO-13	7	1312	3.59					14
	4/27/1956	Vacant				217	0.59
USA	11/30/1956	Floyd Patterson	Archie Moore	KO-5	5	938	2.57
SWE	6/26/1959	Ingemar Johansson	Floyd Patterson	KO-3	1	360	0.99
USA	6/20/1960	Floyd Patterson	Ingemar Johansson	KO-5	3	827	2.27		8	1765	4.84	9
USA	9/25/1962	Sonny Liston	Floyd Patterson	KO-1	2	518	1.42
USA	2/25/1964	Muhammad Ali	Sonny Liston	KO-7	10	2168	5.94
	2/1/1970	Vacant				15	0.04
USA	2/16/1970	Joe Frazier	Jimmy Ellis	KO-4	5	1071	2.93					15
USA	1/22/1973	George Foreman	Joe Frazier	KO-2	3	646	1.77
USA	10/30/1974	Muhammad Ali	George Foreman	KO-8	11	1204	3.30
USA	2/15/1978	Leon Spinks	Muhammad Ali	W-15	1	181	0.50
USA	8/15/1978	Muhammad Ali	Leon Spinks	W-15	1	315	0.86		22	3687	10.10	2
	6/26/1979	Vacant				94	0.26
USA	9/28/1979	Larry Holmes	Earnie Shavers	KO-11	13	2185	5.99	(1)				7
USA	9/21/1985	Michael Spinks	Larry Holmes	W-15	4	679	1.86
USA	8/1/1987	Mike Tyson	Tony Tucker	W-12	7	925	2.53	(2)
USA	2/11/1990	Buster Douglas	Mike Tyson	KO-10	1	256	0.70
USA	10/25/1990	Evander Holyfield	Buster Douglas	KO-3	4	750	2.05
USA	11/13/1992	Riddick Bowe	Evander Holyfield	W-12	3	358	0.98
USA	11/6/1993	Evander Holyfield	Riddick Bowe	W-12	1	167	0.46
USA	4/22/1994	Michael Moorer	Evander Holyfield	W-12	1	197	0.54
USA	11/5/1994	George Foreman	Michael Moorer	KO-10	2	168	0.46		5	814	2.23
	4/22/1995	Vacant				931	2.55	(3)
USA	11/8/1997	Evander Holyfield	Michael Moorer	KO-8	3	490	1.34	(4)	8	1407	3.85	13
ENG	3/13/1999	Lennox Lewis	Evander Holyfield	D-12	4	770	2.11	(5)
USA	4/21/2001	Hasim Rahman	Lennox Lewis	KO-5	1	210	0.58
ENG	11/17/2001	Lennox Lewis	Hasim Rahman	KO-4	2	811	2.22		6	1581	4.33	11
	2/6/2004	Vacant				78	0.21
UKR	4/24/2004	Vitali Klitschko	Corrie Sanders	KO-8	2	563	1.54
	11/8/2005	Vacant				165	0.45
UKR	4/22/2006	Wladimir Klitschko	Chris Byrd	KO-7	19	3507	9.61					3
ENG	11/28/2015	Tyson Fury	Wladimir Klitschko	W-12	1	319	0.87
	10/12/2016	Vacant				199	0.55
ENG	4/29/2017	Anthony Joshua	Wladimir Klitschko	KO-11	4	763	2.09
USA	6/1/2019	Andy Ruiz Jr.	Anthony Joshua	KO-7	1	97	0.27
	9/6/2019
Notes
(1)	After Ali's retirement, the WBA absurdly refused to recognize WBC champion Holmes as a top contender, despite his convincing wins over Shavers and Ken Norton. Holmes was widely recognized as champion even before he handily beat Ali in 1980.
(2)	Tyson became the undisputed champion when he unified the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles. Spinks, the lineal champion, held no official titles and declined to enter the unification tournament, effectively forfeiting his claim.
(3)	Foreman was awarded an inept/corrupt decision win over Axel Schulz, and denied Schulz a rematch, causing his title to be stripped. Foreman never fought a top contender again.
(4)	After defeating Tyson twice, Holyfield unified two of the major titles by beating Moorer, making him the top heavyweight in the eyes of most critics.
(5)	Though ruled a draw, the boxing media unanimously recognized that Lewis had won, and considered him the true champion, notwithstanding the ludicrously inept/corrupt judging.