Boxing Championship Lineages

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Here you can find lists of boxing champions in every weight class from Super Bantamweight through Heavyweight, as well as bareknuckle champions since 1840. Only one champion per division is recognized at any given time. These are not strictly lineal ("man who beat the man") championships, as there have been occasions when a champion has vacated a title by retirement, changing weight class, or avoiding all serious competition. To be included as a champion in these lists, one must have been widely regarded as such by a majority of boxing critics at the time, as well as possessing some claim to either a lineal or unified sanctioned title. Unusual cases are explained in footnotes.

The following data is listed for each champion:

Nat.: The champion's nationality of birth

Date: The date the fighter became champion

Champion: The champion's name

Defeated: The fighter defeated for the existing or vacant title

Result of the fight (W,D,L,KO) and the number of rounds it lasted. W is for a decision win, D is for a draw, L for a loss, and KO means any kind of stoppage win.  Bareknuckle and early 20th century fight accounts often recorded stoppages as decision wins, and draws were declared when there was no knockout.

W: Number of successful bouts (wins or draws) as champion, including the first bout (becoming champion).

Length of championship in days and years, and cumulative totals for repeat champions (color-coded).

Rank of total length of championship.

Notes of unusual circumstances causing the title to change hands.