| World Featherweight Champions | Cumulative | |||||||||||
| Nat. | Date | Champion | Defeated | Result | W | Days | Years | Notes | W | Days | Years | Rank |
| CAN | 6/27/1890 | George Dixon | Nunc Wallace | KO-18 | 17 | 2656 | 7.28 | |||||
| USA | 10/4/1897 | Solly Smith | George Dixon | W-20 | 3 | 357 | 0.98 | |||||
| IRL | 9/26/1898 | Dave Sullivan | Solly Smith | KO-5 | 1 | 46 | 0.13 | |||||
| CAN | 11/11/1898 | George Dixon | Dave Sullivan | DQ-10 | 9 | 424 | 1.16 | 26 | 3080 | 8.44 | 2 | |
| USA | 1/9/1900 | Terry McGovern | George Dixon | KO-9 | 7 | 688 | 1.88 | |||||
| USA | 11/28/1901 | Young Corbett II | Terry McGovern | KO-2 | 5 | 644 | 1.76 | (1) | ||||
| USA | 9/3/1903 | Abe Attell | Johnny Reagan | W-20 | 3 | 406 | 1.11 | |||||
| USA | 10/13/1904 | Tommy Sullivan | Abe Attell | KO-5 | 1 | 497 | 1.36 | (2) | ||||
| USA | 2/22/1906 | Abe Attell | Jimmy Walsh | W-15 | 23 | 2191 | 6.00 | 26 | 2597 | 7.12 | 5 | |
| USA | 2/22/1912 | Johnny Kilbane | Abe Attell | W-20 | 10 | 4118 | 11.28 | 1 | ||||
| FRA | 6/2/1923 | Eugene Criqui | Johnny Kilbane | KO-6 | 1 | 54 | 0.15 | |||||
| ITA | 7/26/1923 | Johnny Dundee | Eugene Criqui | W-15 | 1 | 144 | 0.39 | |||||
| 12/17/1923 | Vacant | 382 | 1.05 | |||||||||
| RUS | 1/2/1925 | Louis 'Kid' Kaplan | Danny Kramer | KO-9 | 4 | 550 | 1.51 | |||||
| 7/6/1926 | Vacant | 475 | 1.30 | |||||||||
| USA | 10/24/1927 | Tony Canzoneri | Johnny Dundee | W-15 | 2 | 340 | 0.93 | |||||
| FRA | 9/28/1928 | Andre Routis | Tony Canzoneri | W-15 | 2 | 360 | 0.99 | |||||
| USA | 9/23/1929 | Battling Battalino | Andre Routis | W-15 | 7 | 856 | 2.35 | |||||
| 1/27/1932 | Vacant | 120 | 0.33 | (3) | ||||||||
| USA | 5/26/1932 | Tommy Paul | Johnny Pena | W-15 | 1 | 113 | 0.31 | (4) | ||||
| MEX | 9/16/1932 | Baby Arizmendi | Tommy Paul | W-10 | 4 | 165 | 0.45 | (5) | ||||
| USA | 2/28/1933 | Freddie Miller | Baby Arizmendi | W-10 | 12 | 1168 | 3.20 | 11 | ||||
| USA | 5/11/1936 | Petey Sarron | Freddie Miller | W-15 | 3 | 536 | 1.47 | |||||
| USA | 10/29/1937 | Henry Armstrong | Petery Sarron | KO-6 | 21 | 0.06 | ||||||
| 11/19/1937 | Vacant | 332 | 0.91 | |||||||||
| USA | 10/17/1938 | Joey Archibald | Mike Belloise | W-15 | 3 | 581 | 1.59 | |||||
| USA | 5/20/1940 | Harry Jeffra | Joey Archibald | W-15 | 2 | 357 | 0.98 | |||||
| USA | 5/12/1941 | Joey Archibald | Harry Jeffra | W-15 | 1 | 122 | 0.33 | 4 | 703 | 1.93 | ||
| USA | 9/11/1941 | Chalky Wright | Joey Archibald | KO-11 | 3 | 435 | 1.19 | |||||
| USA | 11/20/1942 | Willie Pep | Chalky Wright | W-15 | 7 | 2170 | 5.95 | |||||
| USA | 10/29/1948 | Sandy Saddler | Willie Pep | KO-4 | 1 | 105 | 0.29 | |||||
| USA | 2/11/1949 | Willie Pep | Sandy Saddler | W-15 | 4 | 574 | 1.57 | 11 | 2744 | 7.52 | 4 | |
| USA | 9/8/1950 | Sandy Saddler | Willie Pep | KO-8 | 4 | 2327 | 6.38 | 5 | 2432 | 6.66 | 6 | |
| 1/21/1957 | Vacant | 154 | 0.42 | |||||||||
| NGA | 6/24/1957 | Hogan 'Kid' Bassey | Cherif Hamia | KO-10 | 2 | 632 | 1.73 | |||||
| USA | 3/18/1959 | Davey Moore | Hogan 'Kid' Bassey | KO-13 | 6 | 1464 | 4.01 | 8 | ||||
| CUB | 3/21/1963 | Sugar Ramos | Davey Moore | KO-10 | 4 | 555 | 1.52 | |||||
| MEX | 9/26/1964 | Vicente Saldivar | Sugar Ramos | KO-12 | 9 | 1113 | 3.05 | |||||
| 10/14/1967 | Vacant | 101 | 0.28 | |||||||||
| WAL | 1/23/1968 | Howard Winstone | Mitsunori Seki | KO-9 | 1 | 183 | 0.50 | |||||
| CUB | 7/24/1968 | Jose Legra | Howard Winstone | KO-5 | 1 | 181 | 0.50 | |||||
| FRA | 1/21/1969 | Johnny Famechon | Jose Legra | W-15 | 3 | 473 | 1.30 | |||||
| MEX | 5/9/1970 | Vicente Saldivar | Johnny Famechon | W-15 | 1 | 216 | 0.59 | 10 | 1329 | 3.64 | 9 | |
| JPN | 12/11/1970 | Kuniaki Shibata | Vicente Saldivar | KO-13 | 3 | 525 | 1.44 | |||||
| MEX | 5/19/1972 | Clemente Sanchez | Kuniaki Shibata | KO-3 | 1 | 211 | 0.58 | |||||
| CUB | 12/16/1972 | Jose Legra | Clemente Sanchez | KO-10 | 1 | 140 | 0.38 | 2 | 321 | 0.88 | ||
| BRA | 5/5/1973 | Eder Jofre | Jose Legra | W-15 | 2 | 409 | 1.12 | |||||
| 6/18/1974 | Vacant | 21 | 0.06 | (6) | ||||||||
| MEX | 7/9/1974 | Ruben Olivares | Zensuke Utagawa | KO-7 | 1 | 137 | 0.38 | |||||
| NIC | 11/23/1974 | Alexis Arguello | Ruben Olivares | KO-13 | 5 | 714 | 1.96 | |||||
| USA | 11/6/1976 | Danny Lopez | David Kotey | W-15 | 9 | 1183 | 3.24 | 10 | ||||
| MEX | 2/2/1980 | Salvador Sanchez | Danny Lopez | KO-13 | 10 | 922 | 2.53 | |||||
| 8/12/1982 | Vacant | 255 | 0.70 | |||||||||
| PAN | 4/24/1983 | Eusebio Pedroza | Rocky Lockridge | W-15 | 4 | 776 | 2.13 | |||||
| IRE | 6/8/1985 | Barry McGuigan | Eusebio Pedroza | W-15 | 3 | 380 | 1.04 | |||||
| USA | 6/23/1986 | Steve Cruz | Barry McGuigan | W-15 | 1 | 256 | 0.70 | |||||
| VEN | 3/6/1987 | Antonio Esparragoza | Steve Cruz | KO-12 | 8 | 1485 | 4.07 | 7 | ||||
| KOR | 3/30/1991 | Yong Kyun Park | Antonio Esparragoza | W-12 | 9 | 980 | 2.68 | 14 | ||||
| VEN | 12/4/1993 | Eloy Rojas | Yong Kyun Park | W-12 | 6 | 896 | 2.45 | |||||
| PRI | 5/18/1996 | Wilfredo Vasquez | Eloy Rojas | KO-11 | 5 | 700 | 1.92 | |||||
| ENG | 4/18/1998 | Naseem Hamed | Wilfredo Vasquez | KO-7 | 6 | 1085 | 2.97 | 12 | ||||
| MEX | 4/7/2001 | Marco Antonio Barrera | Naseem Hamed | W-12 | 5 | 952 | 2.61 | 13 | ||||
| PHI | 11/15/2003 | Manny Pacquiao | Marco Antonio Barrera | KO-11 | 2 | 490 | 1.34 | |||||
| 3/19/2005 | Vacant | 350 | 0.96 | |||||||||
| INA | 3/4/2006 | Chris John | Juan Manuel Marquez | W-12 | 14 | 2834 | 7.76 | 3 | ||||
| RSA | 12/6/2013 | Simpiwe Vetyeka | Chris John | KO-6 | 1 | 176 | 0.48 | |||||
| PHI | 5/31/2014 | Nonito Donaire | Simpiwe Vetyeka | W-5 | 1 | 140 | 0.38 | |||||
| JAM | 10/18/2014 | Nicholas Walters | Nonito Donaire | KO-6 | 2 | 770 | 2.11 | |||||
| 11/26/2016 | Vacant | 63 | 0.17 | |||||||||
| MEX | 1/28/2017 | Leo Santa Cruz | Carl Frampton | W-12 | 4 | 1029 | 2.82 | 15 | ||||
| 11/23/2019 | Vacant | 1638 | 4.49 | |||||||||
| 5/18/2024 | ||||||||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||
| (1) | Corbett moved up to 130 lbs; featherweight was then considered 122 lbs. | |||||||||||
| (2) | Fought at 126 lbs, featherweight by modern standards, but not considered such at the time. | |||||||||||
| (3) | Battalino failed to make weight for fight against Freddie Miller that was ruled no contest. | |||||||||||
| (4) | Final of NYSAC tournament for vacant title. | |||||||||||
| (5) | Arizmendi fought at featherweight, so he was recognized as champion by California. | |||||||||||
| (6) | Jofre stripped for failure to defend since Oct. 1973. He never fought another top contender. | |||||||||||