| World Light Heavyweight Champions | Cumulative | |||||||||||
| Nat. | Date | Champion | Defeated | Result | W | Days | Years | Notes | W | Days | Years | Rank |
| USA | 4/22/1903 | Jack Root | Kid McCoy | W-10 | 1 | 973 | 2.67 | 14 | ||||
| IRL | 7/4/1903 | George Gardner | Jack Root | KO-12 | 1 | 144 | 0.39 | |||||
| NZL | 11/25/1903 | Bob Fitzsimmons | George Gardner | W-20 | 1 | 756 | 2.07 | |||||
| USA | 12/20/1905 | Phil. Jack O'Brien | Bob Fitzsimmons | KO-13 | 2 | 343 | 0.94 | |||||
| 11/28/1906 | Vacant | 5067 | 13.88 | |||||||||
| FRA | 10/12/1920 | Georges Carpentier | Battling Levinsky | KO-4 | 2 | 712 | 1.95 | |||||
| SEN | 9/24/1922 | Battling Siki | Georges Carpentier | KO-6 | 2 | 174 | 0.48 | |||||
| USA | 3/17/1923 | Mike McTigue | Battling Siki | W-20 | 2 | 805 | 2.21 | |||||
| USA | 5/30/1925 | Paul Berlenbach | Mike McTigue | W-15 | 4 | 412 | 1.13 | |||||
| CAN | 7/16/1926 | Jack Delaney | Paul Berlenbach | W-15 | 1 | 448 | 1.23 | |||||
| USA | 10/7/1927 | Tommy Loughran | Mike McTigue | W-15 | 7 | 857 | 2.35 | |||||
| USA | 2/10/1930 | Jimmy Slattery | Lou Scozza | W-15 | 1 | 135 | 0.37 | |||||
| USA | 6/25/1930 | Maxie Rosenbloom | Jimmy Slattery | W-15 | 9 | 1595 | 4.37 | 8 | ||||
| USA | 11/6/1934 | Bob Olin | Maxie Rosenbloom | W-15 | 1 | 359 | 0.98 | |||||
| USA | 10/31/1935 | John Henry Lewis | Bob Olin | W-15 | 6 | 1125 | 3.08 | 11 | ||||
| USA | 11/29/1938 | Tiger Jack Fox | Al Gainer | W-15 | 1 | 66 | 0.18 | |||||
| USA | 2/3/1939 | Melio Bettina | Tiger Jack Fox | KO-9 | 1 | 160 | 0.44 | |||||
| USA | 7/13/1939 | Billy Conn | Melio Bettina | W-15 | 4 | 550 | 1.51 | |||||
| GRE | 1/13/1941 | Anton Christophoridis | Melio Bettina | W-15 | 1 | 129 | 0.35 | |||||
| USA | 5/22/1941 | Gus Lesnevich | Anton Christophoridis | W-15 | 6 | 2622 | 7.18 | 2 | ||||
| ENG | 7/26/1948 | Freddie Mills | Gus Lesnevich | W-15 | 1 | 547 | 1.50 | |||||
| USA | 1/24/1950 | Joey Maxim | Freddie Mills | KO-10 | 3 | 1058 | 2.90 | 13 | ||||
| USA | 12/17/1952 | Archie Moore | Joey Maxim | W-15 | 10 | 3177 | 8.70 | 1 | ||||
| USA | 8/29/1961 | Harold Johnson | Eddie Cotton | W-15 | 3 | 641 | 1.76 | |||||
| USA | 6/1/1963 | Willie Pastrano | Harold Johnson | W-15 | 3 | 668 | 1.83 | |||||
| PRI | 3/30/1965 | Jose Torres | Willie Pastrano | KO-9 | 4 | 626 | 1.72 | |||||
| NGA | 12/16/1966 | Dick Tiger | Jose Torres | W-15 | 3 | 525 | 1.44 | |||||
| USA | 5/24/1968 | Bob Foster | Dick Tiger | KO-12 | 15 | 2320 | 6.36 | 3 | ||||
| 9/30/1974 | Vacant | 68 | 0.19 | |||||||||
| ARG | 12/7/1974 | Victor Galindez | Len Hutchins | KO-12 | 11 | 1378 | 3.78 | |||||
| USA | 9/15/1978 | Mike Rossman | Victor Galindez | KO-13 | 2 | 211 | 0.58 | |||||
| ARG | 4/14/1979 | Victor Galindez | Mike Rossman | KO-9 | 1 | 230 | 0.63 | 12 | 1608 | 4.41 | 7 | |
| USA | 11/30/1979 | Marvin Johnson | Victor Galindez | KO-11 | 1 | 122 | 0.33 | |||||
| USA | 3/31/1980 | Eddie M. Muhammad | Marvin Johnson | KO-11 | 3 | 474 | 1.30 | |||||
| USA | 7/18/1981 | Michael Spinks | Eddie M. Muhammad | W-15 | 11 | 1526 | 4.18 | 10 | ||||
| 9/21/1985 | Vacant | 141 | 0.39 | |||||||||
| USA | 2/9/1986 | Marvin Johnson | Leslie Stewart | KO-7 | 2 | 468 | 1.28 | 3 | 590 | 1.62 | ||
| TRI | 5/23/1987 | Leslie Stewart | Marvin Johnson | KO-8 | 1 | 105 | 0.29 | |||||
| USA | 9/5/1987 | Virgil Hill | Leslie Stewart | KO-4 | 11 | 1367 | 3.75 | |||||
| USA | 6/3/1991 | Thomas Hearns | Virgil Hill | W-12 | 1 | 291 | 0.80 | |||||
| USA | 3/20/1992 | Iran Barkley | Thomas Hearns | W-12 | 1 | 330 | 0.90 | |||||
| 2/13/1993 | Vacant | 1379 | 3.78 | |||||||||
| USA | 11/23/1996 | Virgil Hill | Henry Maske | W-12 | 1 | 202 | 0.55 | 12 | 1569 | 4.30 | 9 | |
| POL | 6/13/1997 | Darius Michalczewski | Virgil Hill | W-12 | 7 | 722 | 1.98 | |||||
| USA | 6/5/1999 | Roy Jones Jr. | Reggie Johnson | W-12 | 7 | 1421 | 3.89 | (1) | ||||
| USA | 4/26/2003 | Antonio Tarver | Montell Griffin | W-12 | 1 | 196 | 0.54 | |||||
| USA | 11/8/2003 | Roy Jones Jr. | Antonio Tarver | W-12 | 1 | 189 | 0.52 | 8 | 1610 | 4.41 | 6 | |
| USA | 5/15/2004 | Antonio Tarver | Roy Jones Jr. | KO-2 | 1 | 217 | 0.59 | |||||
| JAM | 12/18/2004 | Glengoffe Johnson | Antonio Tarver | W-12 | 1 | 182 | 0.50 | |||||
| USA | 6/18/2005 | Antonio Tarver | Glengoffe Johnson | W-12 | 2 | 357 | 0.98 | (2) | ||||
| USA | 6/10/2006 | Bernard Hopkins | Antonio Tarver | W-12 | 1 | 84 | 0.23 | |||||
| ENG | 9/2/2006 | Clinton Woods | Glengoffe Johnson | W-12 | 2 | 588 | 1.61 | |||||
| USA | 4/12/2008 | Antonio Tarver | Clinton Woods | W-12 | 1 | 182 | 0.50 | 5 | 952 | 2.61 | 15 | |
| USA | 10/11/2008 | Chad Dawson | Antonio Tarver | W-12 | 3 | 672 | 1.84 | |||||
| CAN | 8/14/2010 | Jean Pascal | Chad Dawson | W-11 | 2 | 280 | 0.77 | |||||
| USA | 5/21/2011 | Bernard Hopkins | Jean Pascal | W-12 | 1 | 323 | 0.88 | 2 | 407 | 1.12 | ||
| USA | 4/8/2012 | Chad Dawson | Bernard Hopkins | W-12 | 1 | 426 | 1.17 | 4 | 1098 | 3.01 | 12 | |
| CAN | 6/8/2013 | Adonis Stevenson | Chad Dawson | KO-1 | 10 | 2002 | 5.48 | 4 | ||||
| UKR | 12/1/2018 | Oleksandr Gvozdyk | Adonis Stevenson | KO-11 | 2 | 321 | 0.88 | |||||
| RUS | 10/18/2019 | Artur Beterbiev | Oleksandr Gvozdyk | KO-10 | 6 | 1674 | 4.59 | 5 | ||||
| 5/18/2024 | ||||||||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||
| (1) | Roy Jones unified the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles, making him the undisputed champion. Michalczewski had been stripped of some of these. | |||||||||||
| (2) | No major sanctioning body recognized this as a title fight, as the belts had been stripped from these fighters, but it was regarded as the undisputed championship bout by Ring Magazine and most boxing critics. | |||||||||||