Undisputed Champion
Encyclopedia
In professional boxing
, the undisputed champion of a weight class is a boxer who is recognized as the world champion at that class by each boxing organization.
.
The New York State Athletic Commission
(NYSAC) recognized champions from its foundation in 1920. The National Boxing Association (NBA) was founded by other U.S. state bodies in 1921, and began recognising champions in 1927. Until the 1960s, both usually recognised the same lineal champion. However, disputes could arise if the champion retired or moved to a different weight class. Occasionally, the International Boxing Union (renamed the European Boxing Union
in 1946) recognised a different champion. The disputes were usually short-lived as a lucrative fight would be organised between the rival champions. The longest split was ten years, of the middleweight title, between Mickey Walker's move up to heavyweight in 1931 and NBA champion Tony Zale
's defeat of NYSAC contender Georgie Abrams
in 1941. An early use of "undisputed" appears in a New York Times preview of the 1941 fight.
The NBA renamed itself the World Boxing Association
in 1962 (later based in Panama
), and in 1963 the NYSAC, EBU and other countries formed the rival World Boxing Council
, based in Mexico
. The number of disputed champions increased in the 1960s and especially in the 1970s. Both bodies established separate official rankings and required champions to face their top-ranked contenders or forfeit their titles. Some of the most highly-regarded and lucrative fights were unification bouts between rival champions to create an "undisputed champion".
The International Boxing Federation
(IBF) was founded as the USBA-I in 1976 and by 1984 had enough credibility to be considered major. The fragmentation of titles was thus increased. After some negotiations, the heavyweight title was unified in a series of co-ordinated bouts in 1985–7, with Mike Tyson
emerging as the first undisputed champion since Leon Spinks
in 1978. The title was split again in 1992 when Riddick Bowe
forfeited the WBC title.
The World Boxing Organization
(WBO), established in Puerto Rico
in 1988, took longer to acquire credibility. By 2001, the WBA was giving the same recognition to WBO champions as to WBA, WBC and IBF champions. In 2004 the WBC began naming WBO champions on its ranking listings. The IBF did not recognise the WBO in May 2006, but was doing so by February 2007. Conversely, the WBO explicitly recognises the other three sanctioning bodies.
Some sources consider the WBO title necessary for an undisputed champion. Others continue to consider it sufficient to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. Other bodies such as the IBO
, IBU
, and WBF
are disregarded.
With as many as four sanctioning bodies now in consideration, Bob Hanna commented in 2007, "Becoming or remaining an undisputed champion is virtually impossible, since with each alphabet group having its own rankings and mandatory challengers, a champion would have to defend his title every two months."
Roy Jones Jr.
was promoted as the undisputed light heavyweight champion by HBO after unifying the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in June 1999, for which he was also awarded The Ring championship title in 2002. However, two of those belts (WBA and IBF) had been stripped from Dariusz Michalczewski
, who had unified them with his WBO title by beating the Lineal
champion Virgil Hill in June 1997, and subsequently remained unbeaten, defending his remaining belt until 2004. Speaking of Jones' claim to being undisputed champion, one writer opined that the distinction "could just as easily belong to current WBO titlist Dariusz Michalczewski."
Five months after unifying the WBC, IBF and WBA belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a U.S. Federal Judge ruled that Lennox Lewis
would be stripped by the WBA of their world championship belt for fighting Michael Grant
instead of the association's #1 contender, John Ruiz
. The fight took place on April 29, 2000. Lewis remained a unified world champion until April 22, 2001, when he was defeated by Hasim Rahman
. He regained the WBC and IBF belts following victory over Rahman seven months later in a rematch and remains the last heavyweight to unify at least two of the WBC, IBF and WBA belts. His reign as a unified world champion ended in September 2002, when he rejected the chance to fight the IBF's #1 contender, Chris Byrd
, and was therefore stripped by the organisation of their belt. He retained his WBC belt until his retirement in February 2004.
Jermain Taylor
won all four middleweight
belts from Bernard Hopkins
in July 2005, but was stripped of the IBF title for agreeing to a rematch rather than fighting Sam Soliman
. Nevertheless, he was still described as "undisputed champion" by some reports.
After Joe Calzaghe
's super middleweight
victory over Mikkel Kessler
in November 2007, he was frequently described as "undisputed champion". Others disputed this, because although he held the WBA, WBC, and WBO belts, he vacated his IBF title in November 2006 rather than face a mandatory challenger.
was recognized as lightweight
"undisputed champion" for his WBO and IBF titles, while the WBA's own champion was Yusuke Kobori
.
If one of the multiple titles held to earn the designation WBA Super Champion is the WBA's own title, then the fighter is promoted to Super Champion and their regular title becomes vacant for other WBA-ranked boxers to fight for. Thus, the WBA tables will sometimes show a WBA Super Champion and a WBA Regular Champion for the same weight class.
as the "WBC undisputed champion".
and The Daily Express for the Ring magazine championship at light heavyweight
won by Joe Calzaghe
in April 2008.
Professional Boxing
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...
, the undisputed champion of a weight class is a boxer who is recognized as the world champion at that class by each boxing organization.
History
Prior to the 1960s, most champions were "undisputed", although the term was rarely used; it does not appear in one 1970 Boxing Dictionary. Early boxing champions at various weight divisions were established by acclamation between 1880 and 1920. Once a consensus champion had been awarded the title, the championship could usually be taken only by beating the reigning holder, establishing a lineal championshipLineal championship
In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...
.
The New York State Athletic Commission
New York State Athletic Commission
The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, professional wrestlers, seconds, ring officials,...
(NYSAC) recognized champions from its foundation in 1920. The National Boxing Association (NBA) was founded by other U.S. state bodies in 1921, and began recognising champions in 1927. Until the 1960s, both usually recognised the same lineal champion. However, disputes could arise if the champion retired or moved to a different weight class. Occasionally, the International Boxing Union (renamed the European Boxing Union
European Boxing Union
The European Boxing Union is an organization that oversees competition in that sport over the continent of Europe.-History:The EBU started life as the International Boxing Union in Paris in 1910...
in 1946) recognised a different champion. The disputes were usually short-lived as a lucrative fight would be organised between the rival champions. The longest split was ten years, of the middleweight title, between Mickey Walker's move up to heavyweight in 1931 and NBA champion Tony Zale
Tony Zale
Anthony Florian Zaleski was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his nickname, "Man of Steel." In addition, he had the reputation of being able to take fearsome punishment and still rally to win, reinforcing that nickname...
's defeat of NYSAC contender Georgie Abrams
Georgie Abrams
Georgie Abrams was an American boxer who once fought for the middleweight championship.Turning professional in 1937, Abrams won his first 17 fights as a professional. He earned a shot at middleweight champion Tony Zale by defeating such contenders as Billy Soose, Teddy Yarosz, and Lou Brouillard....
in 1941. An early use of "undisputed" appears in a New York Times preview of the 1941 fight.
The NBA renamed itself the World Boxing Association
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
in 1962 (later based in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
), and in 1963 the NYSAC, EBU and other countries formed the rival World Boxing Council
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
, based in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The number of disputed champions increased in the 1960s and especially in the 1970s. Both bodies established separate official rankings and required champions to face their top-ranked contenders or forfeit their titles. Some of the most highly-regarded and lucrative fights were unification bouts between rival champions to create an "undisputed champion".
The International Boxing Federation
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
(IBF) was founded as the USBA-I in 1976 and by 1984 had enough credibility to be considered major. The fragmentation of titles was thus increased. After some negotiations, the heavyweight title was unified in a series of co-ordinated bouts in 1985–7, with Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
emerging as the first undisputed champion since Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks is a former American boxer. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins, and was the former World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion of the world...
in 1978. The title was split again in 1992 when Riddick Bowe
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe is a retired American boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion and a former undisputed heavyweight champion...
forfeited the WBC title.
The World Boxing Organization
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
(WBO), established in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1988, took longer to acquire credibility. By 2001, the WBA was giving the same recognition to WBO champions as to WBA, WBC and IBF champions. In 2004 the WBC began naming WBO champions on its ranking listings. The IBF did not recognise the WBO in May 2006, but was doing so by February 2007. Conversely, the WBO explicitly recognises the other three sanctioning bodies.
Some sources consider the WBO title necessary for an undisputed champion. Others continue to consider it sufficient to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. Other bodies such as the IBO
International Boxing Organization
The International Boxing Organization is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.- Origins :...
, IBU
International Boxing Union
The International Boxing Union was created June 1911 in Paris, France. It was an attempt to create a unified international governing body for professional boxing...
, and WBF
World Boxing Foundation
The World Boxing Foundation was formed in 2004 to sanction championship boxing contests but has a history dating back to 1988 via its predecessor the World Boxing Federation...
are disregarded.
With as many as four sanctioning bodies now in consideration, Bob Hanna commented in 2007, "Becoming or remaining an undisputed champion is virtually impossible, since with each alphabet group having its own rankings and mandatory challengers, a champion would have to defend his title every two months."
Disputed undisputed champions
If a fighter wins all the titles but is stripped by one organization of its title, he may continue to be considered the undisputed champion.Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones, Jr. is an American boxer. As a professional he has captured numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions...
was promoted as the undisputed light heavyweight champion by HBO after unifying the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in June 1999, for which he was also awarded The Ring championship title in 2002. However, two of those belts (WBA and IBF) had been stripped from Dariusz Michalczewski
Dariusz Michalczewski
Dariusz Michalczewski is a retired Polish- German boxer and former Lineal, WBO, WBA, & IBF light heavyweight champion and WBO cruiserweight champion.-Early career:...
, who had unified them with his WBO title by beating the Lineal
Lineal championship
In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...
champion Virgil Hill in June 1997, and subsequently remained unbeaten, defending his remaining belt until 2004. Speaking of Jones' claim to being undisputed champion, one writer opined that the distinction "could just as easily belong to current WBO titlist Dariusz Michalczewski."
Five months after unifying the WBC, IBF and WBA belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a U.S. Federal Judge ruled that Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
would be stripped by the WBA of their world championship belt for fighting Michael Grant
Michael Grant (boxer)
Michael Anthony Grant is a professional heavyweight boxer. He is 6' 7" tall, with an 86' reach. A natural born athlete before boxing he blossomed into a three-sport star at Chicago's Harper High School...
instead of the association's #1 contender, John Ruiz
John Ruiz
John "The Quietman" Ruiz , is a former American professional boxer. Ruiz is the first Latino heavyweight champion and former two-time WBA heavyweight champion. After a professional career spanning over 18 years, Ruiz officially announced his retirement from the sport at a press conference on April...
. The fight took place on April 29, 2000. Lewis remained a unified world champion until April 22, 2001, when he was defeated by Hasim Rahman
Hasim Rahman
Hasim Sharif Rahman is an American professional boxer. Rahman is the former Lineal, WBC, IBO, & IBF heavyweight champion...
. He regained the WBC and IBF belts following victory over Rahman seven months later in a rematch and remains the last heavyweight to unify at least two of the WBC, IBF and WBA belts. His reign as a unified world champion ended in September 2002, when he rejected the chance to fight the IBF's #1 contender, Chris Byrd
Chris Byrd
Chris Cornelius Byrd is a retired and former professional boxer. He is the former WBO and IBF heavyweight champion. His nickname is "Rapid Fire".- Early life :...
, and was therefore stripped by the organisation of their belt. He retained his WBC belt until his retirement in February 2004.
Jermain Taylor
Jermain Taylor
Jermain Taylor is an American professional boxer and former undisputed middleweight champion. He made his professional boxing debut in 2001 and won his first 25 bouts, which included victories over former champions Raúl Márquez and William Joppy...
won all four middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
belts from Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr, known as The Executioner is an American boxer and the current Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight champion...
in July 2005, but was stripped of the IBF title for agreeing to a rematch rather than fighting Sam Soliman
Sam Soliman
Sam Soliman is an Australian boxer of Coptic Egyptian descent. Soliman began his boxing career after studying multiple forms of martial arts, such as Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and Kick-Boxing.-Amateur Boxing Career:...
. Nevertheless, he was still described as "undisputed champion" by some reports.
After Joe Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
's super middleweight
Super middleweight
Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...
victory over Mikkel Kessler
Mikkel Kessler
Mikkel Kessler is a Danish professional boxer and former two time WBA & WBC Super Middleweight champion. In his professional career he has a record of 44–2 with 33 knockouts...
in November 2007, he was frequently described as "undisputed champion". Others disputed this, because although he held the WBA, WBC, and WBO belts, he vacated his IBF title in November 2006 rather than face a mandatory challenger.
Other senses
The term "undisputed champion" is sometimes applied in senses other than the preceding.WBA Super Champion
The WBA recognizes the title holders from the WBC, WBO and IBF organizations. The WBA refers to a champion who holds two or more of these titles in the same weight class as an "undisputed champion" or "super champion". This applies even if the WBA title is not one of the titles held by the "undisputed champion". In September 2008, Nate CampbellNate Campbell
Nathaniel Campbell , more commonly known as Nate Campbell, is an American retired professional boxer. He is a former unified WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight champion.-Amateur career:...
was recognized as lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
"undisputed champion" for his WBO and IBF titles, while the WBA's own champion was Yusuke Kobori
Yusuke Kobori
is a retired professional boxer from Japan and a former WBA lightweight champion.Kobori won the Japanese super featherweight title on January 14, 2006 by knocking out Keita Manabe in the second round. He went on to defend it 6 times....
.
If one of the multiple titles held to earn the designation WBA Super Champion is the WBA's own title, then the fighter is promoted to Super Champion and their regular title becomes vacant for other WBA-ranked boxers to fight for. Thus, the WBA tables will sometimes show a WBA Super Champion and a WBA Regular Champion for the same weight class.
WBC
The WBC regulations refer to the winner of a bout between the WBC champion and the WBC interim championInterim championship
An interim championship is a temporary world championship that is awarded in all four major sanctioning bodies of professional boxing and in other combat sports, such as kickboxing and mixed martial arts.The IBF have no Interim Champions...
as the "WBC undisputed champion".
Ring magazine
The description "undisputed champion" was used by Frank WarrenFrank Warren (promoter)
Frank Darren Warren is an English boxing manager and promoter.-Early life and early career:The son of a bookmaker, Warren trained as a solicitor's clerk with J Tickle & Co on Southampton Row in London....
and The Daily Express for the Ring magazine championship at light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
won by Joe Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
in April 2008.
See also
- Lineal championshipLineal championshipIn professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...
- List of current world boxing champions
- List of undisputed boxing champions