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Undisputed Champion
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In professional boxing, the undisputed champion of a weight class is a boxer who is recognized as the world champion at that class by all the major sanctioning bodies. Which bodies are considered "major" varies.
r 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.
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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 all the major sanctioning bodies. Which bodies are considered "major" varies.
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 championship.
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 shortlived 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 WBC and IBF champions. In 2004 the WBC began naming WBO champions on its ranking listings.
and
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."
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 as the undisputed champion.
Roy Jones Jr. was considered the undisputed light heavyweight champion after unifying the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in June 1999, for which he was also awarded the Ring championship. However, two of those belts (WBA and IBF) had been stripped from Dariusz Michalczewski, who had unified them with his WBO belt by beating the linear 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, Michael Grant 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 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. David A Avila said Calzaghe was "the true undisputed world champion. Forget about the IBF titleholder Alejandro Berrio. That’s really Calzaghe’s belt too."
Other senses
The term "undisputed champion" is sometimes applied in senses other than the preceding.
WBA
The WBA refers to a champion who holds two or more titles 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 Campbell was recognized as lightweight "undisputed champion" for his WBO and IBF titles, while the WBA's own champion was Yusuke Kobori.
WBC
The WBC regulations refer to the winner of a bout between the WBC champion and the WBC interim champion as the "WBC undisputed champion".
Ring magazine
The description "undisputed champion" was used by Frank Warren and The Daily Express for the Ring magazine championship at light heavyweight won by Joe Calzaghe in April 2008.
See also
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