List of cruiserweight boxing champions

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This is a chronological List of World Cruiserweight Boxing Champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations:

Reign Began Reign Ended Champion Recognition
31 March 1980 25 November 1981 Flag of the United States Marvin Camel Universal (WBC)
Camel and Mate Parlov fought to a draw in the first Cruiserweight championship bout on August 12, 1979, sanctioned by the World Boxing Council. Camel won the rematch to become champion. Since the WBC was the only sanctioning body to recognize a Cruiserweight division at the time, he is considered by some as an undisputed champion.
25 November 1980 27 June 1982 Flag of Puerto Rico Carlos De Leon Universal (WBC)
13 February 1982 1 December 1984 Flag of Puerto Rico Ossie Ocasio WBA
Ocasio defeated Robbie Williams in the first Cruiserweight championship bout sanctioned by the World Boxing Association.
26 June 1982 17 July 1983 Flag of the United States S.T. Gordon WBC
17 July 1983 6 June 1985 Flag of Puerto Rico Carlos De Leon WBC
13 February 1983 6 October 1984 Flag of the United States Marvin Camel IBF
Just as he had done with the WBC title, Camel became the first champion in the division crowned by the International Boxing Federation, defeating Roddy McDonald to win the title.
6 October 1984 25 October 1986 Flag of the United States Lee Roy Murphy IBF
1 December 1984 27 July 1985 Flag of South Africa Piet Crous WBA
6 June 1985 21 September 1985 Flag of the United States Alfonso Ratliff WBC
27 July 1985 12 July 19861 Flag of the United States Dwight Braxton WBA
21 September 1985 22 March 1986 Flag of the United States Bernard Benton WBC
22 March 1986 9 April 1988 Flag of Puerto Rico Carlos De Leon WBC
12 July 1986 15 May 1987 Flag of the United States Evander Holyfield WBA
25 October 1986 15 May 1987 Flag of the United States Rickey Parkey IBF
15 May 1987 9 April 1988 Flag of the United States Evander Holyfield WBA & IBF
Holyfield defeated Parkey to unify the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation titles.
9 April 1988 4 December 19883 Flag of the United States Evander Holyfield Universal
Holyfield defeated Carlos De Leon to earn the World Boxing Council championship, making him the division's first truly undisputed champion.
25 March 1989 25 September 19892 Flag of France Taoufik Belbouli WBA
17 May 1989 27 July 1990 Flag of Puerto Rico Carlos De Leon WBC
3 June 1989 22 March 1990 Flag of the United Kingdom Glenn McCrory IBF
27 November 1989 8 March 1991 Flag of the United States Robert Daniels WBA
12 March 1989 17 May 1990 Flag of the United States Boone Pultz WBO
22 March 1990 27 July 19912 Flag of the United States Jeff Lampkin IBF
17 May 1990 1 May 1992 Flag of Norway Magne Havnaa3 WBO
27 July 1990 20 July 1991 Flag of Italy Massimiliano Duran WBC
8 March 1991 5 August 19932 Flag of the United States Bobby Czyz WBA
20 July 1991 7 July 19952 Flag of France Anaclet Wamba WBC
7 September 1991 30 July 1992 Flag of the United States James Warring IBF
25 July 1992 13 February 1993 Flag of the United States Tyrone Booze WBO
30 July 1992 30 April 19963 Flag of the United States Alfred Cole IBF
13 February 1993 26 June 1993 Flag of Germany Markus Bott WBO
26 June 1993 17 December 1994 Flag of Argentina Nestor Giovannini WBO
6 November 1993 22 July 1995 Flag of the United States Orlin Norris WBA
17 December 1994 1 January 19953 Flag of Germany Dariusz Michalczewski WBO
10 June 1995 4 October 1997 Flag of Germany Ralf Rocchigiani WBO
22 July 1995 8 November 1997 Flag of the United States Nate Miller WBA
25 July 1995 21 February 1998 Flag of Argentina Marcelo Dominguez WBC
31 August 1996 21 June 1997 Flag of the United States Adolpho Washington IBF
21 June 1997 8 November 1997 Flag of Jamaica Uriah Grant IBF
4 October 1997 27 March 1999 Flag of the United Kingdom Carl Thompson WBO
8 November 1997 30 October 1998 Flag of the United States Imamu Mayfield IBF
8 November 1997 9 December 2000 Flag of France Fabrice Tiozzo WBA
21 February 1998 19 February 20023 Flag of Cuba Juan Carlos Gomez WBC
30 October 1998 5 June 1999 Flag of the United States Arthur Williams IBF
27 March 1999 22 September 2006 Flag of the United Kingdom Johnny Nelson WBO
5 June 1999 26 April 2003 Flag of Kazakhstan Vassiliy Jirov IBF
9 December 2000 23 February 2002 Flag of the United States Virgil Hill WBA
23 February 2002 7 January 2006 Flag of France Jean-Marc Mormeck WBA & WBC
12 October 2003 22 April 2005 Flag of Guyana Wayne Braithwaite WBC
26 April 2003 9 December 20033 Flag of the United States James Toney IBF
1 May 2004 20 May 20053 Flag of the United States Kelvin Davis IBF
20 May 2005 7 January 2006 Flag of Jamaica O'Neil Bell IBF
7 January 2006 31 March 2006 Flag of Jamaica O'Neil Bell WBA, WBC, & IBF
O'Neil Bell defeated Jean-Marc Mormeck on January 7, 2006, by knockout in round 10, unifying his IBF belt with Mormeck's WBA and WBC making him the second undisputed champion of the division. That distinction lasted just under three months, as the IBF withdrew its recognition of Bell when Bell failed to reach an agreement to fight the organization's mandatory challenger.
31 March 2006 17 March 2007 Flag of Jamaica O'Neil Bell WBA, WBC
22 September 2006 8 March 2008 Flag of the United Kingdom Enzo Maccarinelli WBO
26 November 2006 26 May 2007 Flag of Poland Krzysztof Włodarczyk IBF
17 March 2007 10 November 2007 Flag of France Jean-Marc Mormeck WBA, WBC
26 May 2007 Present Flag of the United States Steve Cunningham IBF
10 November 2007 Present Flag of the United Kingdom David Haye WBA, WBC
8 March 2008 12 May 2008 Flag of the United Kingdom David Haye WBA, WBC, WBO
David Haye defeated Enzo Maccarinelli on March 8, 2008, by knockout in round 2, unifying his WBA and WBC belt with Maccarinelli's WBO making him the third undisputed champion of the division. On May 12th, he relinquished his WBC belt in order to move up to the heavyweight division in an attempt to emulate the success of Evander Holyfield.
10 November 2007 WBA
12 May 2008 WBO		 Present Flag of the United Kingdom David Haye WBA, WBO

[edit] Footnotes

1 Later known as Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
2 Championship recognition withdrawn due to champion's failure/refusal to defend title against mandatory or designated challenger.
3 Relinquished title.

[edit] Cruiserweight champions who won belts in other divisions

  • Braxton, Michalczewski, Hill, and Tiozzo all were light-heavyweight champions.
  • Holyfield is the only former cruiserweight champions to win a piece of the heavyweight title.
  • Toney titles at middleweight and super middleweight. Toney defeated John Ruiz in an attempt on the heavyweight title but failed a post-fight drugs test and the result was set aside.

[edit] List of Cruiserweight Champions Prior to 1980

The cruiserweight class was inaugurated by the WBC in 1979, and the belt was to be decided by the winner of a fight between Mate Parlov and Marvin Camel. The bout ended in a draw, and the champion wasn't crowned until their rematch on 31 March 1980, which was won by Camel. The WBA followed suit in 1982, inaugurating their belt in a battle between Ossie Ocasio and Robbie Williams, which was won by Ocasio.

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