List of current world boxing champions

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This is a list of current boxing world champions who are certified by the four major boxing sanctioning bodies[1] and The Ring magazine. Each champion's professional boxing record is shown in the following format: wins-losses-draws-no contests (knockout wins).

The World Boxing Association (WBA) was founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA)—a national regulating body of the United States. On August 23, 1962, the NBA became the WBA—a Venezuelan-based worldwide regulating body.[2] According to WBA championship rules, when a boxer holds at least two titles of the four major sanctioning bodies, the boxer is granted special recognition: he is called the undisputed or super world champion. The "regular" WBA world title is vacated if it is one of the titles the respective boxer holds. When a boxer defends his WBA title for the tenth consecutive time, he is normally granted the "WBA Super belt".[3]

The World Boxing Council (WBC) was founded in Mexico City, Mexico on February 14, 1963 in order to establish an international regulating body.[4] The WBC established many of today's safety measures in boxing, such as the standing eight-count,[5] a limit of 12 rounds instead of 15,[6] and additional weight classes.[6] In its discretion, the WBC may designate and recognize, upon a two-thirds majority vote of their Board of Governors, one or more emeritus world champions in each weight class. Such a recognition is for life and is only bestowed upon present or past WBC world champions. The following boxers have earned the emeritus championship appellation throughout their careers: Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Kostya Tszyu, Manny Pacquiao, and Erik Morales.

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) originated in September 1976 as the United States Boxing Association (USBA) when American members of the WBA withdrew in order to legitimize boxing in the United States with "unbiased" ratings.[7] In April 1983, The organization established an international division that was known as the United States Boxing Association-International (USBA-I).[7] In May 1984, the New Jersey-based USBA-I was renamed and became the IBF.[7]

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) was founded in San Juan, Puerto Rico (which is a self-governing commonwealth of the United States) in 1988. Its motto is "dignity, democracy, honesty."[8] Though Bernard Hopkins and Óscar de la Hoya don't have WBO belts at the moment, the WBO actually calls them "Super champion". Some media sites do not include the WBO in their list of champions,[9][10] whereas others do.[11][12]

The Ring is not a sanctioning body but is a boxing magazine that was founded in 1922. In 2002, The Ring created a championship system that is "intended to reward fighters who, by satisfying rigid criteria, can justify a claim as the true and only world champion in a given weight class."[13] There are currently only two ways that a boxer can win The Ring's title: defeat the reigning champion; or win a box-off between The Ring's number-one and number-two rated contenders (or, sometimes, number-one and number-three rated).[14] There are also only three ways that a boxer can lose The Ring's title: lose a championship fight, move to a different weight class, or retire.[14] (The Ring does not strip its champions' titles like the sanctioning bodies do.)

[edit] Current champions

[edit] Heavyweight (200+ lb, 90.7+ kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Uzbekistan Ruslan Chagaev
24-0-1 (17 KO)
April 14, 2007		 Flag of Nigeria Samuel Peter
30-1 (23 KO)
March 8, 2008		 Flag of Ukraine Wladimir Klitschko[15]
50-3 (44 KO)
April 22, 2006		 Flag of Ukraine Wladimir Klitschko[16]
50-3 (44 KO)
February 23, 2008		 vacant

[edit] Cruiserweight (200 lb, 90.7 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Germany Firat Arslan
29-3-1 (18 KO)
November 24, 2007		 vacant Flag of the United States Steve Cunningham
21-1 (11 KO)
May 26, 2007		 vacant vacant

[edit] Light heavyweight (175 lb, 79.4 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
vacant Flag of the United States Chad Dawson
26-0-0-1 (17 KO)
February 3, 2007		 Flag of the United States Antonio Tarver
27-4 (19 KO)
April 12, 2008		 Flag of Hungary Zsolt Erdei
29-0 (17 KO)
January 17, 2004		 Flag of the United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe
45-0 (32 KO)
April 19, 2008
Flag of Romania Adrian Diaconu[17]
25-0 (15 KO)
April 19, 2008

[edit] Super middleweight (168 lb, 76.2 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of the United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe[15]
45-0 (32 KO)
November 3, 2007		 Flag of the United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe
45-0 (32 KO)
November 3, 2007		 Flag of Romania Lucian Bute
22-0 (18 KO)
October 19, 2007		 Flag of the United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe[16]
45-0 (32 KO)
October 11, 1997		 Flag of the United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe
45-0 (32 KO)
March 4, 2006
vacant

[edit] Middleweight (160 lb, 72.6 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Germany Felix Sturm
29-2-1 (13 KO)
April 28, 2007		 Flag of the United States Kelly Pavlik[15]
34-0 (30 KO)
September 29, 2007		 Flag of Germany Arthur Abraham
26-0 (21 KO)
December 10, 2005		 Flag of the United States Kelly Pavlik
34-0 (30 KO)
September 29, 2007		 Flag of the United States Kelly Pavlik
34-0 (30 KO)
September 29, 2007

[edit] Super welterweight (154 lb, 69.9 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Haiti Joachim Alcine
30-0 (19 KO)
July 7, 2007		 Flag of the United States Sergio Mora
21-0-1 (5 KO)
June 7, 2008		 Flag of the United States Verno Phillips
42-10-1-1 (21 KO)
March 27, 2008		 Flag of Ukraine Sergiy Dzinziruk
35-0 (22 KO)
December 3, 2005		 vacant

[edit] Welterweight (147 lb, 66.7 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Puerto Rico Miguel Ángel Cotto
32-0 (26 KO)
December 2, 2006		 vacant vacant Flag of the United States Paul Williams
34-1 (25 KO)
June 7, 2008		 vacant
Flag of Ukraine Yuriy Nuzhnenko[17]
27-0-1 (13 KO)
December 8, 2007

[edit] Super lightweight (140 lb, 63.5 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Ukraine Andreas Kotelnik
29-2-1 (13 KO)
March 22, 2008		 Flag of the United States Timothy Bradley
22-0 (11 KO)
May 10, 2008		 Flag of the United States Paul Malignaggi
25-1 (5 KO)
June 16, 2007		 Flag of Colombia Ricardo Torres
32-1 (28 KO)
November 18, 2006		 Flag of the United Kingdom Ricky Hatton
44-1 (31 KO)
June 4, 2005

[edit] Lightweight (135 lb, 61.2 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of the United States Nate Campbell[15]
32-5-1 (25 KO)
March 8, 2008		 Flag of the United States David Díaz
34-1-1 (17 KO)
February 20, 2007		 Flag of the United States Nate Campbell
32-5-1 (25 KO)
March 8, 2008		 Flag of the United States Nate Campbell
32-5-1 (25 KO)
March 8, 2008		 Flag of Cuba Joel Casamayor
36-3-1 (22 KO)
October 7, 2006
Flag of Japan Yusuke Kobori
23-2-1 (12 KO)
May 19, 2008		 Flag of Cuba Joel Casamayor[17]
36-3-1 (22 KO)
March 22, 2008

[edit] Super featherweight (130 lb, 59 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Venezuela Edwin Valero
24-0 (24 KO)
August 5, 2006		 Flag of the Philippines Manny Pacquiao
46-3-2 (35 KO)
March 15, 2008		 Flag of South Africa Cassius Baloyi
35-3-1 (18 KO)
April 12, 2008		 Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Arthur
26-1 (19 KO)
May 15, 2008		 Flag of the Philippines Manny Pacquiao
46-3-2 (35 KO)
March 15, 2008

[edit] Featherweight (126 lb, 57.2 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Indonesia Chris John
41-0-1 (22 KO)
November 1, 2003		 Flag of Venezuela Jorge Linares
25-0 (16 KO)
July 21, 2007		 Flag of the United States Robert Guerrero
22-1-1-1 (15 KO)
February 23, 2007		 Flag of the United States Steven Luevano
35-1 (15 KO)
July 14, 2007		 vacant
Flag of Mexico Óscar Larios[17]
61-6-1 (38 KO)
May 31, 2008

[edit] Super bantamweight (122 lb, 55.3 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Panama Celestino Caballero
29-2 (20 KO)
October 4, 2006		 Flag of Mexico Israel Vázquez
43-4 (31 KO)
August 4, 2007		 Flag of Canada Steve Molitor
27-0 (10 KO)
November 10, 2006		 Flag of Puerto Rico Juan Manuel López
22-0 (20 KO)
June 7, 2008		 Flag of Mexico Israel Vázquez
43-4 (31 KO)
August 4, 2007

[edit] Bantamweight (118 lb, 53.5 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Panama Anselmo Moreno
22-1-1 (8 KO)
May 31, 2008		 Flag of Japan Hozumi Hasegawa
24-2 (8 KO)
April 16, 2005		 Flag of Ghana Joseph Agbeko
25-1 (22 KO)
September 29, 2007		 Flag of the Philippines Gerry Peñalosa
53-6-2 (36 KO)
August 11, 2007		 vacant

[edit] Super flyweight (115 lb, 52.2 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Mexico Cristian Mijares[15]
35-3-2 (14 KO)
May 17, 2008		 Flag of Mexico Cristian Mijares
35-3-2 (14 KO)
December 6, 2006		 Flag of Russia Dimitri Kirilov
29-3-1 (9 KO)
October 13, 2007		 Flag of Mexico Fernando Montiel
37-2-1 (28 KO)
April 9, 2005		 vacant
vacant

[edit] Flyweight (112 lb, 50.8 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Japan Takefumi Sakata
32-4-2 (15 KO)
March 19, 2007		 Flag of Japan Daisuke Naito
32-2-3 (20 KO)
July 18, 2007		 Flag of the Philippines Nonito Donaire
19-1 (12 KO)
July 7, 2007		 Flag of Argentina Omar Andrés Narváez
27-0-2 (17 KO)
July 13, 2002		 vacant

[edit] Light flyweight (108 lb, 49 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of France Brahim Asloum
23-2 (9 KO)
December 8, 2007		 Flag of Mexico Édgar Sosa
31-5 (16 KO)
April 14, 2007		 Flag of Mexico Ulises Solís
26-1-2 (20 KO)
January 7, 2006		 Flag of Puerto Rico Iván Calderón[16]
31-0 (6 KO)
August 25, 2007		 Flag of Puerto Rico Iván Calderón
31-0 (6 KO)
August 25, 2007

[edit] Strawweight (105 lb, 47.6 kg)

WBA WBC IBF WBO The Ring
Flag of Japan Yutaka Niida
23-1-3 (9 KO)
July 3, 2004		 Flag of Thailand Oleydong Sithsamerchai
26-0 (10 KO)
November 29, 2007		 Flag of the Philippines Florante Condes
22-3-1 (20 KO)
July 7, 2007		 Flag of the Philippines Donnie Nietes
22-1-3 (13 KO)
September 30, 2007		 vacant

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The official rules and regulations of the WBA, IBF, and WBO all mention by name the other three major sanctioning bodies in their title unification rules. The WBC does not mention by name any other sanctioning body in its rules, but it does list the other three major sanctioning bodies' champions on its website. [1] Thus, all four organizations consider only themselves and the other three organizations to be major sanctioning bodies. They do not consider organizations such as the IBO and IBA to be major sanctioning bodies.
  2. ^ Bastidas, Angel M. World Boxing Association History. World Boxing Association. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  3. ^ World Boxing Association World Championships Regulations. World Boxing Association. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  4. ^ World Boxing Council: History & Founding Fathers. World Boxing Council. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  5. ^ Rules that have changed the History of Boxing. World Boxing Council. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  6. ^ a b Permanent Medical Research Program. World Boxing Council. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  7. ^ a b c History of the IBF. International Boxing Federation (December 4, 2000). Archived from the original on 2000-12-04. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  8. ^ WBO logo. World Boxing Organization. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  9. ^ Current Boxing Champions.. Yahoo! (May 7, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  10. ^ Current Boxing Champions. Sports Illustrated (April 5, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  11. ^ Eisele, Andrew (May 6, 2007). Boxing Champions. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  12. ^ List of Champions. BBC Sport (May 5, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  13. ^ About The Ring. The Ring (June 26, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  14. ^ a b Kellerman, Max (January 22, 2004). Gatti vs. the unknown. ESPN. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  15. ^ a b c d e Undisputed world champion.
  16. ^ a b c WBO super champion.
  17. ^ a b c d Interim world champion.
v • d • e
World boxing champions
Champions by weight class
Champions by organization
WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | IBO | The Ring | Undisputed
Terms