This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations:

• The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA),
• The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963,
• The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983,
• The World Boxing Organization (WBO), founded in 1988, and
• The International Boxing Organization (IBO), founded in 1991.

Prior to the rise of sanctioning bodies, champions were acknowledged by the public at large.

Reign Began	Reign Ended	Champion	Recognition
07 Feb 1882	07 Sep 1892	John Lawrence Sullivan	Universal
Sullivan was the first champion under Marquess of Queensberry rules, having defeated Paddy Ryan in a bare-knuckle fight in 1882 to win championship recognition.
07 Sep 1892	17 Mar 1897	James John Corbett	Universal
17 Mar 1897	09 Jun 1899	Robert James Fitzsimmons	Universal
09 Jun 1899	13 May 19051	James Jackson Jeffries	Universal
Jeffries was the first champion to relinquish the title, declaring that the winner of a match between Marvin Hart and Jack Root would be the next legitimate champion.
03 Jul 1905	23 Feb 1906	Marvin Hart	Universal
23 Feb 1906	26 Dec 1908	Tommy Burns (born Noah Brusso)	Universal
26 Dec 1908	05 Apr 1915	John Arthur "Jack" Johnson	Universal
05 Apr 1915	04 Jul 1919	Jess Willard	Universal
04 Jul 1919	23 Sep 1926	William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey	Universal
23 Sep 1926	31 Jul 19282	James Joseph "Gene" Tunney	Universal
26 Sep 1928	12 Jun 1930	Jack Sharkey (born Joseph Paul Cukoshay)	NBA
Sharkey defeated Tommy Loughran for the vacant NBA championship, but was not universally recognized as champion.
12 Jun 1930	21 Jun 1932	Maximilian Adolph Otto Seigfried Schmeling	Universal
Schmeling defeated NBA champion Jack Sharkey to earn universal recognition as champion.
21 Jun 1932	29 Jun 1933	Jack Sharkey	Universal
29 Jun 1933	14 Jun 1934	Primo Carnera	Universal
14 Jun 1934	13 Jun 1935	Maximilian Adalbert Baer	Universal
13 Jun 1935	22 Jun 1937	James Walter "James J." Braddock	Universal
22 Jun 1937	01 Mar 19493	Joe Louis (Barrow)	Universal
22 Jun 1949	27 Sep 1950	Ezzard Mack Charles	NBA
27 Sep 1950	18 Jul 1951	Ezzard Mack Charles	Universal
Charles won the vacant National Boxing Association championship, but was not universally recognized as champion until defeating Joe Louis, the former champion who had come out of retirement.
18 Jul 1951	23 Sep 1952	Jersey Joe Walcott (born Arnold Raymond Cream)	Universal
23 Sep 1952	27 Apr 19562	Rocky Marciano (born Rocco Francis Marchegiano)	Universal
30 Nov 1956	26 Jun 1959	Floyd Patterson	Universal
26 Jun 1959	20 Jun 1960	Ingemar Johansson	Universal
20 Jun 1960	25 Sep 1962	Floyd Patterson	Universal
25 Sep 1962	25 Feb 1964	Charles 'Sonny' Liston	Universal
25 Feb 1964	19 Jun 1964	Cassius Clay	Universal
The WBA withdrew its recognition of Clay (now known as Muhammad Ali) as champion for agreeing to an immediate rematch against Liston, a violation of the organization's rules. The WBC and other organizations continued to recognize him. (See Ali versus Liston.)
19 Jun 1964	06 Feb 1967	Cassius Clay	WBC
05 Mar 1965	06 Feb 1967	Ernie Terrell	WBA
06 Feb 1967	29 Apr 1967	Muhammad Ali	Universal
All sanctioning bodies withdrew recognition of Ali as champion for his refusal to be inducted into the United States Army subsequent to being drafted in early 1967.
04 Mar 1968	16 Feb 1970	Joe Frazier	WBC
28 Apr 1968	16 Feb 1970	Jimmy Ellis	WBA
16 Feb 1970	22 Jan 1973	Joe Frazier	Universal
Frazier was recognized by all sanctioning bodies as champion after defeating Ellis to unify the titles, but universal recognition came only upon defeating Muhammad Ali on March 8, 1971. (See Fight of the Century.)
22 Jan 1973	30 Oct 1974	George Foreman	Universal
30 Oct 1974	15 Feb 1978	Muhammad Ali	Universal
Ali became only the second fighter to regain the world heavyweight title, after Floyd Patterson. (See The Rumble in the Jungle.)
15 Feb 1978	18 Mar 19783	Leon Spinks	Universal
18 Mar 1978	15 Sep 1978	Leon Spinks	WBA
18 Mar 1978	09 Jun 1978	Ken Norton	WBC
09 Jun 1978	11 Dec 19831	Larry Holmes	WBC
Holmes relinquished his WBC title to assume the championship of the newly formed International Boxing Federation.
15 Sep 1978	27 Apr 19791	Muhammad Ali	WBA
Believing his career over, Ali relinquished his WBA title in exchange for a payment from promoter Don King, who was trying to stage a bout between then-WBC champ Larry Holmes and John Tate for the undisputed title. The bout never materialized, and Ali would return to the ring in 1980.
20 Oct 1979	31 Mar 1980	John Tate	WBA
31 Mar 1980	10 Dec 1982	Mike Weaver	WBA
10 Dec 1982	23 Sep 1983	Michael Dokes	WBA
23 Sep 1983	01 Dec 1984	Gerrie Coetzee	WBA
11 Dec 1983	21 Sep 1985	Larry Holmes	IBF
09 Mar 1984	31 Aug 1984	Tim Witherspoon	WBC
31 Aug 1984	22 Mar 1986	Pinklon Thomas	WBC
01 Dec 1984	29 Apr 1985	Greg Page	WBA
29 Apr 1985	17 Jan 1986	Tony Tubbs	WBA
21 Sep 1985	19 Feb 19873	Michael Spinks	IBF
17 Jan 1986	12 Dec 1986	Tim Witherspoon	WBA
22 Mar 1986	22 Nov 1986	Trevor Berbick	WBC
22 Nov 1986	07 Mar 1987	Mike Tyson	WBC
12 Dec 1986	07 Mar 1987	James "Bonecrusher" Smith	WBA
07 Mar 1987	01 Aug 1987	Mike Tyson	WBA, WBC
30 May 1987	01 Aug 1987	Tony Tucker	IBF
01 Aug 1987	10 Feb 1990	Mike Tyson	IBF, WBA & WBC
06 May 1989	11 Jan 1991	Francesco Damiani	WBO
Though Damiani defeated Johnny DuPlooy to become the WBO's first Heavyweight champion, Tyson's reign in the division during this period is virtually undisputed.
10 Feb 1990	25 Oct 1990	James "Buster" Douglas	IBF, WBA & WBC
25 Oct 1990	13 Nov 1992	Evander Holyfield	IBF, WBA & WBC
11 Jan 1991	24 Dec 19913	Ray Mercer	WBO
15 May 1992	03 Feb 19933	Michael Moorer	WBO
13 Nov 1992	14 Dec 19923	Riddick Bowe	IBF, WBA & WBC
Bowe was stripped of the WBC title only, for refusing to fight Lennox Lewis.
14 Nov 1992	29 Jan 19933	Pinklon Thomas	IBO
14 Dec 1992	06 Nov 1993	Riddick Bowe	IBF & WBA
14 Dec 1992	24 Sep 1994	Lennox Lewis	WBC
Lewis was awarded the WBC title after is was relinquished by Riddick Bowe, having won a title eliminator bout against Razor Ruddock on October 31.
07 Jun 1993	29 Oct 1993	Tommy Morrison	WBO
29 Oct 1993	19 Mar 1994	Michael Bentt	WBO
06 Nov 1993	22 Apr 1994	Evander Holyfield	IBF & WBA
19 Mar 1994	11 Mar 1995	Herbie Hide	WBO
22 Apr 1994	05 Nov 1994	Michael Moorer	IBF & WBA
04 Aug 1994	29 Aug 1994	Danell Nicholson 3	IBO
24 Sep 1994	02 Sep 1995	Oliver McCall	WBC
29 Oct 1994	08 Nov 19953	Jimmy Thunder	IBO
05 Nov 1994	04 Mar 19953	George Foreman	IBF & WBA
Foreman was stripped of the WBA title only.
04 Mar 1995	28 Jun 19953	George Foreman	IBF
11 Mar 1995	01 May 19961	Riddick Bowe	WBO
08 Apr 1995	07 Sep 1996	Bruce Seldon	WBA
02 Sep 1995	16 Mar 1996	Frank Bruno	WBC
09 Dec 1995	07 Sep 19963	Francois Botha	IBF
A drug test following Botha's victory over Axel Shultz for the IBF title revealed that he had used illegal anabolic steroids. Upon the discovery the IBF "vacated" its championship. The organization has erased the episode from its own written history, not listing Botha among its recognized champions.
12 Jan 1996	16 Sep 19993	Brian Nielsen	IBO
16 Mar 1996	07 Sep 1996	Mike Tyson	WBC
22 Jun 1996	08 Nov 1997	Michael Moorer	IBF
29 Jun 1996	17 Feb 19971	Henry Akinwande	WBO
Akinwande had been ranked the WBC's #2 contender when he won the WBO title. The WBC, which has feuded with the WBO since the latter's founding in 1988, dropped Akinwande from its rankings altogether. Akinwande subsequently relinquished his WBO title in exchange for the opportunity to meet Lennox Lewis in a bout for the WBC championship.
07 Sep 1996	24 Sep 19961	Mike Tyson	WBA & WBC
24 Sep 1996	09 Nov 1996	Mike Tyson	WBA
09 Nov 1996	08 Nov 1997	Evander Holyfield	WBA
07 Feb 1997	13 Nov 1999	Lennox Lewis	WBC
28 Jun 1997	26 Jun 1999	Herbie Hide	WBO
08 Nov 1997	13 Nov 1999	Evander Holyfield	IBF & WBA
26 Jun 1999	01 Apr 2000	Vitali Klitschko	WBO
13 Nov 1999	29 Apr 20003	Lennox Lewis	IBF, IBO, WBA & WBC
In early 2000 the World Boxing Association and Lewis were sued by representatives of John Ruiz claiming that they had reneged on an agreement by which Ruiz would have fought Lewis for the WBA title. A New Jersey court ruled in favor of Ruiz, and ordered Lewis to either have his next bout against Ruiz or relinquish the title. Lewis elected to fight Michael Grant, and relinquished his title on the day of his match against Grant.
01 Apr 2000	14 Oct 2000	Chris Byrd	WBO
29 Apr 2000	22 Apr 2001	Lennox Lewis	IBF, IBO & WBC
12 Aug 2000	03 Mar 2001	Evander Holyfield	WBA
14 Oct 2000	08 Mar 2003	Wladimir Klitschko	WBO
03 Mar 2001	01 Mar 2003	John Ruiz	WBA
22 Apr 2001	17 Nov 2001	Hasim Rahman	IBF, IBO & WBC
17 Nov 2001	05 Sep 20021	Lennox Lewis	IBF, IBO & WBC
Lewis relinquished the IBF title upon receiving payment of $1 million (US) by promoter Don King, who wished to stage a bout between Chris Byrd and Evander Holyfield for the vacant title.
05 Sep 2002	06 Feb 20042	Lennox Lewis	IBO & WBC
14 Dec 2002		Chris Byrd	IBF
01 Mar 2003	20 Feb 20041	Roy Jones Jr.	WBA
08 Mar 2003	09 Oct 20031	Corrie Sanders	WBO
20 Feb 2004		John Ruiz	WBA
Ruiz beat Hasim Rahman on December 13 to become the WBA's "interim" champion. He was awarded the championship following Roy Jones, Jr.'s announcement that he was relinquishing it to concentrate on lower weight divisions.
10 Apr 2004		Lamon Brewster	WBO
24 Apr 2004		Vitali Klitschko	WBC

Footnotes

¹ Relinquished championship title.

² Retired as champion, relinquishing title.

³ Championship recognition withdrawn by sanctioning organization due to champion's failure or refusal to defend title against the organization's #1 ranked contender.