On May 18th, 2024, a 26,000-capacity crowd at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh watched in shock as Oleksandr Usyk created history by becoming the first-ever undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era. Not only that but ‘The Cat’ also inflicted the first professional loss on Tyson Fury‘s intact career to the shock of everyone. Below is a list of boxers that have held the undisputed championship in at least two different weight classes. Henry Armstrong remains the only boxer to have held the claim in three weight classes.

History

Prior to the bout, Cena had never managed to defeat Punk in a one-on-one contest for the title after three attempts, and that arguably rang true in their fourth and potentially final battle between them. Cena could not put Punk away despite several Attitude Adjustments, and Punk himself would have won the title if it wasn’t for a timely bump to the referee, landing the GTS and getting the visual pinfall. That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who broke the news during the UFC Baku post-fight press conference on Saturday following the promotion’s debut event in Azerbaijan. The stunning news came after Jones apparently called the UFC to tell them he was hanging up his gloves.

Lightweight (135 lbs.)

Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Buster Douglas, Liston, Foreman, Tyson and Ali are all some huge names who have also held all the available titles. Legends like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, and Lennox Lewis have all held the lineal crown. Oleksandr Usyk started his cruiserweight title run by defeating Krzysztof Głowacki in 2016 to clinch the WBO title. He kept the title for two years and unified it with a WBC title by defeating Mairis Briedis in 2018. Cena is now set to defend the Undisputed WWE Title against King of the Ring tournament winner Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam.

What is an Undisputed Champion in Boxing?

This guide explains the key titles fans should know, from lineal champions to unified and undisputed kings. Learn how it all works—and how platforms like Mostbet PK help fans follow every major moment. 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. However, if The Gypsy King avenges his first loss, the duo will have another match and the winner of the trilogy will face the IBF champion by the end of 2025. While the pressure is tremendous, Oleksandr Usyk knows how to deal with it. After all, not many boxers can claim to be undisputed champions in more than one category.

There have been 2 more boxers who held all four belts in one weight class simultaneously – Bernard Hopkins(2004) and Jermain Taylor(2005). The lineal champion is “the man who beat the man.” This title traces back to the late 1800s when John L. Sullivan was the universally recognized heavyweight champion. Back then, there was only one champion per division, and the title passed directly through victory. London, UK – Boxing is steeped in history, but its championship structure can be difficult to follow.

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Five months after Lennox Lewis unified the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a U.S. Federal Judge ruled that 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. Lewis remained a unified world champion until April 22, 2001, when he was defeated by Hasim Rahman. He regained the WBC and IBF titles following victory over Rahman seven months later in a rematch. 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.

• Becoming an undisputed champion in two divisions is a near-impossible task.
• While the referee was down, Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman showed up.
• Punk then extended a handshake to Cena, and they embraced, but Cena stared directly into the hard camera and attempted to low blow Punk.
• After all, not many boxers can claim to be undisputed champions in more than one category.
• Ukraine sensation Oleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 following a split-decision win over Tyson Fury in May 2024.

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If you enjoyed our article on the different types of boxing champions, share it by hitting the button below. Hopefully, these explanations cleared up any confusion you may have had about the different types of boxing champions. Throughout the history of boxing, there have been four criteria for being an undisputed boxing champion.

• There have been 2 more boxers who held all four belts in one weight class simultaneously – Bernard Hopkins(2004) and Jermain Taylor(2005).
• During the era of two sanctioning bodies, there have been more than 300 undisputed champions in 62 years.
• Whether you’re following the sport closely or placing your next wager through an online casino like Mostbet PK, knowing the difference between these belts brings the story of each fight into sharper focus.
• This is due to the inclusion of different boxing organizations and sanctioning bodies since 1921.
• Jon Jones has officially retired from the sport and Tom Aspinall is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
• By definition, an Undisputed Boxing Champion is a fighter who holds world titles from all sanctioning bodies in one particular weight class.

Who are the undisputed men’s and women’s boxing champions?

As far as Aspinall goes, White praised him for his continued patience during the entire ordeal as the UFC attempted to book him against Jones in a heavyweight title unification bout. Boxing doesn’t have a single governing authority, which means each organization can crown its own champion. While that can lead to confusion, it also means more opportunities for fighters and more title fights for fans.

It can’t be stripped, vacated, or handed out—it’s earned only by beating the reigning lineal champ. Just four months later, in July 2018, Usyk faced Murat Gassiev in Russia with all four belts on the line. The Ukrainian completely outperformed Gassiev in his native land and won the Undisputed championship via a unanimous decision.

Five months after Lennox Lewis unified the WBC, IBF and WBA belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a U.S. He regained the WBC and IBF belts following victory over Rahman seven months later in a rematch. During the era of two sanctioning bodies, there have been more than 300 undisputed champions in 62 years. In 3 belts era of just WBA, WBC and IBF, there have only been 19 undisputed champions in 24 years. Check the list of Undisputed Boxing Champions from the 4-belt era below.

Rollins made his way back into the ring and hit Punk with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Cena then tossed Rollins out of the ring and pinned Punk to retain the Undisputed WWE Title. Back in the ring, Reed was setting up to hit a Tsunami onto Cena, but Punk saved him and pushed Reed off the top rope. Punk then extended a handshake to Cena, and they embraced, but Cena stared directly into the hard camera and attempted to low blow Punk. Headlining WWE’s Night of Champions Premium Live usyk dubois Event from Saudi Arabia was the Undisputed WWE Championship bout between CM Punk and the champion John Cena. Punk made his entrance sporting his gear from the 2011 Money in the Bank event, where he faced Cena for the WWE Championship.

It’s rare because scheduling, mandatory defenses, and politics often get in the way. To be an undisputed boxing champion, you must hold every title of the four major boxing organizations. In boxing, there are so many different champions and organizations that it can be confusing for new fans to keep up. You have lineal champions, unified champions, and undisputed champions. In April 1983, members of United States Boxing Association along with Robert W. Lee (a former WBA vice-president) voted to expand the organisation and form the USBA-International.

While it’s certainly not the outcome he wanted with a chance to fight and possibly defeat an opponent many consider to be the greatest of all-time, Aspinall still gets to become champion with a bright future ahead of him. The Rollins and Punk feud is surely set to reach new heights once again after Rollins cost Punk the championship. As for Cena, his retirement tour is over halfway done and the goal of retiring as champion is still intact for the WWE legend. With the referee down, Seth Rollins hit the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase. Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman joined Rollins and helped Rollins prime up for a cash-in.