The List of Heavyweight Champions reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

List of Heavyweight Champions

List of widely recognized Heavyweight boxing champions, as well as those recognized by the World Boxing Association (founded 1921 as the National Boxing Association), World Boxing Council (founded 1963), International Boxing Federation (founded 1983), and/or World Boxing Organization (founded 1988).

Reign Began	Reign Ended	Recognition	Champion	Notes
07 Feb 1882	07 Sep 1892	Undisputed	John L. Sullivan	First champion under Marquis of Queensbury rules
07 Sep 1892	17 Mar 1897	Undisputed	James J. Corbett
17 Mar 1897	09 Jun 1899	Undisputed	Robert Fitzsimmons
09 Jun 1899	13 May 1905	Undisputed	James J. Jeffries	Relinquished title; declared winner of match between Marvin Hart and Jack Root would succeed him as champion.
03 Jul 1905	23 Feb 1906	Undisputed	Marvin Hart
23 Feb 1906	26 Dec 1908	Undisputed	Tommy Burns
26 Dec 1908	05 Apr 1915	Undisputed	Jack Johnson
05 Apr 1915	04 Jul 1919	Undisputed	Jess Willard
04 Jul 1919	23 Sep 1926	Undisputed	Jack Dempsey
23 Sep 1926	31 Jul 1928	Undisputed	Gene Tunney	Retired as champion, relinquishing title.
26 Sep 1928	12 Jun 1930	NBA	Jack Sharkey	Defeated Tommy Loughran for NBA championship, but was not universally recognized as champion.
12 Jun 1930	21 Jun 1932	Undisputed	Max Schmeling	Defeated NBA champion Jack Sharkey, earning universal recognition as champion.
21 Jun 1932	29 Jun 1933	Undisputed	Jack Sharkey
29 Jun 1933	14 Jun 1934	Undisputed	Primo Carnera
14 Jun 1934	13 Jun 1935	Undisputed	Max Baer
13 Jun 1935	22 Jun 1937	Undisputed	James J. Braddock
22 Jun 1937	01 Mar 1949	Undisputed	Joe Louis	Relinquished title.
22 Jun 1949	27 Sep 1950	NBA	Ezzard Charles
27 Sep 1950	18 Jul 1951	Undisputed	Ezzard Charles	NBA champion Charles defeated former champion Joe Louis, earning universal recognition.
18 Jul 1951	23 Sep 1952	Undisputed	Jersey Joe Walcott
23 Sep 1952	27 Apr 1956	Undisputed	Rocky Marciano	Retired as champion, relinquishing title.
30 Nov 1956	26 Jun 1959	Undisputed	Floyd Patterson
26 Jun 1959	20 Jun 1960	Undisputed	Ingemar Johansson
20 Jun 1960	25 Sep 1962	Undisputed	Floyd Patterson
25 Sep 1962	25 Feb 1964	Undisputed	Charles 'Sonny' Liston
25 Feb 1964	19 Jun 1964	Undisputed	Cassius Clay	The WBA withdrew its recognition of Clay/Ali upon Ali's agreement to meet former champion Sonny Liston in a return bout. At the time, immediate rematches were a violation of WBA regulations.
19 Jun 1964	06 Feb 1967	WBC	Muhammad Ali
05 Mar 1965	06 Feb 1967	WBA	Ernie Terrell
06 Feb 1967	29 Apr 1967	Undisputed	Muhammad Ali	Ali defeated Terrell to unify the WBA and WBC titles. Recognition of Ali as champion was withdrawn by all sanctioning bodies on 29 April 1967, following Ali's refusal to be inducted into the United States Army.
04 Mar 1968	16 Feb 1970	WBC	Joe Frazier
28 Apr 1968	16 Feb 1970	WBA	Jimmy Ellis	Ellis was the winner of an 8-man championship tournament staged by the WBA. Joe Frazier elected not to participate in the tournament.
16 Feb 1970	22 Jan 1973	Undisputed	Joe Frazier	Frazier defeated Ellis for the 'undisputed' championship, though many still recognized Muhammad Ali as champion, as he had not lost the title in the ring. Frazier defeated Ali on 08 March 1971 to put all championship disputes to rest.
22 Jan 1973	30 Oct 1974	Undisputed	George Foreman
30 Oct 1974	15 Feb 1978	Undisputed	Muhammad Ali
15 Feb 1978	18 Mar 1978	Undisputed	Leon Spinks	The WBC withdrew its recognition of Spinks for agreeing to a return bout against former champion Muhammad Ali, a violation of WBC rules.
18 Mar 1978	15 Sep 1978	WBA	Leon Spinks
18 Mar 1978	09 Jun 1978	WBC	Ken Norton	Subsequent to its withdrawal of recognition of Leon Spinks as its champion, the WBC declared that Ken Norton, the organization's #1 ranked contender prior to Spinks' withdrawal, would be recognized as champion.
09 Jun 1978	11 Dec 1983	WBC	Larry Holmes	Relinquished title.
15 Sep 1978	20 Jun 1979	WBA	Muhammad Ali	Relinquished title.
20 Oct 1979	31 Mar 1980	WBA	John Tate
31 Mar 1980	10 Dec 1982	WBA	Mike Weaver
10 Dec 1982	23 Sep 1983	WBA	Michael Dokes
23 Sep 1983	01 Dec 1984	WBA	Gerrie Coetzee
11 Dec 1983	21 Sep 1985	IBF	Larry Holmes	Holmes relinquished the title of the WBC to accept the championship of the International Boxing Federation, a new sanctioning body.
09 Mar 1984	31 Aug 1984	WBC	Tim Witherspoon
31 Aug 1984	22 Mar 1986	WBC	Pinklon Thomas
01 Dec 1984	29 Apr 1985	WBA	Greg Page
29 Apr 1985	17 Jan 1986	WBA	Tony Tubbs
21 Sep 1985	19 Feb 1987	IBF	Michael Spinks	Relinquished title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
17 Jan 1986	12 Dec 1986	WBA	Tim Witherspoon
22 Mar 1986	22 Nov 1986	WBC	Trevor Berbick
22 Nov 1986	07 Mar 1987	WBC	Mike Tyson
12 Dec 1986	07 Mar 1987	WBA	James 'Bonecrusher' Smith
07 Mar 1987	01 Aug 1987	WBA/WBC	Mike Tyson	Tyson unified the WBA and WBC titles.
30 May 1987	01 Aug 1987	IBF	Tony Tucker
01 Aug 1987	10 Feb 1990	IBF/WBA/WBC	Mike Tyson	Tyson unified the IBF, WBA and WBC titles.
06 May 1989	11 Jan 1991	WBO	Francesco Damiani	Damiani defeated Johnny Duplooy in the WBO's inaugural Heavyweight championship bout.
11 Feb 1990	25 Oct 1990	IBF/WBA/WBC	James 'Buster' Douglas
25 Oct 1990	13 Nov 1992	IBF/WBA/WBC	Evander Holyfield
11 Jan 1991	24 Dec 1991	WBO	Ray Mercer	Relinquished title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
15 May 1992	03 Feb 1993	WBO	Michael Moorer	Relinquished title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
13 Nov 1992	14 Dec 1992	IBF/WBA/WBC	Riddick Bowe	Relinquished WBC title rather than meet Lennox Lewis, the organization's mandatory challenger.
14 Dec 1992	06 Nov 1993	IBF/WBA	Riddick Bowe
14 Dec 1992	24 Sep 1994	WBC	Lennox Lewis	Subsequent to Bowe's vacating the WBC title, the organization immediately recognized Lewis as its champion.
07 Jun 1993	29 Oct 1993	WBO	Tommy Morrison
29 Oct 1993	19 Mar 1994	WBO	Michael Bentt
06 Nov 1993	22 Apr 1994	IBF/WBA	Evander Holyfield
19 Mar 1994	11 Mar 1995	WBO	Herbie Hide
22 Apr 1994	05 Nov 1994	IBF/WBA	Michael Moorer
24 Sep 1994	02 Sep 1995	WBC	Oliver McCall
05 Nov 1994	04 Mar 1995	IBF/WBA	George Foreman	Relinquished WBA title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
04 Mar 1995	28 Jun 1995	IBF	George Foreman	Relinquished title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
11 Mar 1995	01 May 1996	WBO	Riddick Bowe	Relinquished title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
08 Apr 1995	07 Sep 1996	WBA	Bruce Seldon
02 Sep 1995	16 Mar 1996	WBC	Frank Bruno
09 Dec 1995	27 Mar 1996	IBF	Francois Botha	The IBF withdrew its recognition of Botha after a post-fight drug test revealed that Botha had used illegal anabolic steroids.
16 Mar 1996	07 Sep 1996	WBC	Mike Tyson
22 Jun 1996	08 Nov 1997	IBF	Michael Moorer
29 Jun 1996	17 Feb 1997	WBO	Henry Akinwande	Relinquished title.
07 Sep 1996	24 Sep 1996	WBA/WBC	Mike Tyson	Just 17 days after unifying the WBA and WBC titles, Tyson relinquished the WBC title as part of a legal settlement with the organization and Lennox Lewis, who had filed suit when Tyson was given opportunity to fight Frank Bruno for the title.
24 Sep 1996	09 Nov 1996	WBA	Mike Tyson
09 Nov 1996	08 Nov 1997	WBA	Evander Holyfield
07 Feb 1997	13 Nov 1999	WBC	Lennox Lewis
28 Jun 1997	26 Jun 1999	WBO	Herbie Hide
08 Nov 1997	13 Nov 1999	IBF/WBA	Evander Holyfield	Unified IBF and WBA titles.
26 Jun 1999	01 Apr 2000	WBO	Vitali Klitschko
13 Nov 1999	29 Apr 2000	IBF/WBA/WBC	Lennox Lewis	Relinquished WBA title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
01 Apr 2000	14 Oct 2000	WBO	Chris Byrd
29 Apr 2000	22 Apr 2001	IBF/WBC	Lennox Lewis
12 Aug 2000	03 Mar 2001	WBA	Evander Holyfield
14 Oct 2000	08 Mar 2003	WBO	Wladimir Klitschko
03 Mar 2001	01 Mar 2003	WBA	John Ruiz
22 Apr 2001	17 Nov 2001	IBF/WBC	Hasim Rahman
17 Nov 2001	05 Sep 2002	IBF/WBC	Lennox Lewis	Relinquished IBF title in exchange for a $1 million US payment from promoter Don King, who wished to stage a bout between Chris Byrd and Evander Holyfield for that title.
05 Sep 2002	06 Feb 2004	WBC	Lennox Lewis	Retired as champion, relinquishing title.
14 Dec 2002		IBF	Chris Byrd
01 Mar 2003	20 Feb 2004	WBA	Roy Jones Jr	Relinquished title.
08 Mar 2003	09 Oct 2003	WBO	Corrie Sanders	Relinquished title rather than meet organization's mandatory challenger.
20 Feb 2004		WBA	John Ruiz	The WBA's 'interim' champion, Ruiz automatically became the WBA's recognized champion when Roy Jones, Jr relinquished the organization's title.
10 Apr 2004		WBO	Lamon Brewster

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