On May 18, Oleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years. The Ukrainian great also became the second former undisputed cruiserweight champ in boxing history to consolidate all the heavyweight gold since Evander Holyfield accomplished the feat over three decades ago.
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) scored a brilliant 12-round split decision over the previously undefeated Tyson Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The fight was years in the making with many fans and media members convinced it would never happen. Eventually, the stars aligned and the boxing world was treated to one of the best heavyweight matchups in recent memory. However, why is it so difficult for boxing to crown an undisputed heavyweight champ?
Figuring out who the world champions are in boxing has become convoluted for the casual fan. There are several belts in each division and things can get quite complicated when trying to figure out what the difference is between a "unified" champion and an "undisputed" champion.
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Before 1960, most of boxing's champions were considered "undisputed" because there was only one champion in each weight class. But, as the popularity of the sport grew, so did the number of boxing organizations that would crown their own champions. This led to many disputes over who was recognized as the "real" world champion, with fighters moving up and down in weight class, boxing politics coming into play, and various other reasons.
Up until 2004, there were three major sanctioning bodies in boxing: World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF). A fourth was added in 2004 when the World Boxing Organization (WBO) was recognized by the WBC in its ranking listings.
And the four-belt era was upon us in boxing.
What is an undisputed champion?
An undisputed champion is a fighter who holds all four major championship belts (IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO) in a division. It's a rare feat that has only been accomplished by just a few boxers in the four-belt era.
Since 2004, there have only been nine male and nine female boxers who have held all four titles from major sanctioning bodies in the same weight class.
Undisputed boxing champions (male)
- Oleksandr Usyk (cruiserweight and heavyweight) *
- Canelo Alvarez (super middleweight)*
- Bernard Hopkins (middleweight)
- Jermain Taylor (middleweight)
- Jermell Charlo (super welterweight)
- Terence Crawford (super lightweight and welterweight)
- Josh Taylor (super lightweight)
- Devin Haney (lightweight)
- Naoya Inoue (bantamweight and super bantamweight) *
*current champion
Undisputed boxing champions (female)
- Savannah Marshall (super middleweight)
- Franchon Crews-Dezurn (super middleweight)
- Claressa Shields (super welterweight and middleweight)*
- Cecilia Braekhus (welterweight)
- Jessica McCaskill (welterweight)
- Chantelle Cameron (super lightweight)
- Katie Taylor (lightweight and super lightweight)*
- Alycia Baumgardner (super featherweight)*
- Amanda Serrano (featherweight)
- Seniesa Estrada (minimumweight) *
*current champion
But there have been plenty of fighters who have held two or more of the major sanctioning titles in a division.
MORE: Is Oleksandr Usyk an all-time great?
What is a unified champion?
A unified champion holds two or more of the major sanctioning titles in a division:
- IBF
- WBA
- WBC
- WBO
Who are the unified champions in boxing?
Current unified champions include:
- Light heavyweight: Artur Beterbiev — IBF, WBC, WBO
- Middleweight: Zhanibek Alimkhanuly — IBF, WBO
- Super Welterweight: Ema Kozin — WBC, WBO
- Super Welterweight: Sebastian Fundora — WBC, WBO
- Welterweight: Terence Crawford — WBA, WBC, WBO
- Lightweight: Katie Taylor — WBA, WBC
- Featherweight: Amanda Serrano — IBF, WBA, WBO
- Super Bantamweight: Ellie Scotney — IBF, WBO
- Bantamweight: Dina Thorslund — WBC, WBO
- Flyweight: Jesse Rodriguez — IBF, WBO
- Junior flyweight: Kenshiro Teraji — WBC, WBC
- Light Flyweight: Jessica Nery Plata — WBA, WBC
- Light Minimumweight: Eri Matsuda — WBA, WBO