Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a championship being split among several men for periods of time.
An Australian version of the world title which existed briefly between 1914 and 1916 gained considerable credibility because its holder, Les Darcy, was widely believed to be best boxer in the world in this division.
Reign Begun | Reign Ended | Champion | Recognition |
---|---|---|---|
1884-07-30 | 1891-01-14 |
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World |
1891-01-14 | 1894-09-26 – vacated |
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World |
1896-03-02 | 1897-12-17 – vacated |
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World |
1897-12-20 | 1907-05-28 – vacated |
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World |
1907-12-12 | 1908-09-07 |
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World |
1908-09-07 | 1908-11-26 |
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World |
1908-11-26 | 1910-10-15 – died |
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World |
1913-03-5 | 1913-10-11 |
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World |
1913-10-11 | 1914-04-07 |
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World |
1914-04-07 | 1917-11-14 |
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World |
1917-11-14 | 1920-05-06 |
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World |
1920-05-06 | 1923-08-31 |
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World |
1923-08-31 | 1926-02-26 |
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World |
1926-02-26 | 1926-12-03 |
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World |
1926-12-03 | 1929-10-29 – vacated |
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World |
1932-01-25 | 1932-06-11 |
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NBA |
1932-06-11 | 1932-07-04 |
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NBA |
1933-01-13 | 1933-08-09 |
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NYSAC |
1933-08-09 | 1933-10-30 |
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NYSAC |
1933-10-30 | 1934-09-11 |
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World |
1934-09-11 | 1935-09-19 |
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World |
1935-09-19 | 1936-07-11 |
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World |
1936-07-11 | 1938-07-26 |
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World |
1938-07-26 | 1938-11-01 |
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NBA |
1938-11-01 | 1939-06-27 |
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NBA |
1938-11-18 | 1939-10-02 |
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NYSAC |
1939-06-27 | 1940-07-19 |
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NBA |
1939-10-02 | 1940-05-23 |
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NYSAC |
1940-05-23 | 1941-05-09 |
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NYSAC |
1940-07-19 | 1947-07-16 |
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NBA |
1941-05-09 | 1941-10-31 [1] |
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NYSAC |
1941-11-28 | 1947-07-16 |
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NYSAC |
1947-07-16 | 1948-06-10 |
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NBA |
1948-06-10 | 1948-09-21 |
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NBA |
1948-09-21 | 1949-06-16 |
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NBA |
1949-06-16 | 1951-02-14 |
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NBA |
1950-07-12 | 1951-02-14 |
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NYSAC |
1951-02-14 | 1951-07-10 |
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World |
1951-07-10 | 1951-09-12 |
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World |
1951-09-12 | 1952-04-16 – vacated |
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World |
1953-10-21 | 1955-12-09 |
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World |
1955-12-09 | 1957-01-02 |
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World |
1957-01-02 | 1957-05-01 |
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World |
1957-05-01 | 1957-09-23 |
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World |
1957-09-23 | 1958-03-25 |
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World |
1958-03-25 | 1960-01-22 |
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The Ring Magazine title |
1959-08-28 | 1962-10-23 |
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NBA |
1960-01-22 | 1961-07-11 |
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The Ring Magazine title |
1961-07-11 | 1962-04-07 |
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The Ring Magazine title |
1962-04-07 | 1962-04-07 – vacated |
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The Ring Magazine title |
1962-10-23 | 1963-12-07 |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1963-12-07 | 1965-10-21 |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1965-10-21 | 1966-04-25 |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1966-04-25 | 1967-04-17 |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1967-04-17 | 1967-09-29 |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1967-09-29 | 1968-03-04 |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1968-03-04 | 1970-11-07 |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1970-11-07 | 1974-02-09 – title split |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1976-06-26 | 1977-08-29 – retired |
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Universal (WBA/WBC) |
1980-09-27 | 1987-04-06 – title split |
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Universal (WBA/WBC/IBF) |
2004-09-18 | 2005-07-16 – title lost |
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Universal (WBA/WBC/IBF/WBO) |
2005-07-16 | 2005-10-11 – title split |
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Universal (WBA/WBC/IBF/WBO) |
WBC | |||
Title inaugurated | |||
1963-08-10 | 1963-12-07 |
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WBC |
1963-12-07 | 1965-10-21 |
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WBC |
1965-10-21 | 1966-04-25 |
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WBC |
1966-04-25 | 1967-04-17 |
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WBC |
1967-04-17 | 1967-09-29 |
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WBC |
1967-09-29 | 1968-03-04 |
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WBC |
1968-03-04 | 1970-11-07 |
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WBC |
1970-11-07 | 1974-02-09-Stripped |
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WBC |
1974-05-25 | 1976-06-26 |
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WBC |
1976-06-26 | 1977-08-29-Retired |
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WBC |
1977-11-05 | 1978-04-22 |
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WBC |
1978-04-22 | 1979-06-30 |
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WBC |
1979-06-30 | 1980-03-16 |
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WBC |
1980-03-16 | 1980-09-27 |
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WBC |
1980-09-27 | 1987-04-06 |
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WBC |
1987-04-06 | 1987-05-27-Vacated |
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WBC |
1987-10-29 | 1988-06-06 |
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WBC |
1988-06-06 | 1989-02-24 |
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WBC |
1989-02-24 | 1989-12-07-Vacated |
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WBC |
1990-11-24 | 1993-05-08 |
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WBC |
1993-05-08 | 1994-05-07-Vacated |
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WBC |
1995-03-17 | 1995-08-19 |
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WBC |
1995-08-19 | 1996-03-16 |
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WBC |
1996-03-16 | 1998-05-02 |
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WBC |
1998-05-02 | 1999-04-24 |
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WBC |
1999-04-24 | 2001-04-14 |
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WBC |
2001-04-14 | 2005-07-16 |
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WBC |
2005-07-16 | 2007-09-29 |
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WBC |
2007-09-29 | 2010-04-17 |
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WBC |
2010-04-17 | 2011-01-17-Stripped |
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WBC |
2011-01-17 | 2011-06-04 |
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WBC interim |
2011-06-04 | 2012-09-15 |
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WBC |
2012-09-15 | 2014-06-07 |
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WBC |
2014-04-05 | 2014-10-18 |
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WBC Interim |
2014-10-18 | 2016-05-18 |
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WBC Interim |
2014-06-07 | 2015-11-17-Stripped |
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WBC |
2015-11-21 | 2016-05-18-Vacated |
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WBC |
2016-05-18 | 2018-09-15 |
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WBC |
2018-04-21 | 2019-06-27 |
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WBC Interim |
2018-09-15 | 2019-06-27-Elevated to 'Franchise' Champion |
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WBC |
2019-06-27 | Present |
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WBC |
WBA | |||
Title inaugurated | |||
1962-10-23 | 1963-12-07 |
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WBA |
1963-12-07 | 1965-10-21 |
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WBA |
1965-10-21 | 1966-04-25 |
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WBA |
1966-04-25 | 1967-04-17 |
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WBA |
1967-04-17 | 1967-09-29 |
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WBA |
1967-04-17 | 1968-03-04 |
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WBA |
1968-03-04 | 1970-11-04 |
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WBA |
1970-11-07 | 1977-08-29-Retired |
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WBA |
1977-11-05 | 1978-04-22 |
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WBA |
1978-04-22 | 1979-06-30 |
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WBA |
1979-06-30 | 1980-03-16 |
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WBA |
1980-03-16 | 1980-09-27 |
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WBA |
1980-09-27 | 1987-Stripped |
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WBA |
1987-10-23 | 1989-Stripped |
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WBA |
1989-05-10 | 1991-04-01-Vacated |
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WBA |
1992-04-22 | 1993-10-01 |
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WBA |
1993-10-01 | 1994-08-Vacated |
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WBA |
1994-08-12 | 1995-12-19 |
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WBA |
1995-12-19 | 1996-06-24 |
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WBA |
1996-06-24 | 1997-08-23 |
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WBA |
1997-08-23 | 1998-01-31 |
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WBA |
1998-01-31 | 2001-05-12 |
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WBA |
2001-05-12 | 2001-09-29 |
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WBA |
2001-09-29 | 2005-07-16 |
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WBA Super Champion |
2001-11-17 | 2003-12-13-Lost to Super Champion |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2004-05-01 | 2006-03-11 |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2005-07-16 | 2006-12-14-Stripped |
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WBA Super Champion |
2006-03-11 | 2006-07-15 |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2006-07-15 | 2007-04-28 |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2007-04-28 | 2012-09-01 |
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WBA Super Champion |
2010-10-14 | 2014-07-26 |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2012-09-01 | 2012-11-02-Stripped |
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WBA Super Champion |
2014-07-26 | 2018-09-15 |
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WBA Super Champion |
2014-08-09 | 2017-03-18-Lost to Super Champion |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2017-05-20 | 2017-10-22 |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2017-10-22 | 2018-10-20 |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2018-10-20 | 2019-07-12 |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2019-07-12 | 2021-01-01 Elevated to Super Champion |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2018-09-15 | 2021-01-01-Vacated |
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WBA Super Champion |
2021-01-05 | 2022-04-09 |
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WBA Super Champion |
2021-05-01 | Present |
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WBA Regular Champion |
2022-04-09 | Present |
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WBA Super Champion |
IBF | |||
Title inaugurated | |||
1983-05-27 | 1987-04-06-Stripped |
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IBF |
1987-10-10 | 1988-07-28 |
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IBF |
1988-07-28 | 1991-05-10 |
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IBF |
1991-05-10 | 1993-02-13-Vacated |
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IBF |
1993-05-22 | 1994-11-18-Vacated |
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IBF |
1995-04-29 | 2005-07-16 |
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IBF |
2005-07-16 | 2005-10-11-Vacated |
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IBF |
2005-12-10 | 2009-07-12-Vacated |
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IBF |
2009-09-19 | 2011-05-07 |
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IBF |
2011-05-07 | 2013-08-17 |
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IBF |
2013-08-17 | 2013-12-07 |
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IBF |
2013-12-07 | 2014-05-31 |
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IBF |
2014-05-31 | 2014-10-08 |
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IBF |
2014-10-08 | 2015-02-06-Stripped |
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IBF |
2015-06-20 | 2015-10-17 |
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IBF |
2015-10-17 | 2018-06-01-Stripped |
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IBF |
2018-10-27 | 2019-05-04 |
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IBF |
2019-05-04 | 2019-08-01-Stripped |
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IBF |
2019-10-05 | Present |
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IBF |
WBO | |||
Title inaugurated | |||
1989-04-18 | 1990-04-29 |
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WBO |
1990-04-29 | 1990-11-18 |
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WBO |
1990-11-18 | 1991-06-22-Vacated |
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WBO |
1991-11-20 | 1992-Vacated |
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WBO |
1993-05-19 | 1994-05-11 |
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WBO |
1994-05-11 | 1995-03-Vacated |
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WBO |
1995-05-19 | 1997-06-28-Vacated |
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WBO |
1997-12-13 | 1998-05-12-Vacated |
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WBO |
1999-01-30 | 1999-11-Stripped |
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WBO |
1999-11 | 1999-11-27 |
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WBO |
1999-11-27 | 2002-04-06 |
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WBO |
2002-04-06 | 2003-Retired |
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WBO |
2003-05-10 | 2003-09-13 |
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WBO |
2003-09-13 | 2004-06-05 |
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WBO |
2004-06-05 | 2004-09-18 |
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WBO |
2004-09-18 | 2005-07-16 |
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WBO |
2005-07-16 | 2007-09-29 |
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WBO |
2007-09-29 | 2010-04-17 |
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WBO |
2010-04-17 | 2010-06-01-Stripped |
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WBO |
2010-07-31 | 2012-08-25-Stripped |
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WBO |
2012-08-25 | 2012-10-20 |
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WBO |
2012-10-20 | 2014-09-04-Vacated |
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WBO |
2014-12-13 | 2015-12-19 |
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WBO |
2015-12-19 | 2018-10-11 |
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WBO |
2018-10-20 | 2022-08-30 Vacated |
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WBO |
2022-05-21 | 2022-08-30 Elevated |
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WBO Interim |
2022-08-30 | Present |
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WBO |