Following the name of the champion(s): Indicates the number of times the competitor has held that title at that point.
[...]
Indicates a gap in the listing where title changes are not known.
<
Title was held or changed hands no later than this. In these cases, it is known that a competitor held the title at a certain time but not when he/she won it.
@
Order uncertain. Different titleholders may be known for the same year, for example, but it is not known who held the title before whom.
#
Unofficial or disputable claims. These are usually matches that certainly took place, but where there is doubt that the competitor shown should be recognized as a true title holder. These listings are also italicized.
World Light Heavyweight Title [lineal] (as of 2022-02-06)
* Bolded letters in the competitor's name, if any, indicate the surname/family name.
Jack Root
1903-04-22
Detroit, MI, USA
Defeats Kid McCoy, who has defeated title claimant Joe Choynski on 1900-01-12 in a non-title match.
George Gardner
1903-07-04
Ft. Erie, ON, CAN
Bob Fitzsimmons
1903-11-25
San Francisco, CA, USA
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien
1905-12-20
San Francisco, CA, USA
Vacates on 05-12-31.
Jack Dillon
1914-04-14
Butte, MT, USA
Defeats Battling Levinsky for the world title (The Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, OR, USA, 14-04-15); also defeats another claimant Bob Moha on 14-06-15.
Battling Levinsky
1916-10-24
Boston, MA, USA
Defeats Dillon to claim American Title (Associated Press, 16-10-25) and is generally regarded as the lineal world champion.
Georges Carpentier
1920-10-12
Jersey City, NJ, USA
European champion, defeats American champion Levinsky to be recognized as the world champion; Levinsky continues to claim American Title but loses it to Gene Tunney on 22-01-13.
Battling Siki
1922-09-24
Paris, FRA
Stripped by the French Federation of Boxing in 22-11 but is reinstated on 23-02-17.
Mike McTigue
1923-03-17
Dublin, IRE
Paul Berlenbach
1925-05-30
Bronx, NY, USA
Jack Delaney
1926-07-16
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Vacates on 27-07-26 to move up to the heavyweight class.
Tommy Loughran
1927-10-07
New York, NY, USA
Wins NYSAC title from Mike McTigue; vacates on 29-09-03 when Loughran moves up to the heavyweight class.
Maxie Rosenbloom
1932-07-14
Buffalo, NY, USA
Has won NYSAC title on 30-06-25; defeats Lou Scozza on 32-07-14.
Bob Olin
1934-11-16
New York, NY, USA
John Henry Lewis
1935-10-31
St. Louis, MO, USA
Recognized by the World Boxing Commission in 38-04 (International News Service, 38-04-22); vacates on 39-06-19 upon retirement.
Billy Conn
1939-07-13
New York, NY, USA
Defeats NYSAC champion Melio Bettina and also wins NBA recognition; vacates on 41-06-03 when Conn moves up to the heavyweight class.
Gus Lesnevich
1941-08-26
New York, NY, USA
Has won NBA title on 41-05-22; defeats Tami Mauriello on 41-08-26 for the NYSAC recognition.
Freddie Mills
1948-07-26
London, ENG, GBR
Joey Maxim
1950-01-24
London, ENG, GBR
Archie Moore
1952-12-17
St. Louis, MO, USA
Officially recognized by the "World Committee of Professional Boxing", of which NYSAC and NBA are members, on 57-06-15 (The Los Angeles Times, 57-06-16); stripped of the NBA title on 60-10-25; stripped of the NYSAC title on 62-02-09.
Harold Johnson
1962-05-12
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Has won WBA title on 61-02-07; defeats Doug Johnson on 62-05-12 for the NYSAC recognition; NBA becomes WBA on 62-08-23; named the first WBC champion on 63-02-14.
Willie Pastrano
1963-06-01
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Wins WBA and WBC titles.
José Torres
1965-03-30
New York, NY, USA
Wins WBA and WBC titles.
Dick Tiger
1966-12-16
New York, NY, USA
Wins WBA and WBC titles.
Bob Foster
1968-05-24
New York, NY, USA
Wins WBA and WBC titles; vacates on 74-09-16 upon retirement.
Michael Spinks
1983-03-18
Atlantic City, NJ, USA
Has won WBA title on 81-07-18; defeats Dwight Muhammad Qawi on 83-03-18 to win WBC title; vacates on 85-11-03 for moving up to the heavyweight class.
Virgil Hill
1996-11-23
Munich, BY, GER
Has won WBA title on 91-06-03; defeats Henry Maske on 96-11-23 to win IBF title.
Dariusz Michalczewski
1997-06-13
Oberhausen, NW, GER
Has won WBO title on 94-09-10; defeats Michalczewski on 97-06-13 to win WBA and IBF titles.
Julio Cesar Gonzalez
2003-10-18
Hamburg, GER
Wins WBO title.
Zsolt Erdei
2004-01-17
Karlsruhe, GER
Wins WBO title; vacates on 09-11-13 when Erdei moves up to the cruiserweight class.
Jean Pascal
2010-08-14
Montreal, QC, CAN
Has won WBC title on 09-06-19; defeats Chad Dawson on 10-08-14 to win IBO title.
Bernard Hopkins
2011-05-21
Montreal, QC, CAN
Defeats Pascal for IBO and WBC titles but is stripped of the IBO title due to failure to pay the sanction fee.
Chad Dawson
2012-04-28
Atlantic City, NJ, USA
Wins WBC title.
Adonis Stevenson
2013-06-08
Montreal, QC, CAN
Oleksandr Gvozdyk
2018-12-01
Quebec City, QC, CAN
Artur Beterbiev
2019-10-18
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Has won IBF title on 17-11-11; defeats Gvozdyk on 19-10-18 for WBC title.
