The fight game’s complex political landscape means even some fight fans struggle to name the current world heavyweight boxing champions.
There are four accepted major governing bodies which each has a world heavyweight champion – the World Boxing Council (WBC), the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
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Add to that the Ring magazine championship – awarded by publication which is widely perceived to be ‘the bible of boxing’ – and the beltless but still important ‘lineal’ championship, and it’s easy to see why people might become confused.
The great news is that 2024 did finally deliver the sport’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis back in 1999. At least for a short time…
The current heavyweight boxing world champions
WBC champion: Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk (22-0) claimed the hallowed green WBC title from Tyson Fury with an epic victory over ‘The Gypsy King’ in their massive unification showdown in Riyadh on May 18, 2024.
Fury (now 34-1-1) had reigned for four years before he was finally defeated for the first time as a professional following a thrilling encounter.
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The British star appeared to be in total control after seven rounds, but Usyk then turned the tide in incredible fashion. Notably in a tumultuous ninth round in which he scored the fight’s only knockdown.
The WBC belt will next be on the line when the pair rematch on December 21, again in Riyadh.
We also have a new mandatory contender for the title – Germany’s Agit Kabayel (25-0) after his terrific victory over Frank Sanchez in their final eliminator on the Fury vs Usyk undercard in Riyadh.
IBF champion: Daniel Dubois
The International Boxing Federation was founded in 1983 and is based in New Jersey. It provided Anthony Joshua with his first world heavyweight title back in 2016. AJ stopped American Charles Martin inside two rounds at London’s O2 Arena. It was only his 16th professional fight.
The current champion is Britain’s Daniel Dubois (22-2), who inherited the title in June 2024 after it was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk following his win over Fury. Dubois had previously defeated Filip Hrgovic to claim the interim crown.
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He then defended it successfully with an incredible fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September 2024. He had AJ on the deck on four of the five rounds with an astonishing performance.
WBA champion: Oleksandr Usyk
The current WBA world heavyweight champion is Usyk, who claimed the belt from Joshua in 2021 and has since made three successful defences – culminating in the win over Fury.
The belt will next be up for grabs when Usyk rematches Fury in December 2024.
WBO champion: Oleksandr Usyk
Usyk won the WBO title in September 2021 with that terrific performance to dethrone Joshua in front of a crowd of more than 67,000 fans in London. And since then he has made those three successful defences.
Again, the WBO belt will be part of the prize for that Usyk vs Fury rematch in December 2024.
Lineal champion: Oleksandr Usyk
The title of lineal heavyweight champion is the one most respected by hardcore fight fans.
The lineal champion in boxing is “the man who beat the man”. This avoids the confusion caused by fighters vacating some or all of their belts, or being stripped of them.
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The current lineal world heavyweight champion is Oleksandr Usyk, who dethroned Fury with that brilliant victory in Riyadh in May 2024.
The lineal title will be on the line again for the Usyk vs Fury rematch in December 2024 in Riyadh.
Ring magazine champion: Oleksandr Usyk
The Ring magazine world heavyweight title is worthy of mention due to the standing the belt. It is a form of lineal title – and the publication itself is still revered in boxing circles.
The current title holder is Oleksandr Usyk, who claimed the title with that victory over Joshua in their Saudi Arabia rematch in August 2022. That fight came just days after previous champion Fury had confirmed he was vacating the title. Usyk then successfully defended the strap against Dubois and then Fury.
The Ring strap will be up for grabs when Usyk meets Fury for a second time in December.
Undisputed world heavyweight champion
Right now we are back to the norm in boxing – no undisputed heavyweight champion. Usyk did reign for a month after that win over Tyson Fury in May 2024. He was the first undisputed king in 25 years since Lennox Lewis back in 1999.
What belts does Tyson Fury have?
Fury has no world title belts – he lost his WBC belt and the moniker of lineal champion in the defeat by Usyk. Tyson is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having topped the mountain in 2015 with a win over Wladimir Klitschko and then that demolition of Deontay Wilder in 2020.
What belts does Anthony Joshua have?
Right now, Joshua has no belts. He is a two-time heavyweight champion – and on both occasions he held the IBF, WBA and WBO versions. He lost the titles to Andy Ruiz in 2019 before regaining them in a rematch in December of that year. Then he lost them a second time to Usyk in September 2021.
He failed in his bid to become a three-time world heavyweight champion when he was knocked out by Dubois in September 2024.