THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS

PART ONE: 1882–1905

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE LINEAL HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD, 1882 — PRESENT

by Kenneth Bridgham

all records from boxrec.com

With Oleksandr Usyk’s becoming the first man to win the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 25 years (requiring him to collect four belts) on May 18, he also secured himself as the “lineal” heavyweight champion. Simply put, the lineal champion is “the man who beat the man” in a long sequence of boxers stretching back to the first heavyweight champion of the gloved era, John L. Sullivan.

What follows is a list of the lineal heavyweight championship lineage going back to Sullivan, including very brief sketches of their careers.

JOHN SULLIVAN — “The Boston Strong Boy”

38 WINS (32 BY KO), 1 LOSS, 1 DRAW

CHAMPION FEBRUARY 7, 1882 — SEPTEMBER 7, 1892

“I can lick any son of a bitch in the house,” was the braggadocious John L. Sullivan’s infamous declaration upon entering a saloon or taking a stage. Born on October 3, 1858, in Roxbury, Massachusetts to Irish immigrants, he was a pivotal figure in American sports history for several reasons.