Heavyweight John L. Sullivan (1885-1892) James J. Corbett (1892-1897) Bob Fitzsimmons (1897-1899) James J. Jeffries (1899-1905), retired Marvin Hart (1905-1906) Tommy Burns (1906-1908) Jack Johnson (1908-1915) Jess Willard (1915-1919) Jack Dempsey (1919-1926) Gene Tunney (1926-1928), retired Max Schmeling (1930-1932) Jack Sharkey (1932-1933) Primo Carnera (1933-1934) Max Baer (1934-1935) James J. Braddock (1935-1937) Joe Louis (1937-1949, retired) Ezzard Charles (1949-1951) Jersey Joe Walcott (1951-1952) Rocky Marciano (1952-1956, retired) Floyd Patterson (1956-1959) Ingemar Johansson (1959-1960) Floyd Patterson (1960-1962) Sonny Liston (1962-1964) Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali (1964-1970, boxing licence suspended) Joe Frazier (1970-1973) George Foreman (1973-1974) Muhammad Ali (1974-1978) Leon Spinks (1978) Muhammad Ali (1978-1979), retires 6/79 Larry Holmes (1980-1985) Michael Spinks (1985-1988) Mike Tyson (1988-1990) James "Buster" Douglas (1990) Evander Holyfield (1990-1992) Riddick Bowe (1992-1993) Evander Holyfield (1993-1994) Michael Moorer (1994) George Foreman (1994-1997) Shannon Briggs (1997-1998) Lennox Lewis (1998-2001) Hasim Rahman (2001) Lennox Lewis (2001-2004), retired Wladimir Klitschko (2009-2015), from his win over Chagaev Tyson Fury (2015–present)