History
Since there's no upper weight limit on the heavyweight division, it was very poorly defined for many years.
One famous early heavyweight titlist, Bob Fitzsimmons, weighed only 167 pounds when he won the championship in 1897, and there were a couple of challengers for the title who weighed even less.
The division was set at "over 175 pounds" in 1920. However, that didn't prevent light heavyweight boxers from fighting for the heavyweight title; it simply meant that a fighter over 175 pounds could fight only as a heavyweight.
The present lower limit of 190 pounds was established in 1979, when the cruiserweight division was founded.
The lists below include generally recognized champions, as well as champions of the National Boxing Association/World Boxing Association (NBA/WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Some other champions recognized by New York (NY), Great Britain (GBR), Europe and the European Boxing Union (EBU) are also included, if they seemed to be genuine claimants and /or later won recognition from an international body.
Only those bouts are included in which the championship changed hands or the championships of two or more governing bodies was unified.
Champions
John L. Sullivan 1885-92James J. Corbett 1892-97
Bob Fitzsimmons 1897-99
James J. Jeffries 1899-1905
Marvin Hart 1905-06
Tommy Burns 1906-08
Jack Johnson 1908-15
Jess Willard 1915-19
Jack Dempsey 1919-26
Gene Tunney 1926-28
Max Schmeling 1930-32
Jack Sharkey 1932-33
Primo Carnera 1933-34
Max Baer 1934-35
James J. Braddock 1935-37
Joe Louis 1937-49
Ezzard Charles 1949-51
Jersey Joe Walcott 1951-52
Rocky Marciano 1952-56
Floyd Patterson 1956-59
Ingemar Johansson 1959-60
Floyd Patterson 1960-62
Sonny Liston 1962-64
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) 1964-67
Ernie Terrell (WBA) 1965-67
Joe Frazier (NY) 1968-70
Jimmy Ellis (WBA) 1968-70
Joe Frazier 1970-73
George Foreman 1973-74
Muhammad Ali 1974-78
Leon Spinks 1978
Ken Norton (WBC) 1978
Larry Holmes (WBC) 1978-80
Muhammad Ali 1978-79
John Tate (WBA) 1979-80
Mike Weaver (WBA) 1980-82
Larry Holmes 1980-85
Michael Dokes (WBA) 1982-83
Gerrie Coetzee (WBA) 1983-84
Tim Witherspoon (WBC) 1984
Pinklon Thomas (WBC) 1984-86
Greg Page (WBA) 1984-85
Michael Spinks 1985-87
Tim Witherspoon (WBA) 1986
Trevor Berbick (WBC) 1986
Mike Tyson (WBC) 1986-87
James (Bonecrusher) Smith (WBA) 1986-87
Tony Tucker (IBF) 1987
Mike Tyson (WBC, WBA, IBF) 1987-90
Buster Douglas (WBC, WBA, IBF) 1990
Evander Holyfield (WBC, WBA, IBF) 1990-92
Riddick Bowe (WBA, IBF) 1992-93
Lennox Lewis (WBC) 1992-94
Evander Holyfield (WBA, IBF) 1993-94
Michael Moorer (WBA, IBF) 1994
Oliver Mccall (WBC) 1994-95
George Foreman (WBA, IBF) 1994-95
Bruce Seldon (WBA) 1995-96
George Foreman 1995-96
Frans Botha (IBF) 1995-96
Frank Bruno (WBC) 1995-96
Mike Tyson (WBC) 1996
Mike Tyson (WBA) 1996
Michael Moorer (IBF) 1996-1997
Evander Holyfield (WBA, IBF) 1996-2000
Lennox Lewis (WBC) 1997-2000
Lennox Lewis (WBA, WBC, IBF) 2000
Evander Holyfield (WBA) 2000-01
Lennox Lewis (WBC, IBF) 2000-01
John Ruiz (WBA) 2001-03
Hasim Rahman (WBC, IBF) 2001
Lennox Lewis (IBF) 2001-02
Lennox Lewis (WBC) 2001-04
Roy Jones Jr. (WBA) 2003
Chris Byrd (IBF) 2003-
Vitali Klitschko (WBC) 2004-
John Ruiz (WBA) 2003-