Undisputed vs. unified: Explaining the different types of boxing champions ahead of Fury vs. Usyk

On Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years. The Ukrainian great also became the second former undisputed cruiserweight champ in boxing history to consolidate all the heavyweight gold since Evander Holyfield accomplished the feat over three decades ago.

Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) scored a brilliant 12-round split decision over the previously undefeated Tyson Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The fight was years in the making with many fans and media members convinced it would never happen. Eventually, the stars aligned and the boxing world was treated to one of the best heavyweight matchups in recent memory. However, why is it so difficult for boxing to crown an undisputed heavyweight champ?

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Figuring out who the world champions are in boxing has become convoluted for the casual fan. There are several belts in each division and things can get quite complicated when trying to figure out what the difference is between a “unified” champion and an “undisputed” champion.

Before 1960, most of boxing’s champions were considered “undisputed” because there was only one champion in each weight class. But, as the popularity of the sport grew, so did the number of boxing organizations that would crown their own champions. This led to many disputes over who was recognized as the “real” world champion, with fighters moving up and down in weight class, boxing politics coming into play, and various other reasons.

Up until 2004, there were three major sanctioning bodies in boxing: World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF). A fourth was added in 2004 when the World Boxing Organization (WBO) was recognized by the WBC in its ranking listings.

And the four-belt era was upon us in boxing.

What is an undisputed champion?

An undisputed champion is a fighter who holds all four major championship belts (IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO) in a division. It’s a rare feat that has only been accomplished by just a few boxers in the four-belt era.

Since 2004, there have only been nine male and nine female boxers who have held all four titles from major sanctioning bodies in the same weight class.