INTERESTING BOXING FACTS
Posted on | August 10, 2007 | 4 Comments
Heavyweight Boxing stats, trivia and factoids
by Greg Goodrich, boxing press editor in chief
BOXING PRESS EXCLUSIVE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2004
Most Alphabet Heavyweight titles won: Lennox Lewis (8)- WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, EBU and three British titles
Most Major Heavyweight titles won: James Jeffries (5)- American, British, English and two World titles
Most purported Heavyweight title fights won: James Figg (269)
Most verifiable Heavyweight title fights won: John Sullivan (33)
Most verifiable Heavyweight title defenses: John Sullivan (32)
Least successful in claiming Heavyweight titles: Jersey Joe Walcott and Tony Tucker (1-4)
Most fights with same opponent- Sam Langford vs. Harry Wills (23)
Most Heavyweight titles vacated: Lennox Lewis (8)- WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, EBU and three British titles
Most Heavyweight Champions defeated: Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis (11)
Most wins by a Heavyweight Champion: James Figg (269)
Most losses by a Heavyweight Champion: Frank Craig (33)- British; Sam Langford (47)- Colored; George Cook (54)- Australian: and Mariano Echevarria (56)- Spanish
Most weight class titles by a Heavyweight Champion: Roy Jones (4)- 160 lb, 168 lb, 175 lb and 200 lb plus
Longest title reign: Jem Mace (14 years: 1866-1890)
Longest time to reclaim title: George Foreman (21 yrs: 1973-1994)
Longest Heavyweight title vacancy- American title (1818-1841)
Longest Heavyweight fight- James Kelly vs. Jack Smith (in 1865)- lasted 186 rounds, six hours, fifteen minutes.
Shortest title reign: Henry Pearce (one day- 12/06/1805)
Shortest time to reclaim title: Jem Ward (3 days- 1/2/1827-1/5/1827)
First Heavyweight Bare knuckle fight- James Figg vs. Unknown (circa 1738)
Last Heavyweight Bare knuckle fight- John Sullivan vs. Jake Kilrain (on July 8, 1889)
Best Heavyweight Champion record: Rocky Marciano (49-0)
Worst Heavyweight Champion record: John Heenan (0-2-1)
Only brother Heavyweight Champions- (3): James ’Jem’ Ward (in 1825) and Nicholas ‘Nick’ Ward (in 1840); Leon Spinks (in 1978) and Michael Spinks (in 1985): and Vitali Klitschko (in 1999) and Wladimir Klitschko (in 2000).
Only deaf Heavyweight Champion- James Burke (in 1833 and 1839).
Only Heavyweight Champion to win title on birthday- George Foreman (in 1973).
Only Heavyweight Champion to own a Kentucky Derby Winner- John Gully (Pyrrhus I in 1846; Andover in 1854).
Only Jewish Heavyweight Champion- Daniel Mendoza (in 1794).
Only Latino Heavyweight Champion- John Ruiz (in 2001).
Only Southpaw to be Heavyweight Champion- Michael Moorer (in 1992, in 1994, in 1996)
Only Undisputed Cruiserweight and Heavyweight Champion- Evander Holyfield (in 1988 and in 1990).
Only Middleweight Champion to be Heavyweight Champion- Roy Jones, Jr. (in 1994 and in 2003).
Only Super Middleweight Champion to be Heavyweight Champion- Roy Jones, Jr. (in 1994 and in 2003).
Only World Light Heavyweight Champion to be World Heavyweight Champion- Bob Fitzsimmons (in 1897 and in
1903). Michael Spinks was Undisputed and IBF only. Roy Jones, Jr. was Undisputed and WBA only.
Note of Disclaimer: this written material may be disseminated, published, syndicated or otherwise reproduced, without prior expressed, written consent, provided that its original source, intellectual property and authorship are attributed to Boxing Press Editor in Chief Greg Goodrich. Copy righted. 2007. All rights reserved. All statistics and records have been verified by due diligence searches via microfiche newspapers, verification from the Ring Record Book; and data obtained from websites bkbworld.com, boxrec.com and cyberboxzingzone.com. If any name is missing and/or a record incorrect, contact the author so that a correction can be made.