Heavyweight Boxing in History

Events 1 - 100 of 271

• 1841-09-09 Tom Hyer beats George McChester in 101 rounds at Caldwell's Landing, NY to become first American heavyweight boxing champion
• 1863-05-05 Irish boxer Joe Coburn KOs American Mike McCoole in the 67th round in his first defense of Heavyweight C'ship of America in Charlestown, Maryland
• 1865-01-02 Welterweight Con Orem & heavyweight Hugh O'Neill brawl for 185 rounds before darkness ends legendary bare knuckle boxing match in Virginia City, Montana

• 1870-05-10 Jem Mace & defends his heavyweight crown against Irish champ Joe Coburn, it lasts 1 hr & 17 minutes, & neither is struck by a punch
• 1873-09-23 Tom Allen beats Mike McCale for Heavyweight Boxing title

• 1888-03-10 Heavyweight Boxing champ John L. Sullivan draws Charlie Mitchell in 30 rounds
• 1888-12-22 Heavyweight boxing champ John L. Sullivan challenges Jake Kilrain
• 1889-07-08 John L. Sullivan successfully defends last officially sanctioned, bare-knuckle world heavyweight prizefighting championship; Jake Kilrain's trainer throws in towel after 75 x 1-minute rounds near Hattiesburg, Mississippi
• 1891-05-21 Australian boxer Peter Jackson and future world heavyweight champion Jim Corbett fight a No Contest in 61 rounds at California Athletic Club, San Francisco
• 1892-09-07 James Corbett KOs 4 to 1 favourite and defending champion John L. Sullivan in 21 rounds at the Olympic Club, New Orleans for world heavyweight boxing title; Sullivan's only defeat and his last fight

• 1899-11-03 World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retains title; beats Irishman Tom Sharkey on points in 25 rounds at Coney Island Athletic Club, Brooklyn, NYC
• 1900-04-06 James J. Jeffries KOs Jack Finnegan in 1 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1900-04-30 Weighing in at 170 lbs British former world heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons KOs 270 lb American Ed Dunkhost in round 2 of a lop-sided bout in Brooklyn, New York
• 1900-05-11 James J. Jeffries KOs James J Corbett in 23 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1901-11-15 James J. Jeffries TKOs Gus Ruhlin in 6 for heavyweight boxing title in San Francisco
• 1902-07-25 3 years after winning the title from English boxer Bob Fitzsimmons, American champion James J. Jeffries repeats the dose with an 8th round KO in San Francisco for the heavyweight crown
• 1903-08-14 Champion James J. Jeffries scores a 10th round TKO win over former champion James J. Corbett in San Francisco; his 6th heavyweight boxing title defense
• 1904-08-25 Champion James J. Jeffries scores a 2nd round TKO win over Jack Munroe in San Francisco; Jeffries retires after his 7th heavyweight boxing title defense
• 1905-05-13 World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retires undefeated after 7 title defences; returns in 1910 to be beaten by Jack Johnson
• 1905-05-19 Tom Jenkins beats Frank Gotcha for heavyweight wrestling champ
• 1905-07-03 American boxer Marvin Hart scores a 12th round KO of Jack Root in Reno, Nevada for the vacant world heavyweight title

• 1906-10-02 Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs American challenger 'Fireman' Jim Flynn in 15 rounds to retain his title in Los Angeles, California
• 1906-11-28 Canadian Tommy Burns retains his world heavyweight boxing title after being pushed to a 20-round draw by 'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien in Los Angeles, California
• 1907-05-08 Canadian Tommy Burns retains his world heavyweight boxing title after beating 'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien on points in 20 rounds in Los Angeles, California
• 1907-07-04 Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs Bill Squires of Australia in round 1 in Colma, California, his 6th title defense
• 1907-12-02 Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns retains his title; KOs Englishman Gunner Moir in 10th round at the National Sporting Club, Covent Garden, London
• 1908-02-10 Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs Englishman Jack Palmer in round 4 in London in his 8th title defense
• 1908-03-17 Canadian champion Tommy Burns KOs Irish challenger Jem Roche in 1:28s of the 1st round at the Theatre Royal, Dublin; then quickest world heavyweight boxing title fight
• 1908-04-03 Frank Gotch wins world heavyweight wrestling championship in 2 hrs
• 1908-04-18 Canadian champion Tommy Burns KOs Jewey Smith of England in 5th round at Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris to retain his world heavyweight boxing title
• 1908-06-13 Canadian champion Tommy Burns KOs Bill Squires of Australia in 8th round at Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris to retain world heavyweight boxing title
• 1908-08-24 Canadian champion Tommy Burns KOs Bill Squires in 13th round at the Sydney Stadium, Australia to retain world heavyweight boxing title; Burns' 3rd KO of Squires
• 1908-09-03 Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs Australian Bill Lang in 6 rounds in Melbourne in a warmup fight for his famous title bout with Jack Johnson

• 1909-05-19 In his first title defense Jack Johnson fights 'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien to a no decision in 6 rounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to retain his world heavyweight crown
• 1909-06-30 Jack Johnson fights Tony Ross to a no decision in 6 rounds at Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to retain his heavyweight boxing title
• 1909-09-09 Jack Johnson retains his heavyweight boxing title when he fights Al Kaufman to a no decision in 10 rounds at Coffroth's Arena, San Francisco, California
• 1909-10-16 In his 4th title defense Jack Johnson KOs Stanley Ketchel in the 12th round at Mission St Arena, Colma, California to retain his heavyweight boxing crown
• 1910-07-04 "Fight of the Century": Jack Johnson beats James J. Jeffries by TKO in 15 in Reno, Nevada to retain his world heavyweight boxing title
• 1912-07-04 Jack Johnson beats "Fireman" Jim Flynn by disqualification in 9 in Las Vegas to retain world heavyweight boxing title
• 1913-12-09 Heavyweight fight between Jack Johnson and Jim Johnson ends with no decision in Paris
• 1913-12-19 Jack Johnson fights fellow African-American Jim Johnson to a draw in 10 rounds for the vacant world heavyweight boxing title in Paris, 1st time two black fighters compete for the title
• 1914-06-27 Defending champion Jack Johnson beats fellow American Frank Moran on points in 20 rounds in Paris, France to retain his lineal heavyweight boxing title
• 1915-04-05 Jess Willard KOs Jack Johnson after 26 rounds to win the heavyweight boxing title in front of 25,000 fans at Oriental Park Racetrack in Havana, Cuba
• 1916-03-25 Jess Willard fights Frank Moran to no decision in 10 for heavyweight boxing title in NYC

• 1920-09-06 Jack Dempsey KOs Billy Miske in 3 for heavyweight boxing title 1st radio broadcast of a prizefight
• 1920-12-14 Jack Dempsey KOs Bill Brennan in 12 for heavyweight boxing title in NYC
• 1921-07-02 In boxing's first million dollar gate ($1.7m), world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey KOs Frenchman Georges Carpentier in round 4 of his 3rd title defense; crowd 91,000 at Boyle's Thirty Acres, Jersey City
• 1922-05-23 Future World Heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney suffers his only professional defeat in 15-round unanimous points decision against Harry Greb at Madison Square Garden, NY
• 1923-07-04 Jack Dempsey beats Tommy Gibbons on points over 15 hard fought rounds in Shelby, Montana to retain world heavyweight boxing title
• 1923-09-14 In his 4th heavyweight boxing title defence Jack Dempsey recovers after being sent through the ropes to KO Argentine challenger Luis Firpo in the 2nd round at the Polo Grounds, NYC
• 1926-09-23 "Upset of the Decade" - Gene Tunney beats defending champion Jack Dempsey by 10-round unanimous decision at Sesquicentennial Stadium (later known as JFK Stadium), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for world heavyweight boxing title
• 1927-09-22 "The long count" - in a famous boxing rematch, Gene Tunney beats Jack Dempsey by 10-round unanimous decision at Soldiers Field, Chicago to retain world heavyweight title; crowd 104,943; gate $2,858,660
• 1928-07-26 In only his second and final defense of his world heavyweight boxing title, Gene Tunney scores an 11-round TKO win over Tom Heeney at Yankee Stadium, NYC

• 1931-07-03 German boxer Max Schmeling beats American Young Stribling by TKO in 15 in Cleveland in his first heavyweight title defense; first major fight broadcast live on national radio
• 1932-06-21 German champion Max Schmeling loses NYSAC, NBA and lineal heavyweight boxing titles in controversial split points decision to American Jack Sharkey in NYC, New York

• 1933-10-22 Italian boxer Primo Carnera beats Spanish challenger Paulino Uzcudun on points in Rome, Italy to retain the IBU heavyweight title
• 1934-03-01 Italian boxer Primo Carnera beats American challenger Tommy Loughran by unanimous points decision at Madison Square Garden, NYC for the NYSAC and NBA heavyweight titles
• 1934-06-14 American boxer Max Baer KO's defending champion Primo Carnera of Italy in 11th round at Madison Square Garden for the lineal world heavyweight title

• 1936-06-19 German boxer Max Schmeling KOs up-and-coming American heavyweight Joe Louis in 12 rounds at Yankee Stadium, New York
• 1937-06-22 Challenger Joe Louis KOs James J. Braddock in the 8th round at Chicago's Comiskey Park for the world heavyweight boxing title
• 1937-08-30 Joe Louis beats Tommy Farr in 15 for heavyweight boxing title

• 1938-02-11 Steve Casey beats Lou Thesz in Boston to win the American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship
• 1938-02-23 Joe Louis retains his world heavyweight boxing title by knocking out Nathan Mann in round 3 at Madison Square Garden, New York; second defense by Louis
• 1938-04-01 World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis KOs Harry Thomas in 5th round of their title bout in Chicago; 3rd defense by Louis
• 1938-06-22 Joe Louis scores a stunning 1st round KO of German Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium, NYC to retain his world heavyweight boxing title
• 1939-01-25 In only the second World Heavyweight C'ship fight between two black boxers, Joe Louis KOs John Henry Lewis in 1 at Madison Square Garden, NYC
• 1939-04-17 In his 6th title defense, world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis KOs Jack Roper in 1 at Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California

• 1939-06-28 Joe Louis beats Tony Galento by TKO at 2:29 in round 4 at Yankee Stadium, NYC in his 7th heavyweight boxing title defense
• 1939-09-20 Joe Louis puts Bob Pastor down 5 times before an 11th round KO at Briggs Stadium, Detroit in his 8th heavyweight boxing title defense
• 1940-02-09 Joe Louis beats Arturo Godoy in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1940-03-29 American boxer Joe Louis KOs Johnny Paycheck in 2 rounds to retain heavyweight boxing title
• 1940-06-20 Joe Louis TKOs Arturo Godoy in 8 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1940-12-16 Joe Louis KOs Al McCoy in 6 for heavyweight boxing title in Chicago
• 1941-01-31 In his 13th title defense Joe Louis KOs Red Burman in the 5th round at Madison Square Garden, New York to retain NYSAC heavyweight boxing crown
• 1941-02-17 In his 14th title defense Joe Louis KOs Gus Dorazio in the 2nd round at the Convention Center, Philadelphia to retain NYSAC heavyweight boxing crown
• 1941-03-21 In a hard fought 15th title defense Joe Louis KOs Abe Simon in the 13th round at Olympia Stadium, Detroit to retain NYSAC heavyweight boxing crown
• 1941-04-08 In his 4th title defense in 9 weeks Joe Louis beats Tony Musto by TKO in the 9th round at the Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri to retain NYSAC heavyweight boxing crown
• 1941-05-23 In his 20th World Heavyweight Boxing title defense Joe Louis knocks out Buddy Baer in round 1 at New York's Madison Square Garden
• 1941-06-18 In his 18th world heavyweight title defence Joe Louis KOs Billy Conn in 13th round in front of a crowd of 54,487 at the Polo Grounds, NYC
• 1941-09-29 Joe Louis TKOs Lou Nova in 6 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1942-01-09 In his 20th title defense, Joe Louis KOs Buddy Baer in the 1st round of their rematch to retain his world heavyweight boxing title at New York’s Madison Square Garden
• 1942-03-27 Joe Louis KOs Abe Simon in 6 to retain heavyweight boxing title (NYC)
• 1945-10-01 World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis is discharged from US army after being awarded the Legion of Merit
• 1946-06-09 Joe Louis KOs Billy Conn in 8 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1946-09-18 Joe Louis KOs Tami Mauriello in 1st round for heavyweight boxing title
• 1947-06-25 Heavyweight boxer Joe Louis KOs Tami Mauriello

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• 1819-01-01 Tom Hyer, American bare-knuckle boxer (American heavyweight champion 1841-51), born in Caernarvon Township, Pennsylvania (d. 1864)
• 1835-07-29 Joe Coburn, Irish boxer (Heavyweight C'ship of America 1863-65), born in Middletown County, Armagh, Ireland (d. 1890)
• 1835-08-14 Tom King, English boxer (English heavyweight champion 1862-63), rower and bookmaker, born in London, England (d. 1888)
• 1853-03-20 George Godfrey, Canadian Black heavyweight boxer known as Old Chocolate, born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (d. 1901)

• 1861-07-03 Peter Jackson, Australian heavyweight boxer (International Boxing Hall of Fame), born in Christiansted, US Virgin Islands (d. 1901)

• 1881-12-29 Jess Willard, American boxer (World heavyweight champion 1915-19), born in Pottawatomie County, Kansas (d. 1968)
• 1883-03-04 Sam Langford, Canadian boxer (World Coloured Heavyweight Champion x 5 1910-18), born in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia (d. 1956)
• 1887-03-18 Frank Moran, American heavyweight boxer and film actor, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1967)
• 1887-09-14 Stanley Ketchel [The Michigan Assassin], Polish-American heavyweight boxing champion (1908-10), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 1910)
• 1889-08-31 Bombardier Billy Wells [William Thomas Wells], English heavyweight boxer (Lonsdale Belt, 1911), born in London, England (d. 1967)

• 1898-05-25 Gene Tunney, American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1926-30), born in New York City (d. 1978)
• 1902-10-26 Jack Sharkey, American boxer (NYSAC, NBA and lineal heavyweight champion 1932-33), born in Binghamton, New York (d. 1994)
• 1903-02-20 Pierre Charles, Belgian heavyweight boxer, born in Heer Agimont, Namur, Belgium (d. 1966)

• 1910-03-12 Tony "Two-Ton" Galento, American heavyweight boxer and actor (On the Waterfront), born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1979)

• 1919-12-06 Jimmy Bivins [James], Hall of Fame heavyweight boxer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2012)
• 1921-01-18 Bruce Woodcock, English boxer (European Heavyweight Champion), born in Doncaster (d. 1997)

• 1924-10-08 Arkady Vorobyev, Russian middle heavyweight (Olympic gold 1956, 60), born in Tetyushi, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia (d. 2012)
• 1928-11-20 Pete Rademacher, American boxer (Olympic gold +81kg 1956; first challenger for world heavyweight title in first pro bout; lost), born in Tieton, Washington (d. 2020)

• 1932-10-17 Paul Anderson, American light super heavyweight lifter (Olympic gold 1956)
• 1933-10-19 Wilfried Dietrich, German FR, super-heavyweight (Olympic gold 1960)
• 1934-01-26 Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (British heavyweight champion 1956-58), born in Cardiff, Wales (d. 1990)
• 1934-05-03 Henry Cooper, English boxer (British, European, C'wealth heavyweight champion; famous defeats to Muhammad Ali 1963, 66), born in London, England (d. 2011)

• 1939-04-04 Ernie Terrell, American boxer (WBA heavyweight champion 1965-67), born in Belzoni, Mississippi (d. 2014)
• 1940-02-24 Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (WBA heavyweight title 1968-70), born in Louisville, Kentucky, (d. 2014)

• 1943-06-11 Buster Mathis, American boxer (World Super Heavyweight title 1972), born in Sledge, Mississippi (d. 1995)

• 1944-08-31 Earnie Shavers, American boxer (2 x world heavyweight c'ship challenger [Muhammad Ali 1977, Larry Holmes 1979]), born in Garland, Alabama (d. 2022)

• 1950-06-27 Ben Peterson, American freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 90kg 1972), born in Barron County, Wisconsin
• 1950-07-06 Sultan Rakhmanov, Russian super heavyweight (Olympic gold 1980), born in Turtkul, Karakalpak ASSR

• 1952-03-29 Teofilo Stevenson, Cuban boxer (Olympic gold heavyweight 1972, 76, 80), born in Puerto Padre, Cuba (d. 2012)

• 1954-10-03 Branko Cikatić, Croatian kickboxer (first K-1 World Grand Prix Heavyweight C'ship 1993), born in Split, Croatia (d. 2020)
• 1955-01-29 John Tate, American boxer (WBA heavyweight championship 1979-80), born in Marion, Arkansas (d. 1998)
• 1955-04-08 Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer (WBA heavyweight title 1983-84), born in Boksburg, South Africa (d. 2023)
• 1956-08-04 Gerry Cooney, American boxer (5 x World Heavyweight title loser), born in Manhattan, New York
• 1958-02-15 Tony Tubbs, American boxer (WBA heavyweight title 1985-86), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1960-04-07 James 'Buster' Douglas, American boxer (undisputed world heavyweight champion 1990), born in Columbus, Ohio

• 1966-01-07 Corrie Sanders, South African boxer, (WBO heavyweight champion, 2003), born in Brits, South Africa (d. 2012)
• 1966-02-03 Jimmy Thunder, New Zealand boxer (IBO heavyweight title 1994-95), born in Apia, Samoa (d. 2020)

• 1967-04-11 Jimmy Kim, American taekwondo practitioner (Olympic gold heavyweight 1988; World Cup gold 1987), born in Cerritos, California (d. 2023)

• 1967-09-22 Félix Savón, Cuban boxer (3 Olympic heavyweight gold 1992, 96, 80), born in San Vicente, Cuba

• 1969-01-12 Olga Domuladzhanova, Russian boxer (World amateur heavyweight gold 2001), born in Tashkent, Russia (d. 2021)
• 1970-08-15 Chris Byrd, American boxer (WBO heavyweight title 2000; IBF heavyweight tile 2002; Olympic silver middleweight 1992), born in Flint, Michigan
• 1970-10-25 Peter Aerts, Dutch kickboxer and martial artist (International Kick Boxing Federation's Heavyweight C'ship 1990; 3 x K-1 World Grand Prix), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands

• 1971-12-04 Shannon Briggs, American boxer (lineal 1997-98 & WBO heavyweight champion 2006-07), born in Brooklyn, New York
• 1972-08-18 Nate Jones, American heavyweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Chicago, Illinois
• 1973-06-05 Lamon Brewster, American boxer (WBO heavyweight title 2004-2006), born in Indianapolis, Indiana

• 1980-09-06 Samuel Peter, Nigerian-American heavyweight boxer, born in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
• 1987-01-17 Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian boxer (Unified Heavyweight title 2021-), born in Simferopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
• 1988-08-12 Tyson Fury, British heavyweight professional boxer, born in Manchester
• 1997-09-06 Daniel Dubois, English boxer (WBA heavyweight title 2022-23), born in London, England

• 1925-02-07 Heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (29) weds actress Estelle Taylor (30)
• 1933-07-18 American heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (38) weds American Broadway singer and actress Hannah Williams (22); divorce in 1943

• 1943-07-07 Heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (48) divorces broadway singer Hannah Williams (32) after 10 years of marriage

• 1833-06-02 Simon Byrne, Irish bare-knuckle boxer (Irish heavyweight champion), dies as a result of boxing match injuries at 27
• 1864-06-26 Tom Hyer, American bare-knuckle boxer (American heavyweight champion 1841-51), dies of edema at 45
• 1888-10-04 Tom King, English boxer (English heavyweight champion 1862-63), rower and bookmaker, dies of bronchitus at 53
• 1890-12-06 Joe Coburn, Irish boxer (Heavyweight C'ship of America 1863-65), dies from tuberculosis at 55
• 1901-07-13 Peter Jackson, Australian heavyweight boxer (International Boxing Hall of Fame), dies from tuberculosis at 40
• 1901-10-17 George Godfrey, Canadian Black heavyweight boxer known as Old Chocolate, dies of Tuberculosis at 48
• 1910-10-15 Stanley Ketchel [The Michigan Assassin], Polish-American heavyweight boxing champion (1908-10), murdered at a ranch in Missouri at 24

• 1956-01-21 Sam Langford, Canadian boxer (World Coloured Heavyweight Champion x 5 1910-18), dies at 72

• 1966-08-08 Pierre Charles, Belgian heavyweight boxer, dies at 63
• 1967-06-12 Bombardier Billy Wells [William Thomas Wells], English heavyweight boxer (Lionsdale Belt, 1911), dies at 79

• 1967-12-14 Frank Moran, American heavyweight boxer & film actor, dies of a heart attack at 80
• 1968-12-15 Jess Willard, American boxer (World heavyweight champion 1915-19), dies from heart failure at 86

• 1978-11-07 Gene Tunney, American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1926-28), dies at 80
• 1979-07-22 Tony "Two-Ton" Galento, American heavyweight boxer and actor (On the Waterfront), dies at 69

• 1990-02-02 Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (British heavyweight champion 1956-58), dies at 56

• 1994-08-17 Jack Sharkey, American boxer (NYSAC, NBA and lineal heavyweight champion 1932-33), dies at 91
• 1995-09-06 Buster Mathis, American boxer (World Super Heavyweight title 1972), dies from heart failure at 52
• 1997-12-21 Bruce Woodcock, English boxer, European Heavyweight Champion, dies at 76
• 1998-04-09 John Tate, American boxer (WBA heavyweight championship 1979-80), dies from a stroke at 43

• 2014-12-16 Ernie Terrell, American boxer (WBA heavyweight champion 1965-7), dies from dementia at 75
• 2020-06-04 Pete Rademacher, American boxer (Olympic gold +81kg 1956; first challenger for world heavyweight title in first pro bout; lost), dies at 91
• 2021-05-14 Olga Domuladzhanova, Russian boxer (World amateur heavyweight gold 2001), dies from COVID-19 at 52
• 2023-06-23 Jimmy Kim, American taekwondo practitioner (Olympic gold heavyweight 1988; World Cup gold 1987), dies at 56

• Billy Conn
• Eddie Eagan
• Frank Bruno
• George Foreman
• Sugar Ray Leonard
• Vitali Klitschko