27 years ago today, Mike Tyson (31-0) successively unified the WBA, WBC and IBF Heavyweight titles to become boxings first Undisputed Heavyweight Champion to simultaneously hold 3 of boxings 4 major sanctioning titles. Tyson defeated Tony Tucker (34-1) for the IBF title (after winning the WBA title from James Smith and the WBC title from Trevor Berbick.) Official scores for Tyson/Tucker were 119-111, 118-113 and 117-112. Tyson accomplished this feat in only 4 fights. Mike Tyson joined an elite company in doing so, as Joe Frazier and Wladimir Klitschko are the only other Heavyweight Champions to have accomplished the successive feat. Joe Frazier successively won the vacant NYSAC title vs. Buster Mathis, then simultaneously Jimmy Ellis WBA title, as well as the vacant WBC title in their unification fight. Frazier accomplished the feat in 6 bouts. Wladimir Klitschko successively won the IBF title from Chris Byrd; the WBO title from Sultan Ibragimov: and the WBA title from Ruslan Chagaev. It took Klitschko 11 fights to do so. [Editors Note: Sonny Liston, Cassius Clay, and George Foreman* simultaneously held all 3 sanctioning title belts at the time, namely the NYSAC, NBA/WBA and WBC titles. However, Liston simultaneously won the NYSAC/NBA title from Patterson, then was crowned WBC champion on July 22, 1963 (after the Patterson rematch). Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali won all 3 belts simultaneously- the NYSAC and newly renamed WBA title, as well as the WBC title from Sonny Liston. George Foreman* won the NYSAC, WBA and WBC Heavyweight titles against Joe Frazier. (The NYSAC stopped sanctioning title bouts before Muhammad Ali regained the WBA and WBC Heavyweight titles from George Foreman. The official date is sometime between Foreman/Frazier I and Ali/Foreman. Since Frazier was a 3rd strand, lineal champion*, Foreman is generally given credit for likewise winning all 3 titles Frazier previously held, though the NYSAC didnt actually issue belts for championship fights). Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe all simultaneously won and held the WBA, WBC and IBF titles by beating Tyson, Douglas and Holyfield respectively. Lennox Lewis collectively won the vacant WBC title from Oliver McCall, then simultaneously unified Evander Holyfields WBA and IBF titles. The successive annexation, collective unification and/or simultaneous retention of 3 major sanctioning title belts was first dubbed Undisputed Champion when Marvin Hagler collectively won the vacant IBF Middleweight title in 1983, simultaneously enjoining the WBA and WBC titles he won in 1983. (Hagler was followed by Mike Tyson in 1987 as Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, then Pernell Whitaker as Undisputed Lightweight Champion in 1990). There hasnt been a lineal* Heavyweight Champion since Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano retired.] #boxing
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 07:55:53 +0000
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