Prior to the bout, Cena had never managed to defeat Punk in a one-on-one contest for the title after three attempts, and that arguably rang true in their fourth and potentially final battle between them. Cena could not put Punk away despite several Attitude Adjustments, and Punk himself would have won the title if it wasn’t for a timely bump to the referee, landing the GTS and getting the visual pinfall. That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who broke the news during the UFC Baku post-fight press conference on Saturday following the promotion’s debut event in Azerbaijan. The stunning news came after Jones apparently called the UFC to tell them he was hanging up his gloves.

It can’t be stripped, vacated, or handed out—it’s earned only by beating the reigning lineal champ. Just four months later, in July 2018, Usyk faced Murat Gassiev in Russia with all four belts on the line. The Ukrainian completely outperformed Gassiev in his native land and won the Undisputed championship via a unanimous decision.

As far as Aspinall goes, White praised him for his continued patience during the entire ordeal as the UFC attempted to book him against Jones in a heavyweight title unification bout. Boxing doesn’t have a single governing authority, which means each organization can crown its own champion. While that can lead to confusion, it also means more opportunities for fighters and more title fights for fans.

Boxing associations

• Penta emerged to help him, followed by Sami Zayn to completely neutralize The Vision alongside Cena and Punk.
• If Oleksandr Usyk once again defeats Fury, he will face either Dubois or Joesph Parker for the undisputed belt.
• Throughout the history of boxing, there have been four criteria for being an undisputed boxing champion.
• Once a consensus champion had been awarded the title, the championship could usually be taken only by beating the reigning holder, establishing a lineal championship.
• Oleksandr Usyk started his cruiserweight title run by defeating Krzysztof Głowacki in 2016 to clinch the WBO title.

While it’s certainly not the outcome he wanted with a chance to fight and possibly defeat an opponent many consider to be the greatest of all-time, Aspinall still gets to become champion with a bright future ahead of him. The Rollins and Punk feud is surely set to reach new heights once again after Rollins cost Punk the championship. As for Cena, his retirement tour is over halfway done and the goal of retiring as champion is still intact for the WWE legend. With the referee down, Seth Rollins hit the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase. Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman joined Rollins and helped Rollins prime up for a cash-in.

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On May 18th, 2024, a 26,000-capacity crowd at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh watched in shock as Oleksandr Usyk created history by becoming usyk dubois the first-ever undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era. Not only that but ‘The Cat’ also inflicted the first professional loss on Tyson Fury‘s intact career to the shock of everyone. Below is a list of boxers that have held the undisputed championship in at least two different weight classes. Henry Armstrong remains the only boxer to have held the claim in three weight classes.

Alycia Baumgardner – Women’s Super Featherweight

Rollins made his way back into the ring and hit Punk with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Cena then tossed Rollins out of the ring and pinned Punk to retain the Undisputed WWE Title. Back in the ring, Reed was setting up to hit a Tsunami onto Cena, but Punk saved him and pushed Reed off the top rope. Punk then extended a handshake to Cena, and they embraced, but Cena stared directly into the hard camera and attempted to low blow Punk. Headlining WWE’s Night of Champions Premium Live Event from Saudi Arabia was the Undisputed WWE Championship bout between CM Punk and the champion John Cena. Punk made his entrance sporting his gear from the 2011 Money in the Bank event, where he faced Cena for the WWE Championship.

• Cena is now set to defend the Undisputed WWE Title against King of the Ring tournament winner Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam.
• Prior to the bout, Cena had never managed to defeat Punk in a one-on-one contest for the title after three attempts, and that arguably rang true in their fourth and potentially final battle between them.
• Five months after Lennox Lewis unified the WBC, IBF and WBA belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a U.S.
• Dubois is set to defend his belt against Joseph Parker, with the winner set to face Usyk for the chance to unify the division.
• Below is a list of boxers that have held the undisputed championship in at least two different weight classes.

Women’s current unified champions

If you enjoyed our article on the different types of boxing champions, share it by hitting the button below. Hopefully, these explanations cleared up any confusion you may have had about the different types of boxing champions. Throughout the history of boxing, there have been four criteria for being an undisputed boxing champion.

Famous Undisputed Super Featherweight Champions

This guide explains the key titles fans should know, from lineal champions to unified and undisputed kings. Learn how it all works—and how platforms like Mostbet PK help fans follow every major moment. If a fighter wins all the titles but is stripped by one organization of its title, he may continue to be considered the undisputed champion. However, if The Gypsy King avenges his first loss, the duo will have another match and the winner of the trilogy will face the IBF champion by the end of 2025. While the pressure is tremendous, Oleksandr Usyk knows how to deal with it. After all, not many boxers can claim to be undisputed champions in more than one category.

There have been 2 more boxers who held all four belts in one weight class simultaneously – Bernard Hopkins(2004) and Jermain Taylor(2005). The lineal champion is “the man who beat the man.” This title traces back to the late 1800s when John L. Sullivan was the universally recognized heavyweight champion. Back then, there was only one champion per division, and the title passed directly through victory. London, UK – Boxing is steeped in history, but its championship structure can be difficult to follow.

Five months after Lennox Lewis unified the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a U.S. Federal Judge ruled that Lewis would be stripped by the WBA of their world championship belt for fighting Michael Grant instead of the association’s #1 contender, John Ruiz. Lewis remained a unified world champion until April 22, 2001, when he was defeated by Hasim Rahman. He regained the WBC and IBF titles following victory over Rahman seven months later in a rematch. His reign as a unified world champion ended in September 2002, when he rejected the chance to fight the IBF’s #1 contender, Chris Byrd, and was therefore stripped by the organisation of their belt.

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Instead of taking on the mandatory challenger, Usyk arranged to fight Fury again and came out on top once more. Because in boxing, every belt has a history—and every title tells a story. Whether you’re following the sport closely or placing your next wager through an online casino like Mostbet PK, knowing the difference between these belts brings the story of each fight into sharper focus. Still, for those seeking clarity, the lineal and undisputed titles remain the cleanest measure of greatness. While the International Boxing Federation accepted Usyk’s terms for the bout, he had to face Dubois pretty soon and defend his title.

Five months after Lennox Lewis unified the WBC, IBF and WBA belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a U.S. He regained the WBC and IBF belts following victory over Rahman seven months later in a rematch. During the era of two sanctioning bodies, there have been more than 300 undisputed champions in 62 years. In 3 belts era of just WBA, WBC and IBF, there have only been 19 undisputed champions in 24 years. Check the list of Undisputed Boxing Champions from the 4-belt era below.