A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.
Since the previous update at the end of June there have been nearly two dozen changes with titles changing hands, belts becoming vacant and interim titles being created and eliminated. Among the changes: pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue knocked out Stephen Fulton to win the WBC/WBO junior featherweight title; a few days later Terrence Crawford thrashed Errol Spence Jr. to become the undisputed welterweight champion; Vincenzo Gualtieri won the vacant IBF middleweight title and then lost it to WBO titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly in a unification bout; Jermell Charlo was stripped of the WBO junior middleweight title and Tim Tszyu was elevated to full titlist; Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois to eliminate the WBA “regular” heavyweight title, which was brought back soon thereafter when Mahmoud Charr was reinstated as part of a lawsuit settlement; brothers Yudai Shigeoka (WBC) and Ginjiro Shigeoka (IBF) won strawweight belts; Adrian Curiel won the IBF junior flyweight title; and Noel Mikaelian claimed the vacant WBC cruiserweight title.
Here is your complete guide to every titleholder among the four major sanctioning bodies.
As of November 9, 2023
Heavyweight (Unlimited)
WBC: Tyson Fury
WBO: Oleksandr Usyk*
IBF: Oleksandr Usyk
WBA: Oleksandr Usyk**
*Zhang Zhilei is the WBO interim heavyweight champion
**Mahmoud Charr is the WBA “regular” heavyweight champion
Give the boxing fan in your life the gift of a paid subscription to Fight Freaks Unite and help support independent journalism. Click here for details