Former professional Boxer Frank Monkhouse delivers knock-out content for OLBG as our Boxing betting expert
What is the Heavyweight Division?
When people talk about boxing, the majority of the time it will revolve around the heavyweight division, this is the division which most fans take a liking to the most, this is where the big guns put on spectacular displays that everyone wants a ringside ticket for!
The heavyweight division is open to fighters who weigh 200lbs or more, there are two other 'heavyweight' divisions just below this main one, the Cruiserweight division for weights or 175-200lbs and the Light Heavyweight division for those between 168-175lbs.
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When the term 'Heavyweight' is discussed there are certain boxers who come to mind depending on the age group, it would be Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Joe Frazier & Rocky Marciano for the older generation as well as George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield & Mike Tyson.
The younger generation has been treated to the Klitschko's who dominated the heavyweight scene for years as well as the likes of Lennox Lewis & David Haye. Whilst those watching now would appreciate the current crop of 'The Gypsy King' Tyson Fury, 'AJ' Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk.
Current Top Five Ranked Heavyweight Boxers
| Division | Rank | Fighter | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | CH | Oleksandr Usyk (UA) | 24-0-0 (15 KOs) |
| Heavyweight | 1st | Tyson Fury (GB) | 34-2-1 (24 KOs) |
| Heavyweight | 2nd | Joseph Parker (NZ) | 36-3-0 (24 KOs) |
| Heavyweight | 3rd | Agit Kabayel (DE) | 26-0-0 (17 KOs) |
| Heavyweight | 4th | Daniel Dubois (GB) | 22-3-0 (21 KOs) |
| Heavyweight | 5th | Anthony Joshua (GB) | 28-4-0 (25 KOs) |
Current Heavyweight Champions
| Organization | Champion |
|---|---|
| WBA | Oleksandr Usyk (UA) |
| WBC | Oleksandr Usyk (UA) |
| IBF | Oleksandr Usyk (UA) |
| WBO | Oleksandr Usyk (UA) |
The interesting angle which usually comes into play when you are in the heavyweight scene is how well you bounce back from defeat, we are talking boxers who pack a punch in this division and it only takes one punch to put them down for the count and it can happen to the best of boxers.
Looking at the champion and the top five boxers in the heavyweight division at the time of writing, there are only two boxers who remain unbeaten, Agit Kabayel (25-0-0) and Oleksandr Usyk (22-0-0) who are the only boxers with a 100% record.
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Upcoming Heavyweight Bouts
| Event | Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itauma Vs Whyte | Aug 16, 2025 | ANB Arena | Riyadh |
| Allen Vs Makhmudov | Oct 11, 2025 | Utilita Arena | Sheffield |
| Benavidez Vs Yarde | Nov 22, 2025 | ANB Arena | Riyadh |
Previous Heavyweight Champions of the World
In the history of boxing, there has been a total of 104 changes of the belts, that is not individual champions as plenty have lost and then regained their titles, in fact in total, 18 boxers have had more than one reign as the champion, five boxers have had three reigns as champions, those five were Muhammad Ali, Michael Moore, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko.
The United States has dominated the history of this division, they have accounted for 55 of the 86, that is some 64% of the heavyweight champions! The next best is the United Kingdom which has had 8 heavyweight champions and the likes of David Haye, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have been on top of the division in recent years. The only other countries to produce multiple heavyweight world champions are Canada (4), Russia (3), Ukraine (3), Italy (2) and South Africa (2).
Longest Reigning Heavyweight Champions
- Joe Louis (11 years, 8 months, 8 days)
- Wladimir Klitschko (9 years, 7 months, 6 days)
- Larry Holmes (7 years, 3 months, 12 days)
- Jack Dempsey (7 years, 2 months, 19 days)
- John L. Sullivan (7 years, 0 months, 9 days)
Joe Louis holds the record for the longest-reigning champion having held the belts for eleven years, eight months and eight days during which time he successfully defended his title a total of twenty-six times.
It did look for some time that Wladimir Klitschko would get close to that record but he fell short when being defeated by Tyson Fury in the 19th defence of the title, his reign lasted for nine years, seven months and six days whilst there are only three other boxers to pass the seven-year reign as champion, Larry Holmes, Jack Dempsey and John Sullivan.
In terms of total time spent as champion, so this includes a second or third spell as champion, Wladimir Klitschko does beat Joe Louis as he has spent exactly twelve years with the belts in his possession, just under four months longer than Louis with Muhammad Ali third, Lennox Lewis fourth and Wald's brother Vitali fifth on the list.
Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight Divisions
The Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight divisions are not as glamourous as the heavyweight division, they are seen more as a stepping stone to the big league and are much needed too, there is 20lbs between light heavyweight and heavyweight so you need those two divisions, especially for fighters starting out, fighters who will gradually build more muscle and put on more weight and will eventually end up in the heavyweight division.
Current Top Five Ranked Cruiserweight Boxers
| Division | Rank | Fighter | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cruiserweight | CH | Jai Opetaia (AU) | 28-0-0 (22 KOs) |
| Cruiserweight | 1st | Gilberto Ramirez (MX) | 48-1-0 (30 KOs) |
| Cruiserweight | 2nd | Chris Billam-Smith (GB) | 21-2-0 (13 KOs) |
| Cruiserweight | 3rd | Michal Cieslak (PL) | 28-2-0 (22 KOs) |
| Cruiserweight | 4th | Ryan Rozicki (CA) | 20-1-1 (19 KOs) |
| Cruiserweight | 5th | Badou Jack (SE) | 29-3-3 (18 KOs) |
Current Top Five Ranked Light Heavyweight Boxers
| Division | Rank | Fighter | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight | CH | Dmitry Bivol (RU) | 24-1-0 (12 KOs) |
| Light Heavyweight | 1st | Artur Beterbiev (CA) | 21-1-0 (20 KOs) |
| Light Heavyweight | 2nd | David Benavidez (US) | 30-0-0 (24 KOs) |
| Light Heavyweight | 3rd | Callum Smith (GB) | 31-2-0 (22 KOs) |
| Light Heavyweight | 4th | Anthony Yarde (GB) | 26-3-0 (24 KOs) |
| Light Heavyweight | 5th | Joshua Buatsi (GB) | 19-1-0 (13 KOs) |
Author Information
We are proud to have Frank Monkhouse on our expert teams at OLBG, maintaining our relationship since sponsoring him when he was fighting professionally, and now he delivers us top-notch boxing and fighting sport content for the OLBG pages.
Frank Monkhouse
- Your Boxing Betting Guide 👍
Frank Monkhouse is OLBG’s Boxing Betting Expert and a former professional middleweight boxer turned respected sports betting writer. With firsthand experience in the ring and years of writing for outlets like Betfair, William Hill, and The Racing Post, Frank brings unmatched insight into boxing markets.
He also covers football, particularly Rangers previews, with depth and precision. As the founder of FightingTips.co.uk, Frank combines analytical skill with insider knowledge to deliver informed, knockout-level content for bettors across OLBG and beyond.
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