This is a list of world lightweight boxing champions by organization, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations:
The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, The World Boxing Organization (WBO), founded in 1988
World Reign beganReign endedChampionRecognition29 October 18869 June 1893Relinquished championship title. Jack McAuliffeUniversalAfter McAuliffe's retirement, the title remained inactive until 1896, when the title was won by George "Kid" Lavigne in a 17 Round KO against Dick Burge. Lavigne's victory, the first fought under the Marquess of Queensberry rules, was considered by boxing promoters of the time as the first officially recognized world Lightweight Champion.1 June 18963 July 1899 George "Kid" LavigneUniversal3 July 189912 May 1902 Frank ErneUniversal12 May 19024 July 1908 Joe GansUniversal4 July 190822 February 1910 Oscar "Battling" NelsonUniversal22 February 191028 November 1912 Adolph "Ad" WolgastUniversal28 November 19127 July 1914 Willie RitchieUniversal7 July 191428 May 1917 Freddie WelshUniversal28 May 191715 January 1925 Benny LeonardUniversalFollowing Leonard's retirement, the vacant undisputed NBA and NYSAC lightweight title was filled when Jimmy Goodrich defeated Stanislaus Loayza.13 July 19257 December 1925 Jimmy GoodrichUniversal7 December 19253 July 1926 Rocky KansasUniversal3 July 192617 July 1930 Sammy MandelNBA17 July 193014 November 1930 Al SingerUniversal14 November 193023 June 1933 Tony CanzoneriUniversal23 June 193315 Apr 1935 Barney RossUniversalRoss vacated the title and campaigned as a light welterweight and welterweight. The vacant undisputed NBA and NYSAC lightweight title was filled when Tony Canzoneri defeated Lou Ambers10 May 19353 September 1936 Tony CanzoneriUniversal3 September 193617 July? 1938 Lou AmbersUniversal17 August? 193822 August 1939 Henry ArmstrongUniversal22 August 193910 May 1940 Lou AmbersNBA10 May 194019 December 1941 Lew JenkinsUniversal19 December 194113 November 1942 Sammy AngottUniversalFollowing Angott's retirement, the NBA and NYSAC titles were disputed between Beau Jack, Bob Montgomery, and Juan Zurita as well as Angott, who later came out of retirement. Ike Williams defeats over Zurita and Montgomery, in 1945 and 1947 respectively, would become recognized as the undisputed Lightweight Champion.18 December 194221 May 1943 Beau JackNYSAC21 May 194319 November 1943 Bob MontgomeryNYSAC19 November 19433 March 1944 Beau JackNYSAC3 March 19444 August 1947 Bob MontgomeryNYSAC27 October 19438 March 1944 Sammy AngottNBAAngott won the vacant NBA lightweight title versus Slugger White.8 March 194418 April 1945 Juan ZuritaNBA18 April 194525 May 1951 Ike WilliamsUniversalIke Williams became the undisputed champion on the 4th of August, 1947 when he knocked out Bob Montgomery, retaining his NBA title and winning Montgomery's NYSAC title.25 May 19511 April 1952 Jimmy CarterUniversal14 May 195215 October 1952 Lauro SalasUniversal15 October 19526 February 1954 Jimmy CarterUniversal5 March 195417 November 1954 Paddy DeMarcoUniversal17 November 195429 June 1955 Jimmy CarterUniversal29 June 195524 August 1956 Wallace "Bud" SmithUniversal24 August 195621 April 1962 Joe BrownUniversal1963-04-071965-04-10 Carlos OrtizWBA/WBC1965-04-101965-11-13 Ismael LagunaWBA/WBC1965-11-131968-06-29 Carlos OrtizWBA/WBC1968-06-291969-02-18 Carlos Teo CruzWBA/WBC1969-02-181970-03-03 Mando RamosDisputed; see Pedro CarrascoWBA/WBC1970-03-031970-09-15 Ismael LagunaWBA/WBC1971-02-121971-06-25 Ken BuchananWBA/WBC
WBC Reign beganReign endedChampionRecognition1963-04-071965-04-10 Carlos OrtizWBC1965-04-101965-11-13 Ismael LagunaWBC1965-11-131968-06-29 Carlos OrtizWBC1968-06-291969-02-18 Carlos Teo CruzWBC1969-02-181970-03-03 Mando RamosWBC1970-03-031970-09-15-Stripped Ismael LagunaWBC1971-02-121971-06-25-Stripped Ken BuchananWBC1971-11-051972-02-18 Pedro CarrascoWBC1972-02-181972-09-15 Mando RamosWBC1972-09-151972-11-10 Chango CarmonaWBC1972-11-101974-04-11 Rodolfo Gato GonzálezWBC1974-04-111976-05-08 Guts IshimatsuWBC1976-05-081978-01-21 Esteban De JesúsWBC1978-01-211979-01-31 Roberto DuránWBCDurán became WBA champion in 1972 by defeating Ken Buchanan. He unified the titles on January 21, 1978, by defeating Esteban De Jesús.1979-04-171981-06-20 Jim WattWBC1981-06-201983-Vacated Alexis ArgüelloWBC1983-05-011984-11-03 Edwin RosarioWBC1984-11-031985-08-10 José Luis RamírezWBC1985-08-101987-Vacated Héctor CamachoWBC1987-07-191988-10-29 José Luis RamírezWBC1988-10-291989 Julio César ChávezWBC1989-08-201991-10-05Championship title withdrawn by sanctioning organization due to champion's failure or refusal to defend title against organization's top-ranked contender. Pernell WhitakerWBC1992-08-241995-08-19 Miguel Ángel GonzálezWBC1996-04-201997-03-01 Jean Baptiste MendyWBC1997-03-011998-06-13 Stevie JohnstonWBC1998-06-131999-02-27 Cesar BazanWBC1999-02-272000-06-17 Stevie JohnstonWBC2000-06-172002-04-20 José Luis CastilloWBC2002-04-202003-11-01 Floyd Mayweather Jr.WBC2004-06-052005-05-07 José Luis CastilloWBC2005-05-072006-10-06-Stripped Diego CorralesWBC2006-10-072007-02-01Stripped of championship title. Joel CasamayorWBC2007-02-012008-06-28 David DíazWBC2008-06-282009-02-24-Vacated Manny PacquiaoWBC2009-04-042010-02-09-Vacated Edwin ValeroWBC2010-03-172011-07-01-Vacated Humberto SotoWBC2011-10-152012-11-17 Antonio DeMarcoWBC2012-11-172014-01-27-Stripped Adrien BronerWBC2014-01-272014-11-10-Stripped Omar Figueroa Jr.WBC2014-12-302016-06-12 Jorge LinaresWBC2016-06-122017-01-28 Dejan ZlatičaninWBC2017-01-282019-04-25-Vacated Mikey GarciaWBC2019-08-312020-10-17 Vasyl LomachenkoWBC Franchise2019-11-092023-08-01-Champion in recess Devin HaneyWBC2023-11-162026-02-04-Stripped Shakur StevensonWBC
WBA Reign beganReign endedChampionRecognition1962-04-211965-04-10 Carlos OrtizWBA1965-04-101965-11-13 Ismael LagunaWBA1965-11-131968-06-29 Carlos OrtizWBA1968-06-291969-02-18 Carlos Teo CruzWBA1969-02-181970-03-03 Mando RamosWBA1970-03-031970-09-26 Ismael LagunaWBA1970-09-261972-06-26 Ken BuchananWBA1972-06-261979-01-31 Roberto DuránWBA1979-06-161980-03-02 Ernesto EspañaWBA1980-03-021981-04-12 Hilmer KentyWBA1981-04-121981-04-12 Sean O'GradyWBA1981-09-121981-12-05 Claude NoelWBA1981-12-051982-05-08 Arturo FriasWBA1982-05-081984-06-01 Ray ManciniWBA1984-06-011986-09-26 Livingstone BrambleWBA1986-09-261987-11-21 Edwin RosarioWBA1987-11-211988-10-29 Julio César Chávez WBA1989-07-091990-04-04 Edwin RosarioWBA1990-04-041990-08-11 Juan NazarioWBA1990-08-111991-10-05 Pernell WhitakerWBA1992-06-131992-10-24 Joey GamacheWBA1992-10-241993-06-26 Tony LopezWBA1993-06-261993-10-30 Dingaan ThobelaWBA1993-10-301998-05-16 Orzubek NazarovWBA1998-05-161999-04-10 Jean Baptiste MendyWBA1999-04-101999-08-07 Julien LorcyWBA1999-08-071999-11-13 Stefano ZoffWBA1999-11-132000-06-11 Gilberto SerranoWBA2000-06-112001-07-01 Takanori HatakeyamaWBA2001-07-012001-10-08 Julien LorcyWBA2001-10-082002-01-05 Raul Horacio BalbiWBA2002-01-052003-05-17 Leonard DorofteiWBA2004-04-102004-07-17 Lakva SimWBA2004-07-172008-03-08 Juan DíazWBA Super Champion2007-12-292008-05-19 José AlfaroWBA Regular Champion2008-03-082009-01-10-Vacated Nate CampbellWBA Super Champion2008-05-192009-01-03 Yusuke KoboriWBA Regular Champion2009-01-032010-05-29 Paulus MosesWBA Regular Champion2009-02-282012-01-05-Stripped Juan Manuel MárquezWBA Super Champion2010-05-292011-02-26 Miguel AcostaWBA Regular Champion2011-02-262011-12-02-Stripped Brandon RiosWBA Regular Champion2013-02-282015-04-09-Stripped Richar AbrilWBA2015-04-092015-11-21 Darleys PerezWBA2015-11-212016-09-25 Anthony CrollaWBA2016-09-252018-05-12 Jorge LinaresWBA2018-05-122020-10-17 Vasyl LomachenkoWBA2020-10-172021-11-27 Teófimo LópezWBA2021-11-272022-06-05 George Kambosos Jr.WBA2022-06-052023-11-29-Vacated Devin HaneyWBA2023-11-292026-01-16-Stripped Gervonta DavisWBA
IBF Reign beganReign endedChampionRecognition1984-01-301984-04-15 Charlie BrownIBF1984-04-151985-04-06 Harry ArroyoIBF1985-04-061986-12-05 Jimmy PaulIBF1986-12-051987-06-07 Greg HaugenIBF1987-06-071988-02-06 Vinny PazienzaIBF1988-02-061989-02-18 Greg HaugenIBF1989-02-181992-Vacated Pernell WhitakerIBFPernell Whitaker becomes the undisputed champion of the lightweight division by winning the IBF title in February, 1989, and then defeating José Luis Ramírez for the vacant WBC title on August 20, 1989, and Juan Nazario for the WBA title on August 11, 1990.1993-01-101994-02-19 Freddie PendletonIBF1994-02-191995-05-06 Rafael RuelasIBF1995-05-061995-07 Oscar De La HoyaIBF1995-08-191997-08-02 Philip HolidayIBF1997-08-021999-04-17 Shane MosleyIBF1999-08-202003-06-Vacated Paul SpadaforaIBF2003-11-222004-05-13 Javier JáureguiIBF2004-05-132005-03-01 Julio DíazIBF2005-06-172005-09-17 Leavander JohnsonIBF2005-09-172007-02-03 Jesús ChávezIBF2008-02-032007-10-19 Julio DíazIBF2007-10-192008-03-08 Juan DíazIBF2008-03-082009-02-13-Stripped Nate CampbellIBF2010-08-142014-09-13 Miguel VazquezIBF2014-09-132015-06-26-Vacated Mickey BeyIBF2015-12-182016-06-03-Vacated Rances BarthelemyIBF2018-07-282018-10-30-Vacated Mikey Garcia IBF2019-02-022019-12-14 Richard Commey IBF2019-12-142021-11-27 Teófimo LópezIBF2021-11-272022-06-05 George Kambosos Jr.IBF2022-06-052023-11-29-Vacated Devin HaneyIBF2024-05-122025-06-09-Vacated Vasyl LomachenkoIBF2025-06-09Present Raymond MuratallaIBF
WBO Reign beganReign endedChampionRecognition1989-05-061990-09-22 Mauricio AcevesWBO1990-09-221991-09-14 Dingaan ThobelaWBO1992-09-251994 Giovanni ParisiWBO1994-07-291996 Oscar De La HoyaWBO1996-04-132004-01-03 Artur GrigorianWBO2004-01-032004-08-07 Acelino FreitasWBO2004-08-072005 Diego CorralesWBO2006-04-292007-04-28 Acelino FreitasWBO2007-04-282008-03-08 Juan DíazWBO2008-03-082009-02-13-Stripped Nate CampbellWBO2010-02-282012-01-06-Stripped Juan Manuel MárquezWBO2012-01-062014-03-01 Ricky BurnsWBO2014-03-012015-03-24-Vacated Terence CrawfordWBO2015-07-112017-08-26-Vacated Terry FlanaganWBO2018-02-162018-08-25 Ray BeltránWBO2018-08-252018-12-08 Jose PedrazaWBO2018-12-082020-10-17 Vasyl LomachenkoWBO2020-10-172021-11-27 Teófimo LópezWBO2021-11-272022-06-05 George Kambosos Jr.WBO2022-06-052023-11-29-Vacated Devin HaneyWBO2024-05-182025-02-14 Denys BerinchykWBO2025-02-142025-06-06-Stripped Keyshawn DavisWBO2025-11-22Present Abdullah MasonWBO
See also List of British world boxing champions
References
External links Ken Buchanan - Lightweight Champion of the World - Ken Buchanan site with detailed bio, statistics, full fights and more boxrec.com boxrec.com