List of world heavyweight boxing champions

===Public acclamation: 1884 to 1921===

===Public acclamation: 1884 to 1921===

World champions were initially recognized by wide public acclamation, with heavyweight champions winning and losing championship recognition solely in the ring. Retirements periodically resulted in no one, true champion being recognized, while in other cases new champions were proclaimed only to see a previously recognized champion come out of retirement. Public interest in boxing resulted in a true champion being determined by means of title claimants facing one another in the ring, with the winner being recognized as world champion.

World champions were initially recognized by wide public acclamation, with heavyweight champions winning and losing championship recognition solely in the ring. Retirements periodically resulted in no one, true champion being recognized, while in other cases new champions were proclaimed only to see a previously recognized champion come out of retirement. Public interest in boxing resulted in a true champion being determined by means of title claimants facing one another in the ring, with the winner being recognized as world champion.

Currently, [[International Boxing Hall Of Fame]] recognizes these lineages from this period:<ref name=ibhof-book>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/TheBoxingRegisterInternationalBoxingHallOfFameOfficialRecordBook|work=The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book |publisher=[[International Boxing Hall Of Fame]]|title=John L. Sullivan, p. 52 |quote=Dominick McCaffrey, Cincinnati, W 6, Won-Vac M of Q World-H|format=pdf |access-date=26 May 2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! !! Date started !! First champion !! Date ended !! Last champion

|-

| 1 || August 29, 1885 || [[John L. Sullivan]] || May 15, 1905 || [[James J. Jeffries]]

|-

| 2 || July 3, 1905 || [[Marvin Hart]] || September 23, 1926 || [[Jack Dempsey]]

|-

|}

===''The Ring'' magazine: 1922 to present ===

===''The Ring'' magazine: 1922 to present ===