Longest reigning heavyweight champions

Below is a list of longest reigning heavyweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply. It includes their most consecutive successful title defenses, career grand total title defenses (for multiple time champions) does not apply.

Longest title reign

	Name	Title Reign	Title Recognition	Successful Consec. Defenses
1.	Joe Louis	11 years, 8 months, 8 days	World Heavyweight Championship	25
2.	Wladimir Klitschko	9 years, 7 months, 7 days	IBF (+WBA, WBO, The Ring)	18
3.	Larry Holmes	7 years, 3 months, 12 days	WBC-to-IBF (+The Ring/Lineal)	20
4.	Jack Dempsey	7 years, 2 months, 19 days	World Heavyweight Championship	5
5.	John L. Sullivan	7 years, 0 months, 9 days	World Heavyweight Championship	4
6.	Jack Johnson	6 years, 3 months, 10 days	World Heavyweight Championship	8
7.	James J. Jeffries	5 years, 11 months, 4 days	World Heavyweight Championship	7
8.	Vitali Klitschko	5 years, 2 months, 4 days	WBC	9
9.	Joe Frazier	4 years, 10 months, 18 days	NYAC (+WBA, WBC)	9
10.	James J. Corbett	4 years, 6 months, 10 days	World Heavyweight Championship	1
11.	Jess Willard	4 years, 2 months, 29 days	World Heavyweight Championship	1
12.	Lennox Lewis	4 years, 2 months, 15 days	WBC (+IBF, WBA stripped, The Ring/Lineal)	9
13.	Rocky Marciano	3 years, 11 months, 29 days	World Heavyweight Championship	6
14.	Chris Byrd	3 years, 4 months, 8 days	IBF	4
15.	Muhammad Ali	3 years, 3 months, 16 days	The Ring/+ Lineal, (+ WBA, + WBC)	10
16.	Mike Tyson	3 years, 2 months, 20 days	WBC (+WBA, IBF, The Ring/Lineal)	9
17.	George Foreman	3 years, 0 months, 17 days	Lineal (+WBA, IBF stripped)	3
18.	Evander Holyfield	3 years, 0 months, 4 days	WBA (+IBF)	4
19.	Tommy Burns	2 years, 10 months, 3 days	World Heavyweight Championship	11
20.	Michael Spinks	2 years, 9 months, 6 days	The Ring/Lineal (+IBF stripped)	3

Unofficial Long Title reigns

The following title reigns are not recognized as official reigns due to: long periods of inactivity, legitimacy of title, false billing & promotion etc.

	Name	Title Reign	Title Recognition	Successful Defenses
N/A	Vitali Klitschko	9 years, 4 months, 24 days	Full WBC-to-WBC Emeritus-to-Full WBC (+The Ring rel)	11
N/A	Muhammad Ali	7 years, 0 months, 11 days	The Ring/+ Lineal (+ WBA , + WBC)	11
N/A	James Toney	4 Years, 5 months, 14 days	IBA/IBU	3
N/A	Brian Nielsen	3 years, 7 months, 20 days	IBO	5

Combined reigns

As of February 27, 2016. This list includes only major titles, and it doesn′t include lineal championships.

Keys:

•      with boldface indicates the current champion and his days as champion

• WHC = officially recognized as World Heavyweight Championship too

	Name	Days as champion	Number Of Reigns	Title Recognition	Cumulative Title Defenses
1.	Wladimir Klitschko	4 383	2	IBF, WBA, WBO	23
2.	Joe Louis	4 270	1	NYSAC, NBA	25
3.	Vitali Klitschko	2 735	3	WBO, WBC	12
4.	Larry Holmes	2 661	1	WBC, IBF	20
5.	Jack Dempsey	2 638	1	WHC, NYSAC, NBA	5
6.	John L. Sullivan	2 566	1	WHC	4
7.	Muhammad Ali	2 363	3	NYSAC, WBC, WBA	19
8.	Lennox Lewis	2 346	3	WBC, IBF, WBA	14
9.	Jack Johnson	2 291	1	WHC	8
10.	Evander Holyfield	2 235	4	WBA, WBC, IBF	7
11.	James J. Jeffries	2 156	1	WHC	7
12.	Joe Frazier	1 788	1	NYSAC, WBA, WBC	9
13.	Floyd Patterson	1 761	2	WHC	6
14.	James J. Corbett	1 650	1	WHC	1
15.	Jess Willard	1 550	1	WHC	1
16.	Rocky Marciano	1 459	1	WHC	6
17.	John Ruiz	1 390	2	WBA	5
18.	Chris Byrd	1 387	2	IBF, WBO	4
19.	Mike Tyson	1 342	2	WBA, WBC, IBF	9
20.	George Foreman	1 122	2	WBA, WBC, IBF	3

Key

     Active Title Reign

     Reign has ended

References

External links

• Statistical tables of heavyweight world championships
• Statistical comparison of eras and heavyweight boxing champions