Anthony Joshua will defend his WBA (super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles on Saturday against Oleksandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Joshua, who won three of his four belts against Wladimir Klitschko in April of 2017, will be making his third consecutive title defense after he momentarily lost his belts to Andy Ruiz Jr. in December of 2019. He defeated Ruiz in a rematch and then knocked out Kubrat Pulev in December of 2020.
MORE: Betting preview for Joshua-Usyk
Usyk, who was formerly the undisputed champion at cruiserweight, will be making his third appearance at heavyweight, in which he is ranked as the No. 4 fighter behind Tyson Fury, Joshua and Deontay Wilder on ESPN. He defeated Chazz Witherspoon by referee technical decision in October of 2019 and then Derek Chisora by unanimous decision in October of 2020.
The winner of Saturday’s bout will likely promote himself to face the winner of Fury and Wilder on Oct. 9. Joshua and Fury signed a two-fight deal to unify their heavyweight titles — Fury is the WBC and The Ring magazine — though things could change depending on results of their respective next bout.
The heavyweight division has not had an undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000, so Joshua and Fury’s results will have big implications for the sport’s history. Here’s a look at each title Fury and Joshua hold by each governing body.
World Boxing Association — Anthony Joshua
Joshua won the World Boxing Association (super) title on April 29, 2017, after defeating Klitschko by an 11th-round knockout and regained the belt after beating Ruiz in a rematch.
The WBA has been around since 1921 and was referred to as the National Boxing Association until Aug. 23, 1962. The WBA can have up to four world champions in any given weight division, though Joshua holds the most important distinction with the super title.
MORE: How to watch Joshua-Usyk
American boxer Trevor Bryan is currently recognized as the world champion of the division, while Syrian Mahmoud Charr is the champion in recess.
World Boxing Council — Tyson Fury
Fury became the WBC champion on Feb. 22, 2020 by defeating Wilder, who previously held the belt since January of 2015.
Fury is yet to defend his title, as his third fight with Wilder in July was postponed after his camp suffered a COVID-19 outbreak. Fury became the third heavyweight to win the title in the past seven years, as Bermane Stiverne was recognized as the divisional champion from 2014 to 2015.
The WBC was formed in 1963, and its green belt portrays the 161 flags of the countries that represent the sanctioning body. Britain's Dillian Whyte is recognized as the interim champion at heavyweight and is the immediate challenger for the winner of Fury and Wilder.
Fury previously said if he defeats Wilder, he would like to fight Whyte in December.
MORE: Fury plans out his next five fights
World Boxing Organization — Anthony Joshua
Joshua won the World Boxing Organization title in March of 2018 over Joseph Parker and got it back after his rematch with Ruiz.
The WBO, which was formed in 1988, was recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with the WBA, WBC and IBF in 2004.
The WBO recognizes “super” champions, in which a boxer has held a multiple-fight contract with a major television network for multiple years and defended his title cumulatively for 10 bounds or against opponents of high recognition, among other criteria. Joshua has been labeled as a super champion along with Klitschko, while Usyk earned the recognition at cruiserweight.
International Boxing Federation — Anthony Joshua
Joshua first won the International Boxing Federation title in April of 2016 against Charles Martin and has held the belt the longest out of his current championships.
The IBF, which was preceded by the United States Boxing Association, has had seven champions since 2002: Lennox Lewis; Chris Byrd; Klitschko; Fury; Charles Martin; Ruiz; and Joshua.
The Ring Magazine — Tyson Fury
The Ring is a premiere boxing magazine that began publication in 1922, which is also when it began awarding a linear title to each division.
Fury won The Ring’s vacant title in his second fight against Wilder. He previously earned it with his unanimous decision victory over Klitschko in November of 2015 but was stripped in January of 2018 due to inactivity.
The Ring’s initial policy was to award a championship based on a linear reign, or “the man who beat the man.” Now, the vacancy can be filled if the No. 1 and No. 2 contenders fight one another, or a champion could lose his belt from one of the following seven conditions:
- The champion loses a fight in the weight class in which he is champion.
- The champion moves to another weight class.
- The champion does not schedule a fight in any weight class for 18 months.
- The champion does not schedule a fight at his championship weight for 18 months (even if he fights at another weight).
- The champion does not schedule a fight with a top-five contender from any weight class for two years.
- The champion retires.
- The champion tests positive for a performance-enhancing substance and is fined, suspended or otherwise penalized by the proper authority (athletic commission or sanctioning body).
Other belts and former undisputed champions
Joshua’s International Boxing Organization belt will also be at stake, though it is considered a “minor” championship as it is not recognized as one of the “big four” governing bodies.
If Joshua, Wilder, Fury or Usyk meet to unify world titles from all of the major sanctioning organizations, the heavyweight division will have its first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000. The division has not yet had an undisputed titleholder in the four-belt era.
Here are a list of undisputed heavyweight champions in boxing’s history, from the New York State Athletic Commission and National Boxing Association years to the current era.
| Era | Champion | Dates |
| NYSAC-NBA | Jack Dempsey | July 24, 1922 to Sept. 23, 1926 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Gene Tunney | Sept. 23, 1926 to July 31, 1928 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Max Schmeling | June 12, 1930 to Jan. 7, 1931 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Jack Sharkey | June 21, 1932 to June 29, 1933 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Primo Carnera | June 29, 1933 to June 14, 1934 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Max Baer | June 14, 1934 to June 13, 1935 |
| NYSAC-NBA | James J. Braddock | June 13, 1935 to June 22, 1937 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Joe Louis | June 22, 1937 to March 1, 1949 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Ezzard Charles | Sept. 27, 1950 to July 18, 1951 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Jersey Joe Walcott | July 18, 1951 to Sept. 23, 1952 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Rocky Marciano | Sept. 23, 1952 to April 27, 1956 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Floyd Patterson | Nov. 30, 1956 to June 26, 1959 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Ingemar Johansson | June 26, 1959 to June 20, 1960 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Floyd Patterson | June 20, 1960 to Sept. 25, 1962 |
| NYSAC-NBA | Sonny Liston | Sept. 25, 1962 to July 22, 1963 |
| WBC-WBA | Sonny Liston | July 22, 1963 to Feb. 25, 1964 |
| WBC-WBA | Muhammad Ali | Feb. 25, 1964 to Sept. 19, 1964 |
| WBA-WBA | Muhammad Ali | Feb. 6, 1967 to April 28, 1967 |
| WBC-WBA | Joe Frazier | Feb. 16, 170 to Jan. 22, 1973 |
| WBC-WBA | George Foreman | Jan. 22, 1973 to Oct. 30, 1974 |
| WBC-WBA | Muhammad Ali | Oct. 30, 1974 to Feb. 15, 1978 |
| WBC-WBA | Leon Spinks | Feb. 15, 1978 to March 18, 1978 |
| WBC-WBA-IBF | Mike Tyson | Aug. 1,1987 to Feb. 11, 1990 |
| WBC-WBA-IBF | James "Buster" Douglas | Feb. 11, 1990 to Oct. 25, 1990 |
| WBC-WBA-IBF | Evander Holyfield | Oct. 25, 1990 to Nov. 13, 1992 |
| WBC-WBA-IBF | Riddick Bowe | Nov. 13, 1992 to Dec. 14, 1992 |
| WBC-WBA-IBF | Lennox Lewis | Nov. 13, 1999 to April 29, 2000 |