World Champions who give up their belt

[Pugilist-specialist]

I can recall Riddick Bowe putting his WBC belt in the bin, but Bowe also held the WBA and IBF belts.
Josh Warrington has just relinquished his title for a non-title fight at the same weight.
Apart from a retiring fighter, has anyone examples of this happening previously?

[margaret thatcher]

canelo dumped the wbc because he didnt like them trying to force a golovkin fight at the time

[(craig)]

Inoue rejected the WBC diamond belt after beating Donaire, good lad.

[gilgamesh]

By the way. I'd say the dumbest ever "giving up their belt" has to go to Mickey Bey. He gave up his belt I guess thinking that bigger fights were waiting for him because Al Haymon told him so, but he was so boring that the belt was the one and only thing that kept him in the running for big fights so that combined with losing not too long after to John Molina after horrible advice from his corner effectively killed his career.

More often than not when a guy gives up a belt, there's a good reason or he goes on to achieve something else. Mickey Bey gave up any possibility of his career ever advancing by giving up his belt.

Gotta be one of the bigger mistakes a boxer ever made.

[Pugilist-specialist]

canelo dumped the wbc because he didnt like them trying to force a golovkin fight at the time

He went straight into a WBO fight 4 months later.

[Boxing Prospect]

Going to assume we're only considering ones where a fighter hasn't moved up/down

Moruti Mthalane (vacated rather than faced Amnat Ruenroeng in a mandatory)

Hekkie Budler (vacated the IBF title rather than faced Felix Alvarado, did keep the WBA title which he lost to Hiroto Kyoguchi)

Kyung Yun Lee (vacated IBF title to chase a fight with Hiroki Ioka - which doesn't answer the question but thought it was worthy of adding as he was the first IBF champion at 105)

Donnie Nietes (vacated WBO 115 to erm.... Errrrr... er)

[margaret thatcher]

he gave up his wbc title because he admitted he didnt want to be forced into a fight with ggg, then he fought the much weaker liam smith next

it's a world champ who gave up his belt, exactly like the thread title

[Pugilist-specialist]

By the way. I'd say the dumbest ever "giving up their belt" has to go to Mickey Bey. He gave up his belt I guess thinking that bigger fights were waiting for him because Al Haymon told him so, but he was so boring that the belt was the one and only thing that kept him in the running for big fights so that combined with losing not too long after to John Molina after horrible advice from his corner effectively killed his career.

More often than not when a guy gives up a belt, there's a good reason or he goes on to achieve something else. Mickey Bey gave up any possibility of his career ever advancing by giving up his belt.

Gotta be one of the bigger mistakes a boxer ever made.

[Pugilist-specialist]

he gave up his wbc title because he admitted he didnt want to be forced into a fight with ggg, then he fought the much weaker liam smith next

it's a world champ who gave up his belt, exactly like the thread title

Thanks pal. I did put for a non-title fight in the OP - but not in the title

[Coco]

I agree you should never give up you belt, if you don't want to fight your mandatory you should unify

[Pugilist-specialist]

Going to assume we're only considering ones where a fighter hasn't moved up/down

Moruti Mthalane (vacated rather than faced Amnat Ruenroeng in a mandatory)

Hekkie Budler (vacated the IBF title rather than faced Felix Alvarado, did keep the WBA title which he lost to Hiroto Kyoguchi)

Kyung Yun Lee (vacated IBF title to chase a fight with Hiroki Ioka - which doesn't answer the question but thought it was worthy of adding as he was the first IBF champion at 105)

Donnie Nietes (vacated WBO 115 to erm.... Errrrr... er)

[Ruthless-RKO]

canelo dumped the wbc because he didnt like them trying to force a golovkin fight at the time

Are you TRYING to invite EO into this thread?

[Ruthless-RKO]

he gave up his wbc title because he admitted he didnt want to be forced into a fight with ggg, then he fought the much weaker liam smith next

it's a world champ who gave up his belt, exactly like the thread title

Thanks pal. I did put for a non-title fight in the OP - but not in the title

Plus he moved down 1 pound literally. To fight for that WBO belt.

[Lenny Cravats]

canelo dumped the wbc because he didnt like them trying to force a golovkin fight at the time

Are you TRYING to invite EO into this thread?

Thoughts?

[Tuan_Jim]

Lennox Lewis binned his WBA belt rather than fight Ruiz and then his IBF belt rather than fight Byrd.

[Fray Bentos]

Lloyd Honeyghan gave up his WBA belt than fight Harold Volbrecht - he would have had no problem with beating Volbrecht but at the time he would not fight a white South African because of that country's apartheid system. He was actually pictured throwing the WBA belt into a bin.

[bennie]

Jesus Salud, a Hawaiian fighter based in the States, relinquished his WBA super-bantamweight title in 1990 instead of going through with a mandated defence against Luis Mendoza in Colombia, where there was civil unrest. Salud had looked brilliant in winning the title from Mexico's Juan Jose Estrada in Los Angeles in December 1989 and went on to receive five more cracks at a world title but lost the lot. He now scratches his head at his long boxing career. "What was I doing in there!"
He fared better than the unfortunate Estrada, murdered by members of his own family.

[Pugilist-specialist]

Lennox Lewis binned his WBA belt rather than fight Ruiz and then his IBF belt rather than fight Byrd.

Lloyd Honeyghan gave up his WBA belt than fight Harold Volbrecht - he would have had no problem with beating Volbrecht but at the time he would not fight a white South African because of that country's apartheid system. He was actually pictured throwing the WBA belt into a bin.

Both held another world title.

[Pugilist-specialist]

Jesus Salud, a Hawaiian fighter based in the States, relinquished his WBA super-bantamweight title in 1990 instead of going through with a mandated defence against Luis Mendoza in Colombia, where there was civil unrest. Salud had looked brilliant in winning the title from Mexico's Juan Jose Estrada in Los Angeles in December 1989 and went on to receive five more cracks at a world title but lost the lot. He now scratches his head at his long boxing career. "What was I doing in there!"
He fared better than the unfortunate Estrada, murdered by members of his own family.

I knew bennie would come good

[margaret thatcher]

petey quillin vacated the wbo, went inactive for a year while andy lee won it, then returned and challenged lee (well, pete was overwieght so was non title)

so basically gave up a title, only to attempt to challenge for it next fight lol, weird

[bigjack]

I think giving up 1 belt and keeping another is a lot defferent than giving up your only belt.

[Steveh583]

petey quillin vacated the wbo, went inactive for a year while andy lee won it, then returned and challenged lee (well, pete was overwieght so was non title)

so basically gave up a title, only to attempt to challenge for it next fight lol, weird

i was gonna say him

does giving up belts to move up in weight count? Theres loads in that case

[Boxing Prospect]

Etsuko Tada gave up the WBO 105 female so her stable mate could win it... Then won it back a few fights later after stablemate vacated to have a kid

[banjo]

Lloyd Honeyghan gave up his WBA belt than fight Harold Volbrecht - he would have had no problem with beating Volbrecht but at the time he would not fight a white South African because of that country's apartheid system. He was actually pictured throwing the WBA belt into a bin.

Aye, sadly he was forced by the WBA to write a grovelling apology to them so he could get a shot at Breland a few years later.

[smiling assassin]

Charlie Edwards was extremely fortunate to keep his title after getting mullered by Martinez, only to vacate and move up in weight to avoid a rematch