BoxRec

Could someone please post the 5 world heavyweight champions who had the shortest reign on the title? I know Hasim Rahman and Leon Sparks are at the bottom, but I'm having trouble finding the others.

Thanks

It's late and I'm sleepy, but go to BoxRec and check out Max Baer (one day less than a year)and Ingemar Johannsen, for two I'm sure belong. Stick to linear champions...all those alphabet guys will driver you nuts. And Buster Douglas must be in there too.

I can pretend like I know all of this, but i can also be honest and say i stole this list from this website:
http://www.geocities.com/Baja/9660/linear.html

1.John L. Sullivan, the Boston Strong Boy (1885-1892)
2.James J. Corbett, Gentleman Jim (1892-1897)

3.Bob Fitzsimmons, Ruby Robert (1897-1899)

4.James J. Jeffries, the Boilermaker (1899-1905, retired undefeated)

5.Marvin Hart (1905-1906)

6.Tommy Burns, (1906-1908)

7.Jack Johnson, "Lil' Athtur" 1908-1915

8.Jess Willard, the Pottawatomie Giant (1915-1919)

9.Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler (1919-1926)

10.Gene Tunney, the Fighting Marine (1926 -- retired July 31, 1928)

11.Max Schmeling, the Black Uhlan (1930-1932)

12.Jack Sharkey, the Boston Gob 1932-1933

13.Primo Carnera, the Ambling Alp 1933-1934

14.Max Baer, The "Livermore Larruper"(1934-1935)

15.James J. Braddock, the Cinderella Man (1935-1937)

16.Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber (1937-1949, retires)

17.Ezzard Charles, the Cincinnatti Flash (1949-1951)

18."Jersey" Joe Walcott 1951-1952

19.Rocky Marciano, the Brocton Blockbuster 1952-1956,retires, April 1956

20.Floyd Patterson 1956-1959

21.Ingemar Johansson 1959-1960

22.Floyd Patterson 1960-1962

23.Charles "Sonny" Liston 1962-1964

24.Cassius Clay, the Louisville Lip (aka Cassius X & Muhammad Ali) retires Feb. 1, 1970

25."Smokin" Joe Frazier 1970-1973

26.George Foreman, 1973-1974

27.Muhammad Ali, The Greatest 1974-1978

28.Leon Spinks 1978

29.Muhammad Ali (1978-1979, retires 9/79)

30.Larry Holmes(1980-1985)

31.Michael Spinks (1985-1988)

32."Iron" Mike Tyson (1988-1990)

33.James "Buster" Douglas (1990)

Shannon Briggs won the linear Heavyweight Championship by a controversial majority decision over George Foreman on the 23/11/97 he was stopped by Lennox Lewis in the fifth round on 28/3/98, just 125 days later.

The five shortest reigns as linear champion are:

125 days Shannon Briggs
197 days Micheal Moorer
202 days Leon Spinks
209 days Hasim Rahman
235 days Marvin Hart

Other short reigning linear champions were:

256 days James (Buster) Douglas
350 days Primo Carnera
358 days Riddick Bowe
360 days Ingemar Johanssen
364 days Max Baer
373 days Jack Sharkey
433 days Jersey Joe Walcott
Ezzard Charles was champion for 294 days if you count from his win over Joe Louis, 756 days if you count from his first win over Jersey Joe Walcott.

Hey Dutch and Scot --- thanks tons!! this saves us all a lot of research time and goes into my boxing info permanent file.

Naturally I count Ezzard's winning the title from when he beat Walcott, and it's not just my bias. Most everybody did,as her had beaten the other top heavyweights already. New York was always influenced by Nat Fleischer, and he was always influeced by the Ring's circulation England and was an Anglophile besides. He (and NY) held out full recognition because the British champion (Bruce Woodcock) hadn't been in an elimination tourney.
ther logic was faulty as Woodcock had lost to Lee Savold in the interim, so now the Savold factor was in there, when it shouldn't have been.
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Funny how some champions just don't stay in the mind. I had completley forgot that Moorer ever held the title.


Funny how some chamnpions just don't