The youngest fighter in boxing history to ever win the world heavyweight title is a 23-year-old British boxer named Tyson Fury. He is also the first heavyweight champion in over a decade to hold all three major titles (WBA, IBF, and WBO) simultaneously.
The Early Life of a Boxing Champion
Born on July 17th, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, Mike Tyson started boxing at the age of eleven. He was quickly taken under the wing of Cus D’Amato, a renowned boxing trainer who had previously worked with world champions such as Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres. D’Amato saw something special in Tyson and took him under his wing, providing him with both training and guidance.
Tyson made his professional debut in 1985, at the age of eighteen. He quickly made a name for himself in the boxing world, winning his first nineteen fights by knockout. In 1986, he won the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship, becoming the youngest boxer in history to do so. He went on to have a successful career, winning several more titles before retiring from boxing in 2005.
The Making of a World Heavyweight Title
In 1904, at the age of twenty-one years and ten months, Marvin Hart fought James J. Jeffries for the world heavyweight title. It was Hart’s first professional fight. He won by a knockout in the eleventh round.
It is highly unusual for someone so young to win the world heavyweight title. In fact, Hart is still the youngest fighter in boxing history to ever win the world heavyweight title. This record may never be broken.
The Youngest Fighter in Boxing History to Ever Win the World Heavyweight Title
In 1897, at the age of 21, Bob Fitzsimmons became the youngest boxer in history to win the world heavyweight championship, a record that still stands today. Born in Cornwall, England, Fitzsimmons began his boxing career in New Zealand at the age of 15. He quickly rose through the ranks, winning multiple regional titles before moving on to the United States in 1894.
Fitzsimmons was just 21 years old when he fought James J. Jeffries for the world heavyweight title in 1897. Although he was outweighed by nearly 30 pounds, Fitzsimmons used his speed and agility to defeat Jeffries and become the youngest heavyweight champion in history. He held the title for three years before losing to James J. Corbett in 1900.
Fitzsimmons retired from boxing in 1914 with a record of 58 wins (40 by knockout), 10 losses, and 2 draws. He died in 1917 at the age of 50 after suffering from pneumonia.
The Early Life of a Boxing Champion to Ever Win the World Heavyweight Title
George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas on January 10, 1949, the fifth of seven children. Foreman’s father wouldn’t allow his children to play sports; instead, they had to work. When Foreman was around 13 years old, he and a friend began stealing bicycles and selling them for money. Eventually they were caught and sent to the Houston Youth Village, a juvenile detention center. It was there that Foreman began boxing.
After his release, Foreman continued to box. He won the 1968 Olympic gold medal in the heavyweight division, and turned professional shortly thereafter. He quickly began racking up wins, knocking out all but two of his first 37 opponents. In 1973, he lost his first bout as a professional – to Muhammad Ali in “The Rumble in the Jungle.” The following year, he beat 18 KO’s Ken Norton to become the world heavyweight champion.
The Making of a World Heavyweight Title to Ever Win the World Heavyweight Title
In September of 1992, at the age of just twenty-two, he fought both Bowe and Holyfield on the same night and won. Bowe had vacated his title rather than face Tyson in a rematch, so Tyson became both the WBA and WBC heavyweight champion of the world. He was now the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history, a record that still stands today.
The Youngest Fighter in Boxing History to Ever Win the World Heavyweight Title
In 1990, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he defeated Trevor Berbick. Tyson was just 20 years old at the time. He would go on to become one of the most dominant forces in the sport, winning 50 of his 58 professional fights.
The Early Life of a Boxing Champion to Ever Win the World Heavyweight Title
In 2006, at the age of twenty-one, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history with a victory over American Chris Byrd. This made him only the second boxer from Ukraine to win a world heavyweight title, following in the footsteps of his brother Vitali Klitschko.
Born in 1976 in the city of Semey, Kazakhstan, Wladimir and his family were forced to flee to Ukraine when he was just a young boy due to religious persecution. It was there that he and his brother first began to take an interest in boxing. After excelling in the sport at both the amateur and professional levels, Wladimir finally realized his dream of becoming a world champion in 2006.
Now considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Wladimir has held various championship titles throughout his career. He retired from boxing in 2020 after a twenty-five year career, finishing with a record of 64-5.