Debunking the four-belt era: Boxing should remember all its undisputed champions

We’re long past the point where the phrase “four-belt era” in boxing has become tiresome. The term is an unapologetic dismissal of all the great champions who paved the way for today’s world titleholders.

In effect, we have promoters, broadcasters, and sanctioning organizations going out of their way to wipe out boxing history.

More than once in recent days, Terence Crawford has been referred to as the first male fighter to become undisputed champion in two divisions, when he thrashed Errol Spence Jr. last July. There was no caveat attached – he was just named “the first”.

While it’s true that “Bud” was the first to achieve this distinction in the “four-belt era”, he’s not even close to being the first overall.

Here are a few fighters that achieved the feat: Bob Fitzsimmons, Tony Canzoneri, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Carmen Basilio, Emile Griffith and Dick Tiger. Armstrong reigned as undisputed champion across three divisions (featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight) simultaneously.

The odd fan who doesn’t know any better might suggest that it was easier because there were only one or two belts to win in those days. Don’t be fooled.

Sugar Ray Robinson entered his first world title fight with a 73-1-1 record. To earn a shot at reigning welterweight champion Tommy Bell, Robinson had to overcome future Hall of Famers such as Henry Armstrong (albeit faded), Sammy Angott (three times), Jake LaMotta (four wins out of five), and Fritzie Zivic (twice). Marty Servo, whom Robinson also defeated twice, should be in the Hall of Fame, too.

Over four years after winning the undisputed welterweight title from Bell, Robinson slaughtered LaMotta to claim the undisputed middleweight crown. Does that journey sound any easier than Crawford’s in the so-called four-belt era? Give me a break.

Boxing’s illustrious history has seen its greatest moments intertwined with the fabric of specific decades. In the 1930s, Joe Louis fought for freedom as the world braced itself for a second world war. Muhammad Ali was the athlete of the 1960s, swatting opponents aside with ease while opposing the war in Vietnam. The Four Kings – Duran, Hagler, Hearns, Leonard – are inexplicably linked to the excess and materialism of the 1980s.

No boxing fan with a pulse would trade in these eras.

So why is boxing casting aside its history with the “four-belt era” talk? Wouldn’t it have been just glorious to have compared Crawford to Robinson or Basilio following his undisputed welterweight title win?

Wouldn’t it have been equally glorious to have compared Naoya Inoue to lower-weight Canzoneri when the Japanese star claimed the double undisputed distinction in December? Maybe it’s just too much work for the researchers. What a shame.

What is the four-belt era?In 1988, the WBO was formed as a sanctioning organization, joining the IBF, WBA and WBC. While champions were crowned immediately, it took a long time before the other organizations agreed to recognize the WBO.

Bernard Hopkins, who was anointed undisputed middleweight champ in 2001 when he defeated Felix Trinidad for IBF, WBA, and WBC crowns, was the first fighter to consolidate all four belts when he knocked out then-WBO middleweight champ Oscar De La Hoya in 2004.

🔰 Terence Crawford 🔰

Crawford became the 1st boxer in history to become 2X undisputed champion: Super Lightweight and Welterweight.* He defeated Spence with a historic performance.

📲 RT if you believe he should win the award.#wbcboxing #wbcbest2023 pic.twitter.com/uwPdiZ2DMn

— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) January 3, 2024And so it began. Since then, two male fighters have become undisputed in two divisions, both achieving that honor in 2023, in the form of Crawford and Inoue. 

In the women’s game, Claressa Shields blazed that same trail a year earlier. Katie Taylor joined her as a two-division undisputed queen in 2023. 

Oleksandr Usyk has the opportunity to match the feat in February, as the former undisputed cruiserweight king has a shot at all the marbles in the heavyweight division when he takes on Tyson Fury.