As the match continued, Cena was performing his shoulder tackles, but Punk ducked one, and Cena went flying into the referee. Punk was getting back up to his feet as Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins’ music hit, “The Visionary” making his entrance flanked by The Vision – Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman – to set up for a cash-in. Rollins called referee Charles Robinson down the ring, but as he was sprinting down the ramp he got pounced by Cena. Rollins then tried to hit Cena with the briefcase, getting floored with an Attitude Adjustment as Reed and Breakker went after the “Greatest of All Time.”

Katie Taylor – Women’s Lightweight

The drama started when John Cena accidentally hit the referee with a shoulder tackle near the middle of the match. Iconic fighters like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson achieved the feat while Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield have also held all the titles at once. The term “undisputed champion” is sometimes applied in senses other than the preceding. There was a point in the Night of Champions bout when Cena was about to use the belt on Punk, but he opted to toss the belt to the outside.

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To clear the confusion, we’ll explain just what it means to be considered one of these champions – also listing some of the most notable undisputed champions of all time. Only eleven men have held all four versions of the belts at the same time, three of whom have been the only male boxers to have done so in two divisions. The oldest of the four, the WBA often recognizes both a “Regular” and a “Super” champion. This two-tier system has drawn criticism but is designed to create more title opportunities. For example, Daniel Dubois holds the “Regular” heavyweight title, while Oleksandr Usyk is the “Super” champion. There’s no word on when Aspinall might actually get to compete again but the most likely contenders in line to face him are two-time title challenger Ciryl Gane or Jailton Almeida, who is riding a two-fight win streak in the division.

• That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who broke the news during the UFC Baku post-fight press conference on Saturday following the promotion’s debut event in Azerbaijan.
• White had just recently said that he was setting a deadline to book Jones vs. Aspinall after months of back and forth on whether or not the fight would actually happen.
• Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, and Joesph Parker will do their best to win their next bout and make history.

Boxing associations

This resulted in a growing number of boxers claiming to be legitimate champions. The disruption in boxing was solved after World War II when the World Championship Committee (WCC) was created with NBA as its unanimous authority. Joe Louis is the boxer who has been the undisputed heavyweight champion for the longest, sitting at the top of the sport for 12 years. Ukraine sensation Oleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 following a split-decision win over Tyson Fury in May 2024. The status of being an Undisputed Champion in Boxing is unparalleled with different weight classes, several sanctioning bodies, and multiple champions in a division.

WBO (World Boxing Organization)

• On May 18th, 2024, a 26,000-capacity crowd at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh watched in shock as Oleksandr Usyk created history by becoming the first-ever undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
• Check out the ESPN boxing hub page for the latest news, analysis, rankings, schedules and more.
• Rollins called referee Charles Robinson down the ring, but as he was sprinting down the ramp he got pounced by Cena.
• Only twelve women have held all four versions of the belts at the same time, two have done so in two divisions.

For a list of the best fighters regardless of weight class, check ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings. Punk went for the GTS after he blocked Cena’s low blow, but was then crushed in the head by Seth Rollins and the Money in the Bank briefcase. Rollins hit Punk with The Stomp, Cena tossed Rollins out of the ring, and then covered Punk to win the match. Punk kicked out of three AA’s during the match, but it wasn’t enough in the end and Cena is still the champion. The early part of the match was an exchange of some holds and a dueling fan chant for Punk and Cena in the audience, but things broke down soon after into a roller coaster finish in the main event.

What Is An Undisputed Boxing Champion?

Boxing’s championship landscape may be complex, but understanding it adds depth to the sport. Each title—lineal, unified, undisputed—carries its own weight, and each fight is a step toward legacy. Rather than facing the mandatory challenger, the 22-0 decided to go for glory and fact Tyson Fury in the unification bout. Furthermore, he had to request that the IBF not strip him of the title so that he could become the undisputed champion. Just days ago, Jones stated that “right now, I could really care less about fighting” but he also hesitated to actually use the word retirement when it came to his career. Obviously, Jones eventually made the decision to call it a career and allow the UFC’s heavyweight division to move on without him.

Naoya Inoue – Super Bantamweight

They attacked CM Punk and the plan looked to be for Rollins to cash-in at that moment. Instead, John Cena stopped the cash-in and knocked out the referee that Rollins called down to the ring. As of January 2024, there have been forty fights with all four belts on the line. Until at least 2008, many considered it sufficient to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles.212223 Other bodies such as the IBO, IBU, and World Boxing Foundation are disregarded. Dubois is set to defend his belt against Joseph Parker, with the winner set to face Usyk for the chance to unify the division.

WBA–WBC–IBF era (1983–

With the usyk dubois victory, Usyk became one of the three male boxers to win undisputed championships in two different weight categories. However, just five months after the victory, the 22-0 boxer had to relinquish one of his belts. Later, Daniel Dubois won the relinquished IBF heavyweight championship after defeating Anthony Joshua. With the Fury vs Usyk rematch just around the corner, let’s take a look at why the 37-year-old is not an undisputed champion anymore. Once a consensus champion had been awarded the title, the championship could usually be taken only by beating the reigning holder, establishing a lineal championship. It’s the gold standard—no arguments, no “paper champs.” In the four-belt era, very few fighters have achieved this status.

Usyk has since vacated the IBF gold, with Daniel Dubois claiming it before defending the title against Joshua. Check out the ESPN boxing hub page for the latest news, analysis, rankings, schedules and more.

However, after a grueling battle against The Gypsy King, there was no way that Oleksandr Usyk was in any condition to have another high-profile bout. While the referee was down, Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman showed up. Punk tried to fight off Reed and Breakker, but they put him through a table. Rollins called for a new referee, but Cena ran the referee over and then proceeded to get in Rollins’ face. Breakker took him out, but then Sami Zayn joined the fray and fought Breakker off.