Who was the first boxer to regain the world heavyweight championship?

Who was the first boxer to regain the world heavyweight championship? Floyd Patterson was the first boxer to regain the undisputed world heavyweight title.

Patterson won the championship in 1956 by stopping Archie Moore in the fifth round. At 21, he became the youngest heavyweight champion at that time, and he carried the title through several defenses.

He lost the crown to Sweden’s Ingemar Johansson in 1959, suffering seven knockdowns before the fight was stopped in the third round. Patterson regained it in their 1960 rematch, knocking Johansson out in the fifth round. That victory made him the first heavyweight champion to reclaim the undisputed title after losing it.

The wording matters: Patterson was not merely the first heavyweight champion to win a belt back in a fragmented title era. His historic distinction concerns the undisputed world championship. He later lost the title to Sonny Liston in 1962 and unsuccessfully challenged Liston in a rematch.