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WBA Light Heavyweight Boxing Rankings — December 2018

Official Light Heavyweight rankings for December 2018 from the WBA.

Presented as a historical snapshot for that month. Use the weight-class arrows to move up or down divisions, the month controls to jump between updates, and click any fighter's name to see their ranking history with the WBA.

Division
Period
Org
RankWBADecember 2018
🏆Russia flagDmitry Bivol
World Champion

1Sweden flagBadou Jack
2United States flagMarcus Browne
3Cuba flagSullivan Barrera▲+1
4Dominican Republic flagFelix Valera▲+2
5Sweden flagSven FornlingNEW
6United Kingdom flagJoshua Buatsi▲+3
7Kyrgyzstan flagUmar Salamov▲+3
8United States flagJoe Smith Jr▼-1
9United States flagMike Lee▼-1
10United States flagCharles Foster▲+1
11Australia flagReagan Dessaix▲+2
12China flagFanlong MengNEW
13France flagPierre Hubert Dibombe▼-1
14Canada flagJean Pascal
15United Kingdom flagJoe Fournier

Source: WBA

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About the Light Heavyweight Division

Weight Limit: 168-175 lbs (76.2-79.4 kg)

Light Heavyweight is one of boxing's classic divisions, featuring fighters who combine speed, power, and technical skill. The division has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century.

Division Characteristics

Light Heavyweights are known for their balance of speed and power. Fighters in this division are typically athletic and skilled, capable of both technical boxing and explosive knockouts.

Notable Facts

The Light Heavyweight division has been home to many legendary fighters, including Archie Moore, Bob Foster, and more recently, fighters like Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev.

Historical Context

Light Heavyweight has long been considered one of boxing's premier divisions, consistently producing competitive matchups and memorable fights throughout boxing history.

Learn more about how boxing rankings work or explore current world champions across all divisions.

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Compare WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO in Light Heavyweight.

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Month-over-month changes since November 2018

Entered the top 10

  • SE flag
    Sven FornlingNow in the top 10 at #5
  • US flag
    Charles FosterPreviously #11, enters at #10

Dropped out of the top 10

  • AM flag
    Karo MuratPreviously held #3
  • DE flag
    Shefat IsufiOut of the top 10 after being #5

Biggest risers

  • GB flag
    Joshua BuatsiImproved from #9 to #6
    ▲+3
  • KG flag
    Umar SalamovUp 3 places to #7
    ▲+3
  • DO flag
    Felix ValeraNow ranked #4 (was #6)
    ▲+2

Biggest fallers

  • US flag
    Joe Smith JrFrom #7 to #8
    ▼-1
  • US flag
    Mike LeeFrom #8 to #9
    ▼-1
  • FR flag
    Pierre Hubert DibombeFrom #12 to #13
    ▼-1

WBA Light Heavyweight Title History

Champions who have held each belt, from oldest to most recent. Title history only goes back as far as our earliest WBA monthly rankings (January 2000).

WBA Light Heavyweight — Super Champion

Russia flagDmitry Bivol
February 2025 — Current
1 year 4 months
Canada flagArtur Beterbiev
October 2024 — February 2025
5 months
Russia flagDmitry Bivol
October 2019 — October 2024
5 years 1 month
United States flagAndre Ward
October 2016 — September 2017
1 year
Russia flagSergey Kovalev
October 2014 — October 2016
2 years 1 month
United States flagBernard Hopkins
April 2014 — October 2014
7 months
Kazakhstan flagBeibut Shumenov
September 2013 — April 2014
8 months
United States flagAntonio Tarver
May 2004 — June 2004
2 months
United States flagRoy Jones Jr
January 2001 — May 2004
3 years 5 months

WBA Light Heavyweight — World Champion

United States flagDavid Benavidez
February 2025 — Current
1 year 4 months
Cuba flagDavid Morrell
August 2024 — February 2025
7 months
Canada flagJean Pascal
October 2019 — July 2021
1 year 10 months
Russia flagDmitry Bivol
October 2017 — October 2019
2 years 1 month
Sweden flagBadou Jack
August 2017 — September 2017
2 months
United Kingdom flagNathan Cleverly
September 2016 — August 2017
1 year
Germany flagJuergen Braehmer
December 2013 — September 2016
2 years 10 months
Kazakhstan flagBeibut Shumenov
December 2009 — September 2013
3 years 10 months
Spain flagGabriel Campillo
June 2009 — December 2009
7 months
Argentina flagHugo Hernan Garay
June 2008 — June 2009
1 year 1 month
Australia flagDanny Green
November 2007 — March 2008
5 months
Croatia flagStipe Drews
April 2007 — November 2007
8 months
Italy flagSilvio Branco
August 2006 — April 2007
9 months
France flagFabrice Tiozzo
March 2004 — August 2006
2 years 6 months
Italy flagSilvio Branco
September 2003 — March 2004
7 months
France flagMehdi Sahnoune
May 2003 — September 2003
5 months
France flagBruno Girard
December 2001 — May 2003
1 year 6 months
United States flagRoy Jones Jr
January 2000 — April 2001
1 year 4 months

WBA Light Heavyweight — Interim Champion

Venezuela flagAlbert Ramirez
August 2025 — Current
10 months
Italy flagSilvio Branco
July 2006 — August 2006
2 months