In the history of professional boxing, there are only 18 boxers who have won world titles in at least four weight divisions.
Pro boxing did not produce its first quadruple champion until 1987, when Thomas ?Hitman?Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard found themselves locked in a race for a historic fourth division crown. At the start of 1987, Hearns had won titles in the welterweight (147 lbs.), junior middleweight (154 lbs.) and light heavyweight (175 lbs.) divisions. Leonard was hot on Hearns? trail, having won titles in the welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight (160 lbs.) classes.
Hearns beat Leonard in their heated race as he captured his fourth division crown on October 29, 1987, stopping Juan Domingo Roldan for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight title. Leonard actually won his third crown six months before (April 1987) with an upset win over WBC middleweight king Marvin Hagler, but he retired after the fight and did not return until November 1988, when he collared his fourth and fifth crowns (yes, two crowns in one fight) with a stoppage win over Donny Lalonde for the combined WBC supermiddleweight (168 lbs.) and light heavyweight titles. Leonard?s bout with Lalonde was a mockery of the rules: the WBC created the supermiddleweight crown just to accommodate and expedite Leonard?s quest for a fourth and fifth division title. By beating Lalonde for both the WBC super middleweight and light heavyweight titles, Leonard did not just win a fourth crown but became the first boxer to win five division crowns.
After Hearns and Leonard, Panamanian slugger Roberto Duran became the third four-division champ in history in February 1989, when he outlasted Iran Barkley for the WBC middleweight title.
Duran was already 37 years old when he bagged his fourth plum. Believe it or not, Duran?s first division title came in June 1972, when he battered Ken Buchanan for the lightweight (135 lbs.) title. Duran won titles in the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions before beating Barkley for his fourth crown. Duran could have been boxing?s first five-division champ, but he skipped the junior welterweight class (140 lbs.) after vacating the lightweight throne.
Following the golden trio of Hearns, Leonard and Duran, 15 more boxers have been added to the list of four-division champs. Oscar De La Hoya accomplished a milestone in 1997 by becoming the youngest boxer to win four division titles. De La Hoya was only 24 years old when he defeated Pernell ?Sweat Pea? Whitaker for the WBC welterweight diadem in April 1997. De La Hoya previously won titles in the junior lightweight (130 lbs.), lightweight and junior welterweight categories.
The second youngest four-division champ? American Adrien Broner, who was 26 years old when he picked up his fourth hardware, the WBA junior welterweight crown, in October 2015. Broner, who also held titles in the junior lightweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions, is booked to face Manny Pacquiao on January 19 for the WBA welterweight crown.
A rarity in the list is American Roy Jones Jr., whose four titles came in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight (200+lbs.) divisions.
Jonesis the only four-division champion who has a heavyweight belt in his collection. Jones accomplished the unimaginable in March 2003, when he outclassed John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight diadem. Jones? appearance in the heavyweight class was just a cameo as he immediately returned to the light heavyweight class.
Our very own Donnie Nietes is the latest member of boxing?s ?Four-Division Club.? Nietes, who had won titles in the minimumweight (105 lbs.), junior flyweight (108 lbs.), flyweight (112 lbs.) divisions, bagged his fourth jewel on December 31, when he decisioned Japanese star Kazuto Ioka for the vacant WBO junior bantamweight (115 lbs.) championship. Ioka was bidding to become Japan?s first four-division champ but fell short in his effort.
Nietes is one of only three boxers to win four division titles starting from the lightest division (minimumweight, 105 lbs.) in boxing, the other two being Venezuelan Leo Gamez and Nicaraguan puncher Roman Gonzalez.
Of the 18 quadruple champions, 8 came from the United States, 3 from Mexico (Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Jorge Arce) and 1 each from Panama (Duran), Nicaragua (Gonzalez), Venezuela (Gamez) and Puerto Rico (Miguel Cotto).
Oh, Asia accounts for 3 four-division champions and they all hail from the Philippines: Pacquiao (with a record grand total of 8 division crowns), Nonito Donaire Jr. and Nietes.
