Class of 1798
Daniel Mendoza (HW) 1780 - 1795
W23(16) / L6(2) / D0 - English Heavyweight Champion
Selected by 94.44% of balloting members on first ballot.
Mendoza held the English title from 1784 to 1792 and was the number one heavyweight in the world when the REC issued their first rankings in 1794. He retired following a loss to Big Ben Bryan in the world title elimination tournament of 1795.
Full Record
Class of 1805
Big Ben Bryan (HW) 1786 - 1804
W28(18) / L8(3) / D2 / ND2 - Two-time World Heavyweight Champion and English Champion
Selected by 81.25% of balloting members on first ballot.
Big Ben lost his English belt to John Jackson and then was defeated by Jackson again in the first World heavyweight title bout. Bryan claimed the World title for himself in 1797 and held it until 1800 when Tom Johnson worked his miracle. Following Johnson's retirement, Bryan had one last big fight in him as he reclaimed the belt with a surprising win over Joe Lashley in 1803. He surrendered the belt to Lashley in 1804 after making one defense against an over-matched Bishop Blaize.
Full record