Thursday 7 April 2016 11:14, UK
Anthony Joshua is targeting the IBF belt this Saturday, so we look at how 10 other British heavyweights performed in their first world title fight.
Joshua could be crowned as a world champion in just his 16th bout when he challenges Charles Martin for the IBF belt this Saturday night, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
But can Joshua become the latest in a line of British heavyweight world champions - or will we add him to the list of title hopefuls who fell short.
Fury was considered a major underdog when he travelled to Germany for his clash with Klitschko, who had not suffered defeat since 2004.
But Fury adopted a perfect game-plan and Klitschko struggled to cope with his challenger's sheer size and clever movement from the opening bell.
At the end of the tense, often scrappy contest, all three judges signalled the end of Klitschko's reign by handing scores of 115-112, 116-111 and 115-112 to Fury.
Haye moved up from cruiserweight to have a crack at boxing's big men and he would challenge the biggest of them all - the seven-foot tall Nikolay Valuev.
In the weeks beforehand, Haye had mocked the gigantic frame of the WBA champion, but was more respectful when the first bell rang and adopted a cagey back-foot approach.
Few punches were thrown by either man during a cat-and-mouse encounter, although Haye appeared to land the telling blows, wobbling Valuev in the last to seal a majority decision from the judges.
The Londoner had previously been denied a fight against Wladimir Klitschko, who twice pulled out of a scheduled bout, but landed a fight with his older brother Vitali, the WBC king.
During a bad-tempered build-up, 'Del Boy' had slapped Vitali at the weigh-in and even spat water in the face of Wladimir once he had entered the ring.
Chisora partially repaired his damaged image with a brave display against Klitschko, but ultimately was on the losing end of a wide points win for the Ukrainian.
Harrison had earned a shot against WBA title holder Haye after launching a successful comeback, which had seen him win a Prizefighter tournament and then capture the European title with a dramatic stoppage of Michael Sprott.
The former Olympic gold medallist had failed to impress in the professional ranks and few people, apart from the outspoken challenger, thought he could topple the supremely confident Haye.
Concerns about Harrison's suitability as a challenger were confirmed when the first bell rang and he barely threw a punch before Haye halted him with his first genuine assault in the third round.
Skelton, a late entrant to the sport, had battled his way to British and Commonwealth titles and was hoping to claim the WBA belt when he fought Chagaev.
The champion had taken the title from the towering Valuev, using his wily southpaw skills to pickpocket a points win over the giant Russian.
Since turning professional, Skelton had gained success with raw aggression, but the step-up proved too big for the 'Bedford Bear' as Chagaev comfortably boxed to a points win.
The 'Brixton Bomber' was granted a crack at Klitschko's WBC belt after he pulled off a shock stoppage win over a faded Mike Tyson.
Before he toppled Tyson, Williams had battled mostly at domestic level and was suddenly sharing the spotlight with Klitschko at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas.
Unfortunately Williams could not produce another surprise win and courageously climbed off the canvas on three occasions before a heavy knockdown in the eighth ended his spirited challenge.
The Dulwich-born Akinwande had moved his career to America in pursuit of a big fight and successfully landed a shot at the vacant WBO title.
His opponent Williams, who was drafted in as a late replacement, carried the nickname 'half-man half-amazing' after a string of knockout wins.
But Akinwande had greater firepower, blasting aside Williams in the third round, and celebrated with the WBO belt.
After racking up 25 straight wins, Hide was named as challenger for the newly crowned WBO champion Michael Bentt, who had ripped the title from Tommy Morrison with a dramatic first-round stoppage.
Bentt agreed to travel to Hide's home country for his first title defence and the fighters attracted greater publicity when they became embroiled in an ugly brawl in a London street.
The pair traded more big punches when the first bell rang, but Hide had the final word in their feud, stopping Bentt in the seventh round to claim the WBO belt.
Lewis was crowned WBC champion, without throwing a punch, after Riddick Bowe decided to publicly dump the belt in the bin instead of facing him.
His first fight at world title level would come against the experienced Tony 'TNT' Tucker, who had taken Mike Tyson the distance in a points defeat.
Lewis also could not shift the stubborn Michigan man, despite dropping him twice, and settled for a one-sided points win.
Bruno had repaired his reputation after his first defeat to James 'Bonecrusher' Smith and the popular challenger would attempt to take the WBA belt from American Tim Witherspoon.
The stage was set at Wembley for Bruno to become the next British heavyweight champion and Witherspoon's flabby physique further raised the hopes of the home fans.
But the American burst to life in the 11th round, stunning Bruno with an overhand right, and three more big right hands dropped the Londoner to the canvas before the towel was thrown in.
Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua, live on Sky Sports Box Office on April 9. Order the event online.
