Undisputed champion recognised a different champion. The disputes were usually short-lived as a lucrative fight would be organised between the rival champions. The longest split was ten years, of the middleweight title, between Mickey Walker's move up to heavyweight in 1931 and NBA champion Tony Zale's defeat of NYSAC contender Georgie Abrams in 1941. An early use of "undisputed" appears in a "New York Times" preview of the 1941 fight. The growing popularity of boxing outside of the USA led to creation of various boxing organizations, each strengthening their influence (most notably BBBofC) and having their own champion. This resulted in a
Professional boxing 1996. In their 1997 rematch, Tyson bit a chunk from Holyfield's ear, resulting in his disqualification; Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for one year and he was fined US$3 million. Holyfield won two of the three title belts, but lost a final match in 1999 with WBC champion Lennox Lewis, who became undisputed champion. The last decade has witnessed a continued decline in the popularity of boxing in the United States, marked by a malaise in the heavyweight division and the increased competition in the Pay-Per-View market from MMA and its main promotion, the