former champion
Dethroned title holder
A former champion is someone who once held a championship title but no longer does—whether through defeat, retirement, or the passage of time.
The phrase emphasizes past achievement while acknowledging current status: The former champion struggled in his comeback fight.
It can carry respect for past glory or subtle dismissal of faded relevance.
- retiredNo longer in workforce
- dethronedRemoved from power
- defendingProtecting against harm
- titleFormal honorific or name
- title shotMatch for the belt
belt · comeback · legacy · glory days · glory · faded · fallen · fallen from grace · reign · defeated · stripped · underdog · rematch · twilight · veteran · legendary · washed-up · redemption
- boxingjab, uppercut, hook, punch, knockout
- Former Rolesex-president, ex-wife, ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend
- olympic designationgold medal, silver medal, bronze medal, Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics
former championreigning champion
Current holder of title
defending champion · titleholder · champion · title holder · world champion
former championrising star
Emerging person of promise
up-and-comer · never-was · contender · challenger · hopeful
former, champion, form, forms, formed, forming, formerly, champ, champs