The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - championn.

1) victor, winner, conqueror, title-holder, prizewinner, titleist: She is the women's singles champion for the fourth year in a row. 2) defender, guardian, protector, hero, supporter, backer, protagonist, advocate: He acquired a reputation as champion of the low-paid. 3) fighter, combatant, hero, warrior, campaigner, veteran: A stouter champion never handled a sword. The boar is often regarded as the champion among beasts. --v. 4) defend, protect, guard; support, back, stand up for, fight for, maintain, sustain, uphold; espouse, forward, promote, advocate: He has always championed the cause of the underdog.