boxing weight classes in order

What are the 17 Boxing weight classes in order?

In boxing, a weight class is a measurement weight range for boxers. The lower limit of a weight class is equal to the upper weight limit of the class below it. The top class, with no upper limit, is called heavyweight in professional boxing and super heavyweight in amateur boxing. A boxing match is usually scheduled for a fixed weight class, and each boxer’s weight must not exceed the upper limit. Although professional boxers may fight above their weight class, an amateur boxer’s weight must not fall below the lower limit. A nonstandard weight limit is called a catchweight.

What are the 17 weight classes in boxing in order?


Glamour divisions Boxing weight classes in order

Glamour divisions Boxing weight classes in order

Boxing has its own “Original Eight” weight divisions, also known as the “traditional”, “classic”, or “glamour” divisions. These divisions are the most prominent and widely recognized weight divisions in boxing. Manny Pacquiao has won world championships in the greatest number of the glamour divisions, winning championships in the flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight divisions.

 

1. Heavyweight

Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.

Boxers who weigh over 200 pounds (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, and the World Boxing Organization. In 2020, the World Boxing Council increased their heavyweight classification to 224 pounds (102 kg; 16 st) to allow for their creation of the bridgerweight division.

 

2. Light heavyweight

Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. In professional boxing, the division is above 168 pounds (76 kg) and up to 175 pounds (79 kg), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight.

The light-heavyweight class has produced some of boxing’s greatest champions: Bernard Hopkins (who, upon becoming champion, broke the record for oldest man to win a world title), Archie Moore was the FIRST oldest man to become champion Tommy Loughran, Billy Conn, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore, Michael Moorer, Bob Foster, Ann Wolfe, Michael Spinks, Dariusz Michalczewski, Roy Jones Jr., Sergey Kovalev and Zsolt Erdei.

Many light heavyweight champions unsuccessfully challenged for the heavyweight crown until Michael Spinks became the first reigning light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight championship. Bob Fitzsimmons captured the light-heavyweight championship after losing his heavyweight championship. Two all-time great heavyweight champions, Ezzard Charles and Floyd Patterson, started out as light heavyweights. Charles defeated Archie Moore and Joey Maxim several times in non-title bouts before becoming heavyweight champion and Patterson lost an eight-round decision to Joey Maxim before becoming heavyweight champion himself. Evander Holyfield successfully moved up from the light-heavyweight division to the cruiserweight division and eventually the heavyweight division and became undisputed champion of the latter two.

 

3. Middleweight

Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above 154 lb (70 kg) and up to 160 lb (73 kg).

Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1867. Chandler won, becoming known as the American middleweight champion. The first middleweight fight with gloves may have been between George Fulljames and Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey (no relation to the more famous heavyweight Jack Dempsey).

 

4. Welterweight

Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term “welterweight” was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the opponents. In most sports that use it, welterweight is heavier than lightweight but lighter than middleweight.

 

5. Lightweight

Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.

The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxers include Henry Armstrong, Ken Buchanan, Tony Canzoneri, Pedro Carrasco, Joel Casamayor, Al “Bummy” Davis, Oscar De La Hoya, Roberto Durán, Joe Gans, Artur Grigorian, Benny Leonard, Ray Mancini, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Juan Manuel Márquez, Sugar Shane Mosley, Miguel Ángel González, Carlos Ortiz, Katie Taylor, Edwin Valero, Len Wickwar, Pernell Whitaker, Manny Pacquiao and Ike Williams.

 

6. Featherweight

Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.

A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of 126 pounds (57 kg). In the early days of the division, this limit fluctuated. The British have generally always recognized the limit at 126 pounds, but in America the weight limit was at first 114 pounds. An early champion, George Dixon, moved the limit to 120 and then 122 pounds. Finally, in 1920 the United States fixed the limit at 126 pounds.

 

7. Bantamweight

Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above 115 lb (52.2 kg) and up to 118 lb (53.5 kg). In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between 53 and 55 kilograms (117 and 121 lb). In MMA, bantamweight is 126–135 lb (57.2–61.2 kg).

The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Brazilian jiu-jitsu has an equivalent Rooster weight. Bantamweight is a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds (52.2 kg) and up to 118 pounds (53.5 kg).

 

8. Flyweight

Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).

The flyweight division was the last of boxing’s eight traditional weight classes to be established. Before 1909, anyone below featherweight was considered a bantamweight, regardless of how small the boxer. In 1911, the organization that eventually became the British Boxing Board of Control held a match that crowned Sid Smith as the first flyweight champion of the world. Jimmy Wilde, who reigned from 1916 to 1923, was the first fighter recognized both in Britain and the United States as a flyweight champion.

 


Tweener divisions Boxing weight classes in order

Tweener divisions Boxing weight classes in order

The newcomer weight divisions or “tweener divisions”, mostly recognized with either a “super”, “light” or “junior” in front of their names, took many years to be fully recognized as legitimate weight divisions in boxing. Manny Pacquiao has won world championships in four of these divisions; super bantamweight, super featherweight, light welterweight and light middleweight.

 

1. Bridgerweight

Bridgerweight is a weight class in professional boxing created and used by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The weight is named after six-year-old American Bridger Walker, who saved his four-year-old sister from a stray dog in July 2020.

 

2. Cruiserweight

Cruiserweight, also referred to as junior heavyweight, is a weight class in professional boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Before the advent of the current cruiserweight class, “light heavyweight” and “cruiserweight” were sometimes used interchangeably in the United Kingdom.

The current weight limit for the division is 200 pounds (90.7 kg; 14 st 4.0 lb). When originally established, the weight limit was 190 pounds (86.2 kg; 13 st 8.0 lb). The division was established in order to accommodate smaller heavyweight boxers who could not compete with the growing size of boxers in that division. While many great heavyweight champions (such as Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis) weighed around 190 pounds in their career, during the 1970s it became fairly standard that fit heavyweight boxers weighed at least 210 pounds (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb). It was felt by many boxing authorities that asking men weighing between 176 pounds (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb) and 190 pounds (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) to fight these larger men was unfair.

 

3. Super middleweight

Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds (73 kg) and 168 pounds (76 kg). The class first appeared in 1967.

 

4. Light middleweight

Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight, is a weight class in combat sports.

The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA and WBC), is a weight division in professional boxing, above 66.7 kg and up to 69.9 kg (147–154 pounds).

 

5. Light welterweight

Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.

In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, in which boxers weigh above 61.2kg or 135 pounds and up to 63.5 kg or 140 pounds. The first champion of this weight class was Pinky Mitchell in 1946, though he was only awarded his championship by a vote of the readers of the Boxing Blade magazine. There was not widespread acceptance of this new weight division in its early years, and the New York State Athletic Commission withdrew recognition of it in 1930. The National Boxing Association continued to recognize it until its champion, Barney Ross relinquished the title in 1935 to concentrate on regaining the welterweight championship.

 

6. Super featherweight

Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between 126 pounds (57 kg) and 130 pounds (59 kg).

The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded[clarification needed] by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) in 1930. The first English champion was “Battling Kid” Nelson in 1914 who lost his title to Benny Berger in 1915. Artie O’Leary also won this title in 1917. This weight class appeared into two distinct historical periods, from 1921 to 1933 and 1960 to the present.

 

7. Super bantamweight

Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from 118 pounds (54 kg) and up to 122 pounds (55 kg).

There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or state athletic commissions would recognize it. Jack Wolf won recognition as champion when he beat Joe Lynch at Madison Square Garden on September 21, 1922, but afterwards the weight division fell into disuse.

 

8. Super flyweight

Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from 112 pounds (51 kg) and up to 115 pounds (52 kg).

The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council responded to pressure from Asian and Latin American members who felt the difference between the flyweight limit and the bantamweight limit was too significant. Rafael Orono won the inaugural title in February of that year by defeating Seung-Hoon Lee. The World Boxing Association followed suit in 1981 when Gustavo Ballas won the vacant title by knocking out Sok-Chul Baek. The first International Boxing Federation champion was Ju-Do Chun, who won the belt in 1983 with a knockout of Ken Kasugai.

 

9. Light flyweight

Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing.

The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920, the law stipulated a “junior flyweight” class, with a weight limit of 99 pounds. When the National Boxing Association was formed in 1921, it also recognized this weight class. However, on January 19, 1922, the NBA decided to withdraw recognition of the junior flyweight division. On December 31, 1929, the New York State Athletic Commission also abolished the junior flyweight class. No champion had been crowned in this division prior to its abolition.

The World Boxing Council (WBC) decided to resurrect this division in the 1970s. The first champion in this division was Franco Udella, who won the WBC title in 1975. The World Boxing Association also crowned its first champion in 1975, when Jaime Rios defeated Rigoberto Marcano via fifteen-round decision. The first International Boxing Federation champion was Dodie Boy Penalosa, who won the belt in 1983.

 

10. Mini flyweight

Mini flyweight, also known as strawweight, minimumweight or super atomweight, is a weight class in combat sports.

In professional boxing, boxers in the minimumweight division may weigh no more than 105 pounds (48 kg). This is a relatively new weight category for professionals, first inaugurated by the major boxing sanctioning bodies between 1987 and 1990.

 


Amateur boxing

When the (amateur) International Boxing Association (AIBA) was founded in 1946 to govern amateur boxing, it metricated the weight class limits by rounding them to the nearest kilogram. Subsequent alterations as outlined in the boxing at the Summer Olympics article; these have introduced further discrepancies between amateur and professional class limits and names. The lower weight classes are to be adjusted in September 2010, to establish an absolute minimum weight for adult boxers.

Amateur weight classes also specify the minimum weight (which the same as the maximum weight of the next highest class). For safety reasons, fighters cannot fight at a higher weight. This also meant that even the heaviest weight class has a limit, albeit a lower bound. The lower limit for “heavyweight” was established in 1948 at 81 kg. When a new limit of 91+ kg was established in 1984, the name “heavyweight” was kept by the 81+ kg class, and the 91+ kg class was named “super heavyweight”, a name not currently used in professional boxing.

 

Class name Weight class limit (kg/lbs)
Men Women Junior
Super heavyweight Unlimited
Heavyweight 93 kg (205.0 lb; 14.6 st) Unlimited Unlimited
Cruiserweight 86 kg (189.6 lb; 13.5 st)
Light heavyweight 80 kg (176.4 lb; 12.6 st) 81 kg (178.6 lb; 12.8 st) 80 kg (176.4 lb; 12.6 st)
Middleweight 75 kg (165.3 lb; 11.8 st) 75 kg (165.3 lb; 11.8 st) 75 kg (165.3 lb; 11.8 st)
Light middleweight 71 kg (156.5 lb; 11.2 st) 70 kg (154.3 lb; 11.0 st) 70 kg (154.3 lb; 11.0 st)
Welterweight 67 kg (147.7 lb; 10.6 st) 66 kg (145.5 lb; 10.4 st) 66 kg (145.5 lb; 10.4 st)
Light welterweight 63.5 kg (140.0 lb; 10.0 st) 63 kg (138.9 lb; 9.9 st) 63 kg (138.9 lb; 9.9 st)
Lightweight 60 kg (132.3 lb; 9.4 st) 60 kg (132.3 lb; 9.4 st) 60 kg (132.3 lb; 9.4 st)
Featherweight 57 kg (125.7 lb; 9.0 st) 57 kg (125.7 lb; 9.0 st) 57 kg (125.7 lb; 9.0 st)
Bantamweight 54 kg (119.0 lb; 8.5 st) 54 kg (119.0 lb; 8.5 st) 54 kg (119.0 lb; 8.5 st)
Light bantamweight 52 kg (114.6 lb; 8.2 st)
Flyweight 51 kg (112.4 lb; 8.0 st) 52 kg (114.6 lb; 8.2 st) 50 kg (110.2 lb; 7.9 st)
Light flyweight 50 kg (110.2 lb; 7.9 st) 48 kg (105.8 lb; 7.6 st)
Minimumweight 46–48 kg (101.4–105.8 lb; 7.2–7.6 st) 45–48 kg (99.2–105.8 lb; 7.1–7.6 st) 44–46 kg (97.0–101.4 lb; 6.9–7.2 st)
Atomweight 46 kg (101.4 lb; 7.2 st)

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