Middleweight is a
weight class
Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Alte ...
in
combat sport
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opp ...
s.
Boxing
Professional
In
professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
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
John Edward Kelly (December 15, 1862 – November 1, 1895) was an Irish-American boxer, better known as Nonpareil Jack Dempsey, who was the first holder of the World Middleweight Championship (1884–1891). He was nicknamed "Nonpareil" because ...
(no relation to the more famous
heavyweight Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...
).
Current world champions
Current world rankings
=''The Ring''
=
As of , .
Keys:
: Current ''
The Ring'' world champion
=BoxRec
=
As of , .
Longest reigning world middleweight champions
Below is a list of longest reigning middleweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) is ''not'' counted.
: Active Title Reign
: Reign has ended
Amateur
Olympic champions
*
1904:
*
1908:
*
1920:
*
1924:
*
1928:
*
1932:
*
1936:
*
1948:
*
1952:
*
1956:
*
1960:
*
1964:
*
1968:
*
1972:
*
1976:
*
1980:
*
1984:
*
1988:
*
1992:
*
1996:
*
2000:
*
2004:
*
2008:
*
2012:
*
2016:
*
2020:
Kickboxing
*
International Kickboxing Federation
The International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) is a sanctioning body for kickboxing and Muay Thai based in the United States. The IKF sanctions and regulates all aspects of these sports from Semi Contact IKF Point Kickboxing (IKF/PKB)) to Full Co ...
(IKF) Middleweight (Pro & Amateur) 159.1–165 lb. or 72.4–75 kg
* In
Glory promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85 kg (187 lb).
* In
Bellator Kickboxing
Bellator Kickboxing was an American kickboxing promotion company based in Los Angeles, active between 2016 and 2019. Bellator was founded in 2016 by president Scott Coker. It was the sister promotion of Bellator MMA. On April 16, 2016, Bellator ...
promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85 kg (187 lb).
* In
ONE Championship
ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...
, the middleweight division limit is .
Lethwei
The
World Lethwei Championship
World Lethwei Championship (also known as WLC) is a Lethwei promotion based in Yangon, Myanmar. The promotion brought to the millennia-old Burmese martial of Lethwei to UFC Fight Pass and showcased it to the world. The WLC events combined the hi ...
recognizes the middleweight division with an upper limit of . In
World Lethwei Championship
World Lethwei Championship (also known as WLC) is a Lethwei promotion based in Yangon, Myanmar. The promotion brought to the millennia-old Burmese martial of Lethwei to UFC Fight Pass and showcased it to the world. The WLC events combined the hi ...
,
Naimjon Tuhtaboyev
Naimjon Tuhtaboyev (Uzbek language, Uzbek: Naimjon To'xtaboyev; born 29 January 1993) is an Uzbekistan, Uzbek Lethwei and Muay Thai fighter who currently competes in the World Lethwei Championship (WLC), where he is the reigning World Lethwei Cha ...
is the Middleweight Champion.
Mixed Martial Arts
In
MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...
, the middleweight division is from 171 lb (77.5 kg) to 185 lb (84 kg).
Anderson Silva is considered to be the greatest Middleweight
MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...
fighter of all time.
Taekwondo
References
{{Boxing weight classes
Boxing weight classes
Kickboxing weight classes
Professional wrestling weight classes
Taekwondo weight classes
Wrestling weight classes
*