Welterweight 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). Altern ...
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 oppon ...
s. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
, but other combat sports like
Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
,
taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
, and
mixed martial arts
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 striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
also use it for their own weight division system to classify the opponents. In most sports that use it, welterweight is heavier than
lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.
Boxing
Professional boxing
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 boxe ...
but lighter than
middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
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 be ...
.
Etymology
The first known instance of the term is from 1831, meaning "heavyweight horseman," later "boxer or wrestler of a certain weight" by 1896. This sense comes from earlier "welter" "heavyweight horseman or boxer" from 1804, possibly from "welt", meaning "to beat severely", from 15th century.
Boxing
Professional boxing
A professional welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 140 pounds (≈63 kg), but no more than 147 pounds (≈67 kg).
Current world champions
Current champions
Current world rankings
='' The Ring''
=
As of December, 10, 2022.
Keys:
: Current ''
The Ring'' world champion
=
BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
=
.
Longest reigning world welterweight champions
Below is a list of longest reigning welterweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.
Top 10 most title defenses
Below is a list of most title defenses of welterweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's reign with the most title defenses. Career total title defenses as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.
Amateur boxing
Olympic champions
The current
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
male welterweight division is set at .
Kickboxing
The weight division system is different in each organisation, so the kickboxing weight divisions of some international organizations vary:
*
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), welterweight (Pro & Amateur) .
*
International Sport Karate Association
The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the Unite ...
(ISKA), welterweight .
*
World Kickboxing Association
The World Kickboxing Association (WKA) also known as World Kickboxing and Karate Association, is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning body for kickboxing and Karate.
History
In 1976, the WKA was founded by Howa ...
(WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit .
*In
Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to .
*
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 ...
, welterweight upper limit .
Mixed martial arts
The welterweight limit, as defined by the
Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
and the
Association of Boxing Commissions
The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) is a North American not-for-profit professional boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) organization that organizes contests and record-keeping. It is governed by delegates of state, provincial, and tribal at ...
is .
Current champions
This table is not always up to date. Last updated August 21, 2022.
Other sports
Other sports to include a welterweight division include the following,
*
Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
has fixed its weight division similarly to boxing.
**
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): Muay Thai Welterweight (Pro & Amateur) 142.1-147 lb or 64.59-66.8 kg
** World Muay Thai Council (WMC), welterweight range is from 140 to 147 lb or 63.5 to 66.6 kg
** World Muay Thai Federation (WMF), the official amateur organization, fixed welterweight from for adult; the junior category is the same as adult
* The official rules of
shoot boxing define welterweights as between .
* In Olympic
taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
, welterweight falls between . At the weight classes for the Olympic games it is between .
References
External links
{{Boxing weight classes
Boxing weight classes
Kickboxing weight classes
Professional wrestling weight classes
Taekwondo weight classes
Wrestling weight classes
*
*