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). Alte ...

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 oppo ...

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, taekwondo, 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, incor ...

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

= .

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 bet ...

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 (IKF), welterweight (Pro & Amateur) . * International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), welterweight . * World Kickboxing Association (WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit . *In Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to . * ONE Championship, welterweight upper limit .

Mixed martial arts

The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the Association of Boxing Commissions 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 has fixed its weight division similarly to boxing. ** International Kickboxing Federation (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, 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 * *