List of United States national amateur boxing lightweight champions

Below is a list of National Amateur Boxing

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 ...

Champions, also known as United States Amateur Champions, along with the state or region which they represented. The weight class was contested at 135 pounds between 1888 and 1951. It has been contested at 132 pounds, since 1952. The United States National Boxing Championships bestow the title of United States Amateur Champion on amateur boxers for winning the annual national amateur boxing tournament organized by

USA Boxing USA Boxing is the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing. It is overseen by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association (AIBA), which sets its rules. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, USA Boxing i ...

, the national governing body for Olympic boxing and is the United States' member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA). It is one of the four premier amateur boxing tournaments, the others being the

National Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nationa ...

Tournament, which crowns its own amateur lightweight champion, the Police Athletic League Tournament, and the United States Armed Forces Tournament, all sending champions to the US Olympic Trials. * 1888 – T. Thompson, NYAC * 1889 – E.F. Walker, Navy/Philadelphia, PA * 1890 – J. Rice, VBC * 1891 – O.H. Zeigler, Philadelphia, PA * 1892 – Not held * 1893 – H.M. Leeds, PASC * 1894 – C.J. Gehring, Baltimore, MD * 1895 – J. Quinn, Bedford, MA * 1896 – James Pyne, New York, NY * 1897 – Ed Dix, Philadelphia, PA * 1898 – Not held * 1899 – G. Jensen, New York, NY * 1900 – J. Hopkins, New York, NY * 1901 – J.F. Mumford, New York, NY * 1902 –

John Dillon John Dillon (4 September 1851 – 4 August 1927) was an Irish politician from Dublin, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for over 35 years and was the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. By political disposition Dillon was an a ...

, New York, NY * 1903 – John Leavy, New York, NY * 1904 –

Goliath Jones Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant defeated by the young David in single combat. The story signified King Saul's ...

, Cambridge, MA * 1905 – Ambrose McGarry, New York, NY * 1906 –

Lew Powell Lew Powell is an American journalist, author, and newspaper editor. He began his career by founding and editing the independent liberal monthly newspaper '' Mississippi Freelance''. He reported and edited for ''The'' ''Charlotte Observer'' for thir ...

, San Francisco, CA * 1907 – Joseph Doyle, New York, NY * 1908 – J. Denning, New York, NY * 1909 – Billy Shevlin, New Jersey * 1910 –

William Volk William is a male given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norm ...

, Quincy, MA * 1911 – James Jarvis, New York, NY * 1912 –

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, New Orleans, LA * 1913 – M.J. Crowley, Malden, MA * 1914 – D. Stosh, Cleveland, OH * 1915 – M.J. Crowley, Malden, MA * 1916 – Thomas Murphy, Kansas City, MO * 1917 – Thomas Murphy, Kansas City, MO * 1918 – Thomas O'Malley, Philadelphia, PA * 1919 – Frank Cassidy, New York, NY * 1920 – Thomas Murphy, Kansas City, MO * 1921 –

Ben Ponteau Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( ...

, New York, NY * 1922 – Joe Ryan, Pittsburgh, PA * 1923 – John McManus, Boston, MA * 1924 –

Fred Boyistein Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico R ...

, Pittsburgh, PA * 1925 – J. McGonigal, Weymouth, MA * 1926 –

Thomas Lown Thomas Lown (April 5, 1904 – September 22, 1977) was an American boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. He was born in New York City. In 1928, he was eliminated in the first round of the welterweight class after losing his figh ...

, New York, NY * 1927 – Francis Burke, San Francisco, CA * 1928 – Steve Halaiko, Buffalo, NY * 1929 – Steve Halaiko, Buffalo, NY * 1930 –

Alex Santora Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...

, New York, NY * 1931 –

Al Gomez AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

, San Francisco, CA * 1932 –

Nat Bor Nathan "Nat" Bor (March 1, 1913 – June 13, 1972) was an American boxer who won a light weight bronze medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics. He continued primarily a professional welterweight boxing career until around 1940, when he served as a M ...

, Fall River, MA * 1933 –

Frank Eagan Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Cur ...

, Buffalo, NY * 1934 –

Norbert Meehan Norbert is a Germanic given name, from ''nord'' "north" and ''berht'' "bright". Norbert is also occasionally found as a surname. People with the given name Academia * Norbert Angermann (born 1936), German historian * Norbert A’Campo (born 194 ...

, San Francisco, CA * 1935 – W. Beauhod, St. Louis, MO * 1936 – Thomas Pallatin, South Bend, IN * 1937 – Joseph Kelly, Philadelphia, PA * 1938 –

Richard Ford Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel ''The Sportswriter'' and its sequels, ''Independence Day'', ''The Lay of the Land'' and ''Let Me Be Frank With You'', and the ...

, Lawrence, MA * 1939 – George Toy, Cleveland, OH * 1940 – Paul Matsumoto, Honolulu, HI * 1941 – Frankie Thompson, Florence, AL * 1942 – R. McQuillan, Lackawanna, NY * 1943 – Charles Hunter, Cleveland, OH * 1944 – Joey D'Amato, Warren, OH * 1945 –

Jetson Arnold Jetson, Jetsons or The Jetsons may refer to: * ''The Jetsons'', an animated TV show that first aired in 1962, and the title family ** ''The Jetsons'' (comics), a comic book series based on the TV series ** '' Jetsons: The Movie'', a 1990 animate ...

, Philadelphia, PA * 1946 – Joseph Discepoli, Marines * 1947 – Frankie Thompson, Florence, AL * 1948 – Frankie Thompson, Florence, AL * 1949 – Charles Adkins, Gary, IN * 1950 – Frankie Thompson, Florence, AL * 1951 – Jimmy Hackney, Philadelphia, PA * 1952 –

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to ce ...

, Detroit, MI * 1953 – Frank Smith, Cincinnati, OH * 1954 – Garnet Hart, Philadelphia, PA * 1955 – Jack Puscas, Portland, OR * 1956 –

Bill Cherry William Kimble Cherry (born January 5, 1961) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League who played for the Green Bay Packers. Cherry played College football, collegiate ball for Middle Tennessee State Universi ...

, Cleveland, OH * 1957 – Gene Gresham, Detroit, MI * 1958 – Adam Ellison, Columbus, OH * 1959 – Quincy Daniels, Seattle, WA * 1960 – Brian O'Shea, Chicago, IL * 1961 – Woodie Marcus, Pocatello, ID * 1962 – George Foster, Cincinnati, OH * 1963 – Manuel Rameriz, San Jose, CA * 1964 – Ronnie Harris, Detroit, MI * 1965 –

Herb Dolloson In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

, Washington, DC * 1966 – Ronnie Harris, Canton, OH * 1967 – Ronnie Harris, Canton, OH * 1968 – Ronnie Harris, Canton, OH * 1969 –

Juan Ruiz Juan Ruiz (), known as the Archpriest of Hita (''Arcipreste de Hita''), was a medieval Castilian poet. He is best known for his ribald, earthy poem, ''Libro de buen amor'' ('' The Book of Good Love''). Biography Origins He was born in Alcal ...

, Air Force * 1970 – James Parks, Marines * 1971 –

James Busceme James "Bubba" Busceme (born 14 February 1952), is a retired American boxer, who became one of the most celebrated American amateur boxers in history. Amateur career Born in Beaumont, Texas, Busceme was, at , the 1971 National AAU champion and ...

, Beaumont, TX * 1972 – Norman Goins, Edinburg, IN * 1973 –

Aaron Pryor Aaron Pryor (October 20, 1955 – October 9, 2016) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1990. He was a two-time light welterweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 1980 to 1983, and the IBF title from 1984 ...

, Cincinnati, OH * 1974 –

Hilmer Kenty James Kenty, also known as Hilmer Kenty (born July 30, 1955 in Austin, Texas) is the former WBA lightweight (135 lb) champion of the world. He was selected a member of the All-American AAU boxing team for 1973, and was named the top lightweight am ...

, Columbus, OH * 1975 –

, Columbus, OH * 1976 – Howard Davis, Jr., Glen Cove, NY * 1977 –

Anthony Fletcher Anthony John Fletcher (born 24 April 1941) is an English historian of the seventeenth century. His parents were Dr. (Clarence) John Molyneux Fletcher (younger brother of Eric Fletcher, Baron Fletcher) and Isabel Chenevix Trench. His maternal gra ...

, Philadelphia, PA * 1978 – Melvin Paul, New Orleans, LA * 1979 –

Davey Lee Armstrong Davey Lee Armstrong (June 9, 1956 – February 8, 2021) was a boxer from the United States. Amateur career Armstrong was born in Puyallup, Washington, and began boxing at the Tacoma Boys Club, along with future world champions Rocky Lockridge a ...

, Tacoma, WA * 1980 – Melvin Paul, New Orleans, LA * 1981 – Joe Manley, Army * 1982 –

Pernell Whitaker Pernell Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, ligh ...

, Norfolk, VA (spring), Clifford Gray Florida (winter * 1983 – Clifford Gray Florida * 1984 – Victor Levine, Kokomo, IN * 1985 –

Vince Phillips Vincent Edwards "Vince" Phillips (born July 23, 1963) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2007. He held the IBF junior welterweight title from 1997 to 1999, notably scoring an upset victory against then-undefeated ...

, Army * 1986 –

, Army * 1987 –

Charles Murray Charles Murray may refer to: Politicians *Charles Murray, 1st Earl of Dunmore (1661–1710), British peer *Charles Murray (author and diplomat) (1806–1895), British author and diplomat *Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore (1841–1907), Scotti ...

* 1988 – Romallis Ellis, Ellenwood, GA * 1989 –

Shane Mosley Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971), often known by his nickname "Sugar" Shane Mosley, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2016. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF l ...

, Pomona, CA * 1990 –

, Pomona, CA * 1991 –

Oscar De La Hoya Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championshi ...

, Los Angeles, CA * 1992 –

Patrice Brooks Patrice is a given name meaning '' noble'' or '' patrician'', related to the names Patrick and Patricia. In English, Patrice is often a feminine first name. In French, it is used as a masculine first name. Popularity In the United States, the pop ...

, St. Louis, MO * 1993 – Abayomi Miller, Ohio * 1994 –

Fernando Vargas Fernando Javier Vargas (born December 7, 1977) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2007. He was a two-time light middleweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 1998 to 2000, and the WBA title from 200 ...

, Oxnard, CA * 1995 –

Terrance Cauthen Terrance Davin Cauthen (born May 14, 1976) is an American boxer. Nicknamed "Heat", Cauthen won the Lightweight Bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Cauthen grew up in Trenton, New Jersey and trained in Philadelphia.Longman, Jere"BO ...

, Philadelphia, PA * 1996 – Brian Adams * 1997 – David Jackson, Seattle, WA * 1998 –

Jacob Hudson Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Jacob in Islam, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel (name), Israel, is regarded as a Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religi ...

, Augusta, GA * 1999 –

, Augusta, GA * 2000 –

Rock Allen Rock Allen (born September 5, 1981 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2009. As an amateur, he competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Allen is a twin and son of famous boxing trainer N ...

, Philadelphia, PA * 2001 –

Paulie Malignaggi Paul "Paulie" Malignaggi (; ; born November 23, 1980) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017 and has since worked as a boxing commentator and analyst. He held world championships in two weight classes, including ...

, Brooklyn, NY * 2002 – Verquan Kimbrough, Aliquippa, PA * 2003 –

Vicente Escobedo Vicente Escobedo (born November 6, 1981) is an American professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2013. As an amateur, he represented his country at the 2003 World Championships and the 2004 Summer Olympics. Amateur career As an amateur Es ...

, Woodland, CA * 2004 –

David Rodela David Rodela (born July 15, 1982) is an American professional boxer. Amateur career Rodela was the 2004 U.S. National Lightweight Champion. Professional career Rodela is trained by Freddie Roach. He is also the main sparring partner of Jose B ...

, Oxnard, CA * 2005 – Michael Evans, Dayton, OH * 2006 –

Danny García Danny Óscar Garcia (born March 20, 1988) is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super), WBC, ''Ring'' magazine and lineal light welterweight titles betwe ...

, Philadelphia, PA * 2007 – Diego Magdaleno, Las Vegas, NV * 2008 – James Brumley Manchester Kentucky * 2009 – Duran Caffero, Jr., Helena, MT * 2010 – José Ramírez, Avenal, CA * 2011 – José Ramírez, Avenal, CA * 2012 – José Ramírez, Avenal, CA {{United States national amateur boxing champions

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...