Middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Professional
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).
Current world champions
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses | Beaten opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA (Super) | January 7, 2021 |  Ryota Murata[1]
|
16–2–0 (13 KO) | 0 | 0 |
| WBC | April 21, 2018 |  Jermall Charlo
|
31–0–0 (22 KO) | 3 | 3 |
| IBF | October 5, 2019 |  Gennady Golovkin
|
41–1–1 (36 KO) | 1 | 1 |
| WBO | October 20, 2018 | Demetrius Andrade
|
29–0–0 (18 KO) | 3 | 3 |
Current interim champions
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses | Beaten opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | December 7, 2019 |  Chris Eubank Jr.
|
29–2–0 (22 KO) | 0 | 0 |
Current world rankings
The Ring
As of December 21, 2024.[2]
Keys:
- C Current The Ring world champion
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C |  Canelo Alvarez
|
54–1–2 (36 KO) | WBA |
| 1 | Gennady Golovkin
|
41–1–1 (36 KO) | IBF |
| 2 | Demetrius Andrade
|
29–0 (18 KO) | WBO |
| 3 | Jermall Charlo
|
31–0 (22 KO) | WBC |
| 4 |  Serhiy Derevyanchenko
|
13–3 (10 KO) | |
| 5 | Ryōta Murata
|
16–2 (13 KO) | |
| 6 |  Kamil Szeremeta
|
21–1 (5 KO) | |
| 7 | Chris Eubank Jr.
|
29–2 (22 KO) | |
| 8 | Rob Brant
|
26–2 (18 KO) | |
| 9 | Maciej Sulęcki
|
29–2 (11 KO) | |
| 10 | Liam Williams
|
23–2–1 (18 KO) |
BoxRec
As of December 21, 2024.[3]
| Rank | Name | Record | Points | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gennady Golovkin
|
41–1–1 (36 KO) | 373.1 | IBF |
| 2 | Jermall Charlo
|
31–0 (22 KO) | 286.1 | WBC |
| 3 | Demetrius Andrade
|
29–0 (18 KO) | 162.0 | WBO |
| 4 | Chris Eubank Jr.
|
29–2 (22 KO) | 161.9 | |
| 5 | Jaime Munguia
|
36–0 (29 KO) | 133.3 | |
| 6 | Ryōta Murata
|
16–2 (13 KO) | 110.1 | |
| 7 | Liam Smith
|
29–2–1 (16 KO) | 81.07 | |
| 8 | Serhiy Derevyanchenko
|
13–3 (10 KO) | 77.83 | |
| 9 | Liam Williams
|
23–2–1 (18 KO) | 46.55 | |
| 10 | Rob Brant
|
26–2 (18 KO) | 44.19 |
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) does not apply.
| Rank | Name | Title Reign | Title Recognition | Successful Defenses | Beaten opponents | Fights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bernard Hopkins |
10 years, 2 months, 18 days | IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO | 20 | 17 | [4] |
| 2. | Tommy Ryan |
8 years, 7 months, 4 days | World | 6 | 6 | [5][6] |
| 3. | Tony Zale |
6 years, 11 months, 24 days | NBA (current WBA) | 4 | 4 | [7] |
| 4. |  Carlos Monzon |
6 years, 9 months, 9 days | WBA, WBC | 14 | 11 | [8][9] |
| 5. | Marvelous Marvin Hagler |
6 years, 7 months, 10 days | WBC, WBA, IBF | 12 | 10 | [10] |
| 6. |  Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey |
6 years, 6 months, 15 days | World | 2 | 2 | [11] |
| 7. |  Felix Sturm |
5 years, 4 months, 4 days | WBA (Super) | 12 | 11 | [12] |
| 8. | Gennady Golovkin |
4 years, 3 months, 12 days | WBA (Super), IBF, WBC | 10 | 10 | [13] |
| 9. | Bob Fitzsimmons |
3 years, 8 months, 12 days | World | 1 | 1 | [14][15] |
| 10. | Arthur Abraham |
3 years, 7 months, 2 days | IBF | 10 | 10 | [16] |
- Active Title Reign
- Reign has ended
Amateur
Olympic champions
- 1904:
Charles Mayer (USA) - 1908:
John Douglas (GBR) - 1920: Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1924: Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1928:
Piero Toscani (ITA) - 1932:
Carmen Barth (USA) - 1936:
Jean Despeaux (FRA) - 1948:
László Papp (HUN) - 1952: Floyd Patterson (USA)
- 1956:
Gennadiy Shatkov (URS) - 1960:
Eddie Crook, Jr. (USA) - 1964: Valeriy Popenchenko (URS)
- 1968: Chris Finnegan (GBR)
- 1972: Vyacheslav Lemeshev (URS)
- 1976: Michael Spinks (USA)
- 1980:
José Gómez Mustelier (CUB) - 1984:
Shin Joon-Sup (KOR) - 1988:
Henry Maske (GDR) - 1992: Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 1996: Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 2000: Jorge Gutiérrez (CUB)
- 2004:
Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov (RUS) - 2008: James DeGale (GBR)
- 2012:
Ryota Murata (JPN) - 2016: Arlen López (CUB)
Kickboxing
- International Kickboxing Federation (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).[17]
- In Bellator Kickboxing promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85 kg (187 lb).
Lethwei
In World Lethwei Championship Naimjon Tuhtaboyev is the Middleweight Champion.
Mixed Martial Arts
In MMA, the middleweight division is from 171 lbs (77.5 kg) to 185 lbs (84 kg).
Anderson Silva is considered to be the greatest Middleweight MMA fighter of all time.[18]
Taekwondo
| Category | Men's | Women's | Competitions | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleweight | 78–84 kg | 67–72 kg | World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games | since 1999 |
| Middleweight | 76–83 kg | 65–70 kg | World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games | until 1998 |
| Middleweight | 68–80 kg | 57–67 kg | Olympic Games, Pan Am Games, All-Africa Games |
References
- ^ . January 7, 2021 https://www.wbaboxing.com/boxing-news/ryota-murata-named-wba-middleweight-super-champion/. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "The Ring ratings: middleweight". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "BoxRec ratings: middleweight, active". Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Bernard Hopkins". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Tommy Ryan". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Tommy Ryan, p. 242" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Tony Zale, p. 794" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Carlos Monzon". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Carlos Monzon, p. 608" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Marvin Hagler". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Felix Sturm". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Gennadiy Golovkin". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Bob Fitzsimmons". Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "Bob Fitzsimmons, p. 128" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Arthur Abraham". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ OFFICIAL GLORY RANKING Archived 2014-01-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Ten greatest middleweight fighters in MMA history: Anderson Silva is the division's clear GOAT".