Light welterweight
Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight[1] or super lightweight,[2] is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Professional boxing
In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, in which boxers weigh above 61.2kg or 135 pounds and up to 63.5 kg or 140 pounds. The first champion of this weight class was Pinky Mitchell in 1946, though he was only awarded his championship by a vote of the readers of the Boxing Blade magazine.
There was not widespread acceptance of this new weight division in its early years, and the New York State Athletic Commission withdrew recognition of it in 1930. The National Boxing Association continued to recognize it until its champion, Barney Ross relinquished the title in 1935 to concentrate on regaining the welterweight championship.
A few commissions recognized bouts in the 1940s as being for the light welterweight title, but the modern beginnings of this championship date from 1959 when Carlos Ortiz won the vacant title with a victory over Kenny Lane. Both the WBA and WBC recognized the same champions until 1967, when the WBC stripped Paul Fuji of the title and matched Pedro Adigue and Adolph Pruitt for their version of the championship. Adigue won a fifteen-round decision. The International Boxing Federation recognized Aaron Pryor as its first champion in 1984.
Current world champions
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses | Beaten opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBF | May 18, 2019 |  Josh Taylor
|
16–0–0 (12 KO) | 1 | 1 |
| WBA | October 26, 2019 | 0 | 0 | ||
| WBC | March 17, 2018 |  José Ramírez
|
25–0–0 (17 KO) | 3 | 3 |
| WBO | July 27, 2019 | 0 | 0 |
Current interim champions
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses | Beaten opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | July 27, 2019 |  Alberto Puello
|
17–0 (9 KO) | 0 | 0 |
Current The Ring world rankings
As of May 9, 2024.[3]
Keys:
- C Current The Ring world champion
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Josh Taylor
|
16–0 (12 KO) | IBF, WBA |
| 1 | José Ramírez
|
25–0 (17 KO) | WBO, WBC |
| 2 | Regis Prograis
|
24–1 (20 KO) | |
| 3 |  Ivan Baranchyk
|
20–1 (13 KO) | |
| 4 |  Viktor Postol
|
31–2 (12 KO) | |
| 5 | Kiryl Relikh
|
23–3 (19 KO) | |
| 6 | Maurice Hooker
|
27–1–3 (18 KO) | |
| 7 | Jose Zepeda
|
31–2 (25 KO) | |
| 8 | Mario Barrios
|
25–0 (16 KO) | |
| 9 | Arnold Barboza
|
23–0 (10 KO) | |
| 10 |  Batyrzhan Jukembayev
|
18–0 (14 KO) |
Amateur boxing
In amateur boxing, light welterweight is a weight class for fighters weighing up to 64 kilograms. For the 1952 Summer Olympics, the division was created when the span from 54–67 kg was changed from three weight classes (featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight) to four. Perhaps the most famous amateur light welterweight champion is Sugar Ray Leonard, who went on to an impressive professional career.[4]
Olympic Champions
- 1952 –
Charles Adkins (USA) - 1956 –
Vladimir Yengibaryan (URS) - 1960 –
Bohumil Nemeček (TCH) - 1964 –
Jerzy Kulej (POL) - 1968 – Jerzy Kulej (POL)
- 1972 –
Ray Seales (USA) - 1976 – Ray Leonard (USA)
- 1980 –
Patrizio Oliva (ITA) - 1984 – Jerry Page (USA)
- 1988 – Vyacheslav Yanovskiy (URS)
- 1992 –
Héctor Vinent (CUB) - 1996 – Héctor Vinent (CUB)
- 2000 –
Muhammadqodir Abdullaev (UZB) - 2004 –
Manus Boonjumnong (THA) - 2008 –
Felix Diaz (DOM) - 2012 – Roniel Iglesias (CUB)
- 2016 – Fazliddin Gaibnazarov (UZB)
Notable Light welterweights
- Saensak Muangsurin
- Saoul Mamby
- Tippy Larkin
- Aaron Pryor
- Carlos Morocho Hernández
- Antonio Cervantes
- Julio César Chávez
- Oscar De La Hoya
- Pernell Whitaker
- Kostya Tszyu
- Duilio Loi
- Eddie Perkins
- Erik Morales
- Ricky Hatton
- Manny Pacquiao
- Floyd Mayweather Jr.
- Amir Khan
- Juan Manuel Márquez
- Micky Ward
- Arturo Gatti
- Marijan Beneš
- Danny García
- Devon Alexander
- Ruslan Provodnikov
- Alexis Arguello
- Timothy Bradley
- Viktor Postol
- Wilfred Benítez
- Miguel Cotto
- Terence Crawford
- Julius Indongo
- Paulie Malignaggi
- Junior Witter
- Regis Prograis
- Josh Taylor
Kickboxing
- In the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF), Super lightweight is 132.1 - 137 lbs or 60.04 - 62.27 kg, & Light welterweight is 137.1 - 142 lbs or 62.31 - 64.54 kg.
References
- ^ "Ring Ratings" Archived 2015-11-15 at the Wayback Machine. The Ring. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
- ^ "Current WBA Champions". WBA. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
- ^ "The Ring ratings: light welterweight". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Boxing's Greatest Fighters: Sugar Ray Leonard - classic - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2011-12-06.