Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the opponents. In most sports that use it, welterweight is heavier than lightweight but lighter than middleweight.
Contents
Boxing[edit]
Professional boxing[edit]
A welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 63.5 kg (140 lb), but no more than 66.7 kg (147 lb).[1]
Henry Armstrong holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses at this division, with 19 defenses of the lineal title.
Professional champions[edit]
Current champions
| Sanctioning body | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA (Super title) | January 16, 2015 |  Keith Thurman |
28–0–0–1 (22 KO) | 4 |
| WBA (Regular title) | February 18, 2017 | Lamont Peterson |
35–3–1–0 (17 KO) | 0 |
| WBC | March 4, 2017 | Keith Thurman |
28–0–0–1 (22 KO) | 0 |
| IBF | May 27, 2017 | Errol Spence |
22–0–0–0 (19 KO) | 0 |
| WBO | July 2, 2017 |  Jeff Horn |
18–0–1–0 (11 KO) | 0 |
Current The Ring magazine welterweight rankings Updated 1 May 2017
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keith Thurman |
28–0 (22 KO) | WBA (Super), WBC |
| 2 | Errol Spence |
22–0 (19 KO) | IBF |
| 3 | Shawn Porter |
27–2–1 (17 KO) | |
| 4 |  Kell Brook |
36–2 (25 KO) | |
| 5 | Danny García |
33–1 (19 KO) | |
| 6 | Lamont Peterson |
35–3–1 (17 KO) | WBA (Regular) |
| 7 |  Lucas Matthysse |
38–4 (35 KO) | |
| 8 | Jeff Horn |
17–0–1 (11 KO) | WBO |
| 9 |  Manny Pacquiao |
59-7–2 (38 KO) | |
| 10 | Jessie Vargas |
27–2 (10 KO) |
Longest reigning welterweight champions[edit]
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.
| Name | Title reign | Title recognition | Successful defenses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Félix Trinidad |
6 years, 8 months, 14 days | IBF | 15 |
| 2. |  Antonio Margarito |
5 years, 3 months, 28 days | WBO | 7 |
| 3. |  Jose Napoles |
4 years, 6 months, 2 days | WBA, WBC | 11 |
| 4. | Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
4 years, 1 month, 18 days | WBC | 5 |
| 5. | Pernell Whitaker |
4 years, 1 month, 6 days | WBC | 8 |
| 6. | Pipino Cuevas |
4 years and 16 days | WBA | 11 |
| 7. | Sugar Ray Robinson |
3 years, 7 months, 19 days | World | 5 |
| 8. | Donald Curry |
3 years, 7 months, 14 days | WBA | 7 |
| 9. | Jack Britton |
3 years, 7 months, 13 days | World | 4 |
| 10. | Mickey Walker |
3 years, 5 months, 20 days | World | 5 |
Amateur boxing[edit]
Olympic champions[edit]
The current Olympic male welterweight division is set at 64–69 kg (141–152 lbs).[1]
Kickboxing[edit]
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) 142.1 pounds - 147 pounds (64.6 kg - 66.8 kg).[2]
- International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), welterweight 142.1 pounds - 147 pounds (64.6 kg - 66.8 kg).[3]
- World Kickboxing Association (WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit 147.4 pounds (67 kg).[4]
- In Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to 77 kg (170 pounds).[5]
Mixed martial arts[edit]
The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission[6] and the Association of Boxing Commissions[7] is 155 pounds (70.3 kg) to 170 pounds (77.1 kg).
Other sports[edit]
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 lbs. - 147 lbs.(64.59 kg - 66.8 kg)
- World Muay Thai Council (WMC), welterweight range is from 140 pounds (63.5 kg) to 147 pounds (66.6 kg)
- World Muay Thai Federation (WMF), the official amateur organization, fixed welterweight from 63.5 to 67 kg for adult; the junior category is the same as adult
- The official rules of shoot boxing define welterweights as between 65 and 67 kg (143.3 to 147.7 lb).
- In Olympic taekwondo, welterweight falls between 74 and 80 kg. At the weight classes for the Olympic games it is between 68 and 80 kg.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Classes & Divisions". HolyTrinityBoxing.com. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- ^ "IKF WEIGHT CLASSES". IKFKickboxing.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL SPORT KARATE & KICKBOXING ASSOCIATION" (PDF). ISKAWorldHQ.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "WKA USA - Official Rulebook". WKAUSA.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "Fighters Rankings". gloryworldseries.com.
- ^ "Nevada Revised Statutes: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT". http://www.leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved 2007-02-20. External link in
|work=(help) - ^ "UNIFIED RULES OF MMA". ABCBoxing.com. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
