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
Etymology[edit]
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 c. 15th century.[1]
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).[2]
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) | January 28, 2015 |  Keith Thurman
|
29–0 (1) (22 KO) | 5 |
| WBA (regular) | July 15, 2018 |  Manny Pacquiao
|
61–7–2 (39 KO) | 1 |
| WBC | September 8, 2018 | Shawn Porter
|
30–2–1 (17 KO) | 1 |
| IBF | May 27, 2017 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
25–0 (21 KO) | 3 |
| WBO | June 9, 2018 | Terence Crawford
|
35–0 (26 KO) | 2 |
Current The Ring magazine welterweight rankings Updated 9 March 2019
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
25–0 (21 KO) | IBF |
| 2 | Terence Crawford
|
35–0 (26 KO) | WBO |
| 3 | Keith Thurman
|
29–0 (22 KO) | WBA (super) |
| 4 | Shawn Porter
|
30–2–1 (17 KO) | WBC |
| 5 | Manny Pacquiao
|
61–7–2 (39 KO) | WBA (regular) |
| 6 | Danny García
|
35–2 (21 KO) | |
| 7 |  Yordenis Ugás
|
23–4 (11 KO) | |
| 8 |  Jeff Horn
|
19–1–1 (13 KO) | |
| 9 |  Egidijus Kavaliauskas
|
21–0–1 (17 KO) | |
| 10 |  Sergey Lipinets
|
15–1 (11 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. |  Felix Trinidad |
6 years, 8 months, 14 days | IBF | 15 |
| 2. |  Antonio Margarito |
5 years, 3 months, 28 days | WBO | 7 |
| 3. | José Nápoles |
4 years, 6 months, 2 days | WBA, WBC | 11 |
| 4. | Keith Thurman |
4 years, 5 months and 4 days | WBA | 5 |
| 5. | Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
4 years, 1 month, 18 days | WBC | 5 |
| 6. | Pernell Whitaker |
4 years, 1 month, 6 days | WBC | 8 |
| 7. | Pipino Cuevas |
4 years and 16 days | WBA | 11 |
| 8. | Sugar Ray Robinson |
3 years, 7 months, 19 days | World | 5 |
| 9. | Donald Curry |
3 years, 7 months, 14 days | WBA | 7 |
| 10. | Jack Britton |
3 years, 7 months, 13 days | World | 4 |
Amateur boxing[edit]
Olympic champions[edit]
The current Olympic male welterweight division is set at 64–69 kg (141–152 lb).[2]
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) 142.1–147 lb or 64.59–66.8 kg.[3]
- International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), welterweight 142.1–147 lb or 64.6–66.8 kg.[4]
- World Kickboxing Association (WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit 147.7 lb or 67.0 kg.[5]
- In Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to 170 lb or 77 kg.[6]
Mixed martial arts[edit]
The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission[7] and the Association of Boxing Commissions[8] is 155 to 170 lb (70.3 to 77.1 kg).
Current champions[edit]
This table is not always up to date. Last updated March 15, 2019.
| Organization | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC | March 3, 2019 |  Kamaru Usman
|
15-1 (6KO 2SUB) | 0 |
| Bellator MMA | January 20, 2018 |  Rory MacDonald
|
20-4 (7KO 7SUB) | 0 |
| ONE Championship | November 17, 2018 |  Zebaztian Kadestam
|
11-4 (9KO 1SUB) | 0 |
| British Association of Mixed Martial Arts | March 9,2018 |  Terry Brazier
|
10-1 (4KO 2SUB) | 0 |
| Fight Nights Global | May 19, 2017 |  Georgy Kichigin
|
18-5 (1KO 15SUB) | 1 |
| KSW | April 14, 2018 |  Dricus Du Plessis
|
12-1 (4KO 8SUB) | 0 |
| Titan FC | June 29, 2018 |  Uroš Jurišic
|
9-0 (4KO 4SUB) | 0 |
| ACB | August 19, 2017 | Mukhamed Berkhamov
|
12-0 (2KO 8SUB) | 0 |
| Legacy Fighting Alliance | September 22, 2017 | James Nakashima
|
8-0 | 0 |
| Cage Warriors | Oct 20, 2018 |  Ross Houston
|
8 - 0 | 0 |
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) 142.1-147 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 65.0 to 67.0 kg (143.3 to 147.7 lb) 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 and 148 lb).
- In Olympic taekwondo, welterweight falls between 74 and 80 kg (163 and 176 lb). At the weight classes for the Olympic games it is between 68 and 80 kg (150 and 176 lb).
References[edit]
- ^ https://www.etymonline.com/word/welterweight
- ^ 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "WKA USA - Official Rulebook". WKAUSA.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "Fighters Rankings". gloryworldseries.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Nevada Revised Statutes: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT". www leg state nv us. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ^ "UNIFIED RULES OF MMA". ABCBoxing.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-05. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
