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.
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 professional welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 140 pounds (≈63 Kg), but no more than 147 pounds (≈67 Kg).[2]
Current world champions[edit]
Current champions
| Sanctioning body | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses | Beaten opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | January 29, 2021 |  Yordenis Ugas
|
27–4 (12 KO) | 1 | 1 |
| WBC | September 29, 2019 |  Errol Spence Jr.
|
27–0 (21 KO) | 1 | 1 |
| IBF | September 25, 2021 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
27–0 (21 KO) | 0 | 0 |
| WBO | June 9, 2018 | Terence Crawford
|
37–0 (28 KO) | 4 | 4 |
Current world rankings[edit]
The Ring[edit]
As of October 16, 2021.[3]
Keys:
- C Current The Ring world champion
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | vacant | ||
| 1 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
27–0 (21 KO) | IBF, WBC |
| 2 | Terence Crawford
|
37–0 (28 KO) | WBO |
| 3 |  Manny Pacquiao
|
62–8–2 (39 KO) | |
| 4 | Keith Thurman
|
29–1 (22 KO) | |
| 5 | Shawn Porter
|
31–3–1 (17 KO) | |
| 6 | Yordenis Ugás
|
27–4 (12 KO) | WBA |
| 7 | Danny García
|
36–3 (21 KO) | |
| 8 |  Kudratillo Abdukakhorov
|
18–0 (10 KO) | |
| 9 |  Sergey Lipinets
|
16–2–1 (12 KO) | |
| 10 | Mikey Garcia
|
40–1 (30 KO) |
BoxRec[edit]
As of October 16, 2021.[4]
| Rank | Name | Record | Points | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
27–0 (21 KO) | 678.8 | IBF, WBC |
| 3 | Shawn Porter
|
31–3–1 (17 KO) | 440.7 | |
| 4 | Mikey Garcia
|
40–1 (30 KO) | 267.3 | |
| 5 | Yordenis Ugás
|
27–4 (12 KO) | 175.9 | WBA |
| 6 | David Avanesyan
|
28–3–1 (16 KO) | 145.4 | |
| 7 | Danny García
|
36–3 (21 KO) | 130.5 | |
| 8 | Jessie Vargas
|
29–3–2 (11 KO) | 105.3 | |
| 9 |  Egidijus Kavaliauskas
|
22–2–1 (18 KO) | 93.39 | |
| 10 |  Kell Brook
|
39–3 (27 KO) | 87.36 |
Longest reigning world 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 | Beaten opponents | Fights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Félix Trinidad |
6 years, 8 months, 14 days | IBF | 15 | 15 | [5] |
| 2. |  Antonio Margarito |
5 years, 3 months, 28 days | WBO | 7 | 7 | [6] |
| 3. | José Nápoles |
4 years, 6 months, 2 days | WBA, WBC | 11 | 8 | [7] |
| 4. | Errol Spence Jr. |
4 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days | IBF, WBC | 5 | 5 | [8] |
| 5. | Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
4 years, 1 month, 18 days | WBC | 5 | 4 | [9] |
| 6. | Pernell Whitaker |
4 years, 1 month, 6 days | WBC | 8 | 7 | [10] |
| 7. | Pipino Cuevas |
4 years and 16 days | WBA | 11 | 10 | [11] |
| 8. | Sugar Ray Robinson |
3 years, 7 months, 19 days | World | 5 | 5 | [12][13] |
| 9. | Donald Curry |
3 years, 7 months, 14 days | WBA | 7 | 7 | [14] |
| 10. | Jack Britton |
3 years, 7 months, 13 days | World | 10 | 8 | [15][16] |
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 64.5–66.7 kg.[17]
- International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), welterweight 142.1–147 lb or 64.5–66.7 kg.[18]
- World Kickboxing Association (WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit 147.7 lb or 67.0 kg.[19]
- In Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to 170 lb or 77 kg.[20]
- ONE Championship, welterweight upper limit 83.9 kg (185 lb).
Mixed martial arts[edit]
The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission[21] and the Association of Boxing Commissions[22] is 155 to 170 lb (70.3 to 77.1 kg).
Current champions[edit]
This table is not always up to date. Last updated August 24, 2020.
| Organization | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC | March 3, 2019 |  Kamaru Usman
|
19–1 (8KO 1SUB) | 4 |
| Bellator MMA | October 26, 2019 |  Yaroslav Amosov
|
26–0 (9KO 10SUB) | 0 |
| ONE Championship | October 25, 2019 |  Kiamrian Abbasov
|
22–4 (7KO 4SUB) | 0 |
| Fight Nights Global | April 6, 2019 | Dmitry Bikrev
|
12–3 (8KO 1SUB) | 1 |
| KSW | October 6, 2018 |  Roberto Soldić
|
17–3 (14KO 1SUB) | 1 |
| Titan FC | March 15, 2019 | Michael Graves
|
9–1 (4KO 2SUB) | 1 |
| ACA | April 26, 2019 | Albert Tumenov
|
22–4 (14KO) | 1 |
| Legacy Fighting Alliance | August 21, 2020 | Jaleel Willis
|
13–2 (5KO) | 0 |
| Cage Warriors | TBA | vacant | TBA | 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]
- ^ "welterweight | Origin and meaning of welterweight by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
- ^ a b "Classes & Divisions". Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "The Ring ratings: welterweight". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "BoxRec ratings: welterweight, active". Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Felix Trinidad". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Felix Trinidad". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: José Nápoles". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Errol Spence Jrl". Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Floyd Mayweather Jr". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Pernell Whitaker". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Pipino Cuevas". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Sugar Ray Robinson". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Sugar Ray Robinson, p. 700" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Donald Curry". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Jack Britton". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Jack Britton, p. 80" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "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.