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Super-middleweight Boxers
Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds (73 kg) and . The class first appeared in 1967. History 1960s–1983 There was interest in a division between middleweight and light heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s. A few states briefly recognized a "Junior Light Heavyweight" division at and the fringe World Athletic Association (WAA) later inaugurated a "super middleweight" division at . On April 3, 1967, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Don Fullmer, a brother of former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer, won the first version by stopping previously unbeaten Joe Hopkins in six rounds. He never defended it. On November 25, 1974, in Columbus, Ohio, Billy Douglas, the father of future world heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas, halted Danny Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weight Class
Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports including Rowing (sport), rowing, Weightlifting#Weightlifting sports, weight lifting, and especially combat sports such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Alternatives to formal weight classes include catch weight and openweight. The existence of weight divisions gives rise to the practice of weight cutting. To be the largest individual in a weight division is perceived as advantageous; therefore many athletes lose weight through dieting and dehydration prior to weigh-ins to qualify for a lower weight class. Comparison Below are selected maximum weight limits for the major classes in different sports. See also * Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu weight classes *Weight class (boxing), Boxing weight classes *Judo#Weight divisions, Judo weight classes *Kickboxing weight classes *Mixed martial arts weig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigel Benn
Nigel Gregory Benn (born 22 January 1964), is a former British professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 1996. A two-weight world champion, he held the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and reigned as the WBC super-middleweight champion from 1992 to 1996. He held the regional Commonwealth middleweight title from 1988 to 1989, and defeated several world champions, including Doug DeWitt, Iran Barkley, Thulani Malinga, Mauro Galvano, and Gerald McClellan. Benn retired with an 83.3% knockout percentage. Among his high-profile bouts were defending the world middleweight title against Iran Barkley in 1989, two world title contests against Chris Eubank in 1990 and 1993, and a world title fight against McClellan. He defended his world super-middleweight title in 1995. Before his ring walks, the chimes of Big Ben were often played. Early life and amateur career Benn was born in Ilford, Essex (now East London), on 22 January 1964. At the age of 18, Benn joined the Royal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Froch
Carl Martin Froch (; born 2 July 1977) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2002 to 2014, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held multiple world championships in the super-middleweight division, including the World Boxing Council (WBC) title twice between 2008 and 2011, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from 2012 to 2015, and the World Boxing Association (WBA) title ( Unified and Regular versions) between 2013 and 2015. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles between 2004 and 2008, and won the Lonsdale Belt in 2006. As an amateur, Froch won a middleweight bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships, and the ABA title twice. Froch was voted Fighter of the Year for 2012 by BoxRec. In 2013, the UK edition of '' GQ'' magazine voted him Sportsman of the Year. He reached a peak pound for pound ranking of sixth by BoxRec and ''The Ring'' magazine, and in 2013 was listed by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andre Dirrell
Andre Dirrell (born September 7, 1983) is an American professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 2004 Olympics. His younger brother Anthony Dirrell is also a professional boxer. Amateur career Dirrell and his younger brother Anthony began boxing while still in elementary school in their hometown of Flint, Michigan. The brothers have been trained from the beginning by grandfather Leon "Bumper" Lawson Sr., a former sparring partner of Muhammad Ali, and uncle Leon Jr. Dirrell was a standout as an amateur and won the 2003 United States national amateur championships at middleweight. He also competed at the 2003 Pan American Games, with his results being: * Lost to Yordanis Despaigne (Cuba) 20-21 He qualified for the Olympic Games by finishing in first place at the 1st AIBA American 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tijuana, Mexico. Prior to the Athens Games he won the 2004 Acropolis Boxing Cup in Athens, Greece by defeating ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andre Ward
Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified super middleweight titles between 2009 and 2015, and unified light heavyweight titles between 2016 and 2017. During his reign as light heavyweight champion, Ward was ranked as the world's best pound for pound boxer, by ''The Ring'' magazine. In 2024, '' ESPN'' ranked him as the 7th greatest men's boxer of the 21st century. As an amateur boxer, Ward won the light heavyweight gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and turned professional later that year. He rose to worldwide prominence upon entering the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament in 2009, where he won the World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight title ( Super version) from Mikkel Kessler in the opening group stage. In 2011, Ward defeated World Boxing Council (WBC) champio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucian Bute
Lucian Bute (born February 28, 1980) is a Romanian-Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2017. He held the IBF super-middleweight title from 2007 to 2012. Personal life Lucian Bute was born on February 28, 1980, in Pechea, Galați County, Romania. After fighting for the Romanian national team as an amateur, winning multiple titles in both his homeland and abroad, Bute relocated to Laval, Quebec, Canada. He also holds Canadian citizenship as of 2012. He is the cousin of handball player Steluța Luca. She was also born in Pechea, Galați County. Amateur career As an amateur, Bute won the bronze medal at the 1999 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Houston, Texas, and the gold medal at the 2001 Francophone Games. Bute also represented Romania at the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok, Thailand as a middleweight, where he was defeated and eliminated from the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championship by the current middleweight champion G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mikkel Kessler
Mikkel Kessler (born 1 March 1979) is a Danish former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the World Boxing Association (WBA) title (Super and Regular versions) three times between 2004 and 2013, and the WBC title twice between 2006 and 2010. Early life Kessler was born to a Danish father and an English mother, Ann, who hails from Salisbury, Wiltshire. He began his vocation early, training in boxing gyms at age 13. Amateur career Kessler competed five years as an amateur (2/93-1/98). He finished his amateur career with a record of 44 wins and three losses. He won the 1995 European Cadet (15-16 age group) Championship, 1996 and 1997 Danish Junior Championships, the 1996 Nordic Amateur Championship, and in his last amateur bout won the 1998 Zealand International Tournament after stopping all 3 of his opponents. Professional career Early career Kessler originally campaigned as a light middlewe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Jones Jr
Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, including middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. As an amateur he represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning the light middleweight silver medal. Jones is considered by many to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, pound for pound, and left his mark in the sport's history when he won the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title in 2003, becoming the first former middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title in 106 years. From 1999 to 2002 he held the undisputed championship at light heavyweight. As of February 2018, Jones holds the record for the most wins in unified light heavyweight title bouts in boxing history, with twelve. '' The Ring'' magazine named him the Fighter of the Year in 1994 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame named him the Fighter of the Year in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Toney
James Nathaniel Toney (born August 24, 1968) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and lineal middleweight titles from 1991 to 1993, the IBF super middleweight title from 1993 to 1994, and the IBF cruiserweight title in 2003. Toney also challenged twice for a world heavyweight title in 2005 and 2006, and while he was victorious the first time, his championship was annulled due to a failed drug test that caused his initial victory to be overturned to a no contest. Overall, he competed in fifteen world title fights across four weight classes. Stylistically a defensive boxer, Toney utilized the shoulder roll technique taught to him by veteran trainer Bill Miller, who had once trained heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles. Toney was an exceptional counterpuncher and inside fighter, who often preferred to fight off the ropes. He poss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Reid (boxer)
Robin Reid (born 19 February 1971) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2012. He held the WBC super-middleweight title from 1996 to 1997, and the IBO super-middleweight title from 2004 to 2005. As an amateur, Reid represented Great Britain at 1992 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the light-middleweight division. Amateur career Highlights *1988 2nd at Light Middleweight at Junior Tournament in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca .... Lost to Marco Theuer of Germany in the finalIn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richie Woodhall
Richie Woodhall (born 17 April 1968) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2000. He held the WBC super-middleweight title from 1998 to 1999, as well as the Commonwealth middleweight title from 1992 to 1995, and the European middleweight title from 1995 to 1996. As an amateur, Woodhall won a gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 1988 Summer Olympics, both in the light-middleweight division. Following his retirement from the sport, Woodhall has developed a broadcasting career with both the BBC and BT Sport as a sports pundit, on both television and radio. He currently co-commentates with Mike Costello on radio for some shows, while co-commentating with John Rawling on Setanta Sports at other times. Woodhall has commentated on numerous Olympic Games for the BBC, starting with Athens 2004 alongside Jim Neilly. This partnership continued into Beijing 2008 and London 2012. For the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, Woo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe ( ; born 23 March 1972) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified and lineal titles at super-middleweight, and the '' Ring'' magazine light-heavyweight title. Calzaghe is the longest reigning super middleweight world champion in boxing history, having held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title for over 10 years and defending it against 20 opponents (a record in the division, shared with Sven Ottke) before moving up to light-heavyweight. As his super-middleweight and light-heavyweight reigns overlapped, he retired with the longest continual time as world champion of any active boxer at the time. Calzaghe was the first boxer to unify three of the four major world titles (World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, and WBO) at super-middleweight, and was the inaugural ''Ring'' champion in that weight class. Between 2006 and 2008, Calzaghe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
