Middleweight is a
weight class in
combat sport
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opp ...
s.
Boxing
Professional
In
professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the
bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1867. Chandler won, becoming known as the American middleweight champion. The first middleweight fight with gloves ''may'' have been between George Fulljames and
Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey (no relation to the more famous
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...
).
Current world champions
Current world rankings
=''The Ring''
=
As of , .
Keys:
: Current ''
The Ring'' world champion
=BoxRec
=
As of , .
Longest reigning world middleweight champions
Below is a list of longest reigning middleweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) is ''not'' counted.
: Active Title Reign
: Reign has ended
Amateur
Olympic champions
*
1904:
*
1908
Events
January
* January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica.
* January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...
:
*
1920:
*
1924:
*
1928:
*
1932:
*
1936:
*
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
:
*
1952:
*
1956:
*
1960:
*
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
:
*
1968
The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...
:
*
1972:
*
1976:
*
1980:
*
1984:
*
1988:
*
1992:
*
1996:
*
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
:
*
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
:
*
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
:
*
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
:
*
2016:
*
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...
:
Kickboxing
*
International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) Middleweight (Pro & Amateur) 159.1–165 lb. or 72.4–75 kg
* In
Glory promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85 kg (187 lb).
* In
Bellator Kickboxing
Bellator Kickboxing was an American kickboxing promotion company based in Los Angeles, active between 2016 and 2019. Bellator was founded in 2016 by president Scott Coker. It was the sister promotion of Bellator MMA. On April 16, 2016, Bellator ...
promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85 kg (187 lb).
* In
ONE Championship
ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixe ...
, the middleweight division limit is .
Lethwei
The
World Lethwei Championship recognizes the middleweight division with an upper limit of . In
World Lethwei Championship,
Naimjon Tuhtaboyev
Naimjon Tuhtaboyev ( Uzbek: Naimjon To'xtaboyev; born 29 January 1993) is an Uzbek Lethwei and Muay Thai fighter who currently competes in the World Lethwei Championship (WLC), where he is the reigning WLC Middleweight World champion.
Tuhtaboy ...
is the Middleweight Champion.
Mixed Martial Arts
In
MMA, the middleweight division is from 171 lb (77.5 kg) to 185 lb (84 kg).
Anderson Silva is considered to be the greatest Middleweight
MMA fighter of all time.
Taekwondo
References
{{Boxing weight classes
Boxing weight classes
Kickboxing weight classes
Professional wrestling weight classes
Taekwondo weight classes
Wrestling weight classes
*