Super bantamweight, also known as junior featherweight, is a

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 especi ...

professional boxing Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

, contested from and up to . There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or state athletic commissions would recognize it. Jack Wolf won recognition as champion when he beat Joe Lynch at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

on September 21, 1922, but afterwards the weight division fell into disuse. The division was revived in the 1970s and the first title fight in 54 years in the division took place in 1976 when the

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

recognized Rigoberto Riasco as its champion when he defeated Waruinge Nakayama in eight rounds. The

World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...

crowned its first champion in 1977 when Soo Hwan Hong knocked out Hector Carasquilla in three rounds to win the inaugural WBA championship. In 1983 the

International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts. The others are the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing C ...

sanctioned the bout between Bobby Berna and Seung-In Suh for its first title. Berna won in the eleventh round. On December 26, 2023, Naoya Inoue became the division's first undisputed champion. Notable fighters to hold championship titles at this weight have been Wilfredo Gómez, Lupe Pintor,

Jeff Fenech Jeff Fenech (born 28 May 1964) is an Australians, Australian former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2008. He List of boxing triple champions, won world titles in three weight divisions, having held the International Boxing Feder ...

, Daniel Zaragoza, Kennedy McKinney, Érik Morales, Naoya Inoue,

Marco Antonio Barrera Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia (born January 17, 1974) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2011. He held multiple triple champion, world championships in three weight classes between 1995 and 2007, from super bantamwei ...

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. ( ; ; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician, businessman, and professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He previously serv ...

, Nonito Donaire, Rafael Márquez, Toshiaki Nishioka, and

Israel Vázquez Israel Vázquez Castañeda (December 25, 1977 – December 3, 2024) was a Mexican professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2010. He was a three-time super bantamweight world champion, having held the International Boxing Federation, IBF tit ...

Current world champions

Current champions

Current ''The Ring'' world rankings

As of June 4, 2025. Keys: : Current '' The Ring'' world champion

Lineal Champions

* Rigoberto Riasco (1976) * Royal Kobayashi (1976) * Dong-Kyun Yum (1976-1977) * Wilfredo Gomez (1977-1983) Vacated * Paulie Ayala (2002-2003) Vacated * Israel Vazquez (2005-2007) * Rafael Márquez (2007) * Israel Vázquez (2007-2009) Vacated (2) * Nonito Donaire (2012-2013) * Guillermo Rigondeaux (2013-2022) Abandoned * Naoya Inoue (2023-Present)

References

{{Boxing weight classes

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...