Welterweight 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 ...
in
combat sport
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a 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 opponent (''knock ...
s. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in
boxing
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
, but other combat sports like
muay Thai
Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...
,
taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
, and
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
also use it for their own weight division system to classify the opponents. If used, welterweight is typically between
lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing.
Boxing Professional boxing
The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...
and
middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
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 beg ...
.
Etymology
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 15th century , meaning 'to beat severely'.
Boxing
Professional boxing
A professional welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 140 pounds, and no more than 147 pounds (about 63.5–66.7 kg).
Current world champions
Current champions
Current world rankings
=''The Ring''
=
As of April 21, 2025.
Keys:
: Current ''
The Ring The Ring may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*The Ring (franchise), ''The Ring'' (franchise), a Japanese horror media franchise
Literature
* ''The Ring'', a 1967 novel by Richard Chopping
* ''The Ring'', a 1988 book by Daniel Keys Moran
* ''The R ...
'' world champion
=''
BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
''=
.
Longest-reigning world welterweight champions
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.
Top 10 most title defenses
Below is a list of most title defenses by welterweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's reign with the most title defenses. Career-total title defenses as champion (for multiple-time champions) does not apply.
Amateur boxing
Olympic champions
The current
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
male welterweight division is set at .
Kickboxing
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) .
*
International Sport Karate Association
The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches.
It is based in the United States. It was es ...
(ISKA), welterweight .
*
World Kickboxing Association
The World Kickboxing Association (WKA) also known as World Kickboxing and Karate Association, is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning body for kickboxing and Karate.
History
In 1976, the WKA was founded by Howa ...
(WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit .
*In
Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to .
*
ONE Championship
ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a Multinational corporation, multinational combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Origi ...
, welterweight upper limit .
Bare-knuckle boxing
The limit for welterweight generally differs among promotions in bare-knuckle boxing:
*In
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. The promotion was founded in April 2018, and is presided over by David Feldman.
BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official st ...
, the welterweight division has an upper limit of .
*In BKB™, the welterweight division has an upper limit of .
Wrestling
Olympic wrestling
Prior to 1996, the weight limit for welterweight was 74 kg/163 lb in Olympic wrestling.
[Divisions in Professional Wrestling'' Wrestling-Titles.com Retrieved March 31 2023](_blank)
/ref> Since that time, amateur wrestling has named its weight classes by upper weight limit in kilograms.
Professional wrestling
In the US and Canada, there was a 145 lb limit in the early 20th century at least until the early 1920s.
Catch wrestling
Catch wrestling (also known as catch-as-catch-can) is an English wrestling style where wrestlers aim to win by Pin (sport wrestling), pinning or Submission (combat sports), submitting their opponent using any legal holds or techniques. It emph ...
From the 1870s to the 1910s, the weight limit was 10st 8 lb (148 lb) for Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling under the rules of ''Sporting Chronicle'' (Manchester, England).
Mixed martial arts
The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxer ...
and the Association of Boxing Commissions
The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) is a North American not-for-profit professional boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) organization that organizes contests and record-keeping. It is governed by delegates of state, provincial, and tribal ...
Current champions
This table is not always up to date. Last updated May 10, 2025.
Other sports
Other sports to include a welterweight division include the following:
* Muay Thai
Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...
has fixed its weight division similarly to boxing.
** International Kickboxing Federation (IKF): muay Thai welterweight (pro and 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 for adult and junior
* The official rules of shoot boxing
, commonly written as Shootboxing, is a combat sport.
Shoot boxing is also a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was founded by former kickboxer Caesar Takeshi in 1985.
Shootboxing, the combat sport, ...
define welterweights as between .
* In Olympic taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
, welterweight falls between . At the weight classes for the Olympic games it is between .
References
External links
{{Boxing weight classes
Boxing weight classes
Kickboxing weight classes
Professional wrestling weight classes
Taekwondo weight classes
Wrestling weight classes
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