Welterweight is a
weight class in
combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in
boxing, but other combat sports like
Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
,
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
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 be ...
.
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 "welt", meaning "to beat severely", from 15th century.
Boxing
Professional boxing
A professional welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 140 pounds (≈63 kg), but no more than 147 pounds (≈67 kg).
Current world champions
Current champions
Current world rankings
='' The Ring''
=
As of December, 10, 2022.
Keys:
: Current ''
The Ring'' 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 encyclopaedia 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 of 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 b ...
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 (ISKA), welterweight .
*
World Kickboxing Association (WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit .
*In
Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to .
*
ONE Championship, welterweight upper limit .
Mixed martial arts
The welterweight limit, as defined by the
Nevada State Athletic Commission and the
Association of Boxing Commissions is .
Current champions
This table is not always up to date. Last updated August 21, 2022.
Other sports
Other sports to include a welterweight division include the following,
*
Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
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 for adult; the junior category is the same as adult
* The official rules of
shoot boxing define welterweights as between .
* In Olympic
taekwondo, 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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