Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, 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.
EtymologyEdit
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 c. 15th century.[1]
BoxingEdit
Professional boxingEdit
A professional welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 140 pounds (≈63 kg), but no more than 147 pounds (≈67 kg).[2]
Current world championsEdit
Current champions
| Sanctioning body | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | April 16, 2022 |  Errol Spence Jr.
|
28–0 (22 KO) | 0 |
| WBC | September 28, 2019 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
28–0 (22 KO) | 2 |
| IBF | May 27, 2017 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
28–0 (22 KO) | 5 |
| WBO | June 9, 2018 | Terence Crawford
|
38–0 (29 KO) | 5 |
Current world rankingsEdit
The RingEdit
As of 16 April 2022[update].[3]
Keys:
- C Current The Ring world champion
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | vacant | ||
| 1 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
28–0 (22 KO) | WBC, IBF, WBA |
| 2 | Terence Crawford
|
38–0 (29 KO) | WBO |
| 3 |  Yordenis Ugás
|
27–5 (12 KO) | |
| 4 | Jaron Ennis
|
28–0–0–1 (26 KO) | |
| 5 | Vergil Ortiz Jr.
|
18–0 (18 KO) | |
| 6 |  Eimantas Stanionis
|
14-0-0-1 (9 KO) | |
| 7 | Keith Thurman
|
30–1 (22 KO) | |
| 8 |  David Avanesyan
|
29-3-1 (17 KO) | |
| 9 |  Conor Benn
|
21–0 (14 KO) | |
| 10 | Radzhab Butaev
|
14–1 (11 KO) |
BoxRecEdit
As of 11 April 2022[update].[4]
| Rank | Name | Record | Points | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terence Crawford
|
38–0 (29 KO) | 513.6 | WBO |
| 2 | Errol Spence Jr.
|
28–0 (22 KO) | 442.3 | WBC, IBF, WBA |
| 3 | Keith Thurman
|
30–1 (22 KO) | 155.7 | |
| 4 | Yordenis Ugas
|
27–5 (12 KO) | 139.4 | |
| 5 | Kell Brook
|
40–3 (28 KO) | 100.4 | |
| 6 | Mikey Garcia
|
40–2 (30 KO) | 82.77 | |
| 7 | Vergil Ortiz Jr.
|
18–0 (18 KO) | 79.61 | |
| 8 |  Cody Crowley
|
21–0 (9 KO) | 71.90 | |
| 9 | David Avanesyan
|
29–3–1 (17 KO) | 70.84 | |
| 10 | Jaron Ennis
|
28-0 (26 KO) | 46.31 |
Longest reigning world welterweight championsEdit
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.
| Name | Title reign | Title recognition | Successful defenses | Beaten opponents | Fights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Félix Trinidad |
6 years, 8 months, 14 days | IBF | 15 | 15 | [5] |
| 2. |  Antonio Margarito |
5 years, 3 months, 28 days | WBO | 7 | 7 | [6] |
| 3. | Errol Spence Jr. |
4 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 3 days | IBF, WBC | 6 | 5 | [7] |
| 4. | José Nápoles |
4 years, 6 months, 2 days | WBA, WBC | 11 | 8 | [8] |
| 5. | Sugar Ray Robinson |
4 years, 1 month, 26 days | NYSAC, NBA | 5 | 5 | [9] |
| 6. | Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
4 years, 1 month, 18 days | WBC | 5 | 4 | [10] |
| 7. | Pernell Whitaker |
4 years, 1 month, 6 days | WBC | 8 | 7 | [11] |
| 8. | Pipino Cuevas |
4 years and 16 days | WBA | 11 | 10 | [12] |
| 9. | Terence Crawford |
3 years, 11 months, 1 week and 5 days | WBO | 5 | 5 | [13] |
| 10. | Donald Curry |
3 years, 7 months, 14 days | WBA | 7 | 7 | [14] |
| 11. | Jack Britton |
3 years, 7 months, 13 days | World | 10 | 8 | [15][16] |
Amateur boxingEdit
Olympic championsEdit
The current Olympic male welterweight division is set at 64–69 kg (141–152 lb).[2]
KickboxingEdit
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) 142.1–147 lb or 64.5–66.7 kg.[17]
- International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), welterweight 142.1–147 lb or 64.5–66.7 kg.[18]
- World Kickboxing Association (WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit 147.7 lb or 67.0 kg.[19]
- In Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to 170 lb or 77 kg.[20]
- ONE Championship, welterweight upper limit 83.9 kg (185 lb).
Mixed martial artsEdit
The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission[21] and the Association of Boxing Commissions[22] is 155 to 170 lb (70.3 to 77.1 kg).
Current championsEdit
This table is not always up to date. Last updated November 6, 2021.
| Organization | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UFC | March 3, 2019 |  Kamaru Usman
|
20–1 (9KO 1SUB) | 5 |
| Bellator MMA | October 26, 2019 |  Yaroslav Amosov
|
26–0 (9KO 10SUB) | 0 |
| ONE Championship | October 25, 2019 |  Kiamrian Abbasov
|
22–4 (7KO 4SUB) | 0 |
| Fight Nights Global | April 6, 2019 | Dmitry Bikrev
|
12–3 (8KO 1SUB) | 1 |
| KSW | October 6, 2018 |  Roberto Soldić
|
17–3 (14KO 1SUB) | 1 |
| Titan FC | March 15, 2019 | Michael Graves
|
9–1 (4KO 2SUB) | 1 |
| ACA | April 26, 2019 | Albert Tumenov
|
22–4 (14KO) | 1 |
| Legacy Fighting Alliance | August 21, 2020 | Jaleel Willis
|
13–2 (5KO) | 0 |
| Cage Warriors | TBA | vacant | TBA | 0 |
Other sportsEdit
Other sports to include a welterweight division include the following,
- Muay Thai 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 65.0 to 67.0 kg (143.3 to 147.7 lb) for adult; the junior category is the same as adult
- The official rules of shoot boxing define welterweights as between 65 and 67 kg (143 and 148 lb).
- In Olympic taekwondo, welterweight falls between 74 and 80 kg (163 and 176 lb). At the weight classes for the Olympic games it is between 68 and 80 kg (150 and 176 lb).
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "welterweight | Origin and meaning of welterweight by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
- ^ a b "Classes & Divisions". Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "The Ring ratings: welterweight". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "BoxRec ratings: welterweight, active". Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Felix Trinidad". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Felix Trinidad". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Errol Spence Jrl". Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: José Nápoles". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota on February 15, 1951 · Page 11". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Floyd Mayweather Jr". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Pernell Whitaker". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Pipino Cuevas". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Terence Crawford". Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Donald Curry". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Jack Britton". Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Jack Britton, p. 80" (PDF). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "IKF WEIGHT CLASSES". IKFKickboxing.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL SPORT KARATE & KICKBOXING ASSOCIATION" (PDF). ISKAWorldHQ.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "WKA USA - Official Rulebook". WKAUSA.com. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "Fighters Rankings". gloryworldseries.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015.
- ^ "Nevada Revised Statutes: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT". www leg state nv us. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ^ "UNIFIED RULES OF MMA". ABCBoxing.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-05. Retrieved 2012-07-15.