Middleweight
Weight class in combat sports
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above 154 lb (70 kg) and up to 160 lb (73 kg).
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 Jack Dempsey).
Current world champions
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | March 9, 2023 | Erislandy Lara | 32–3–3 (19 KO) | 3 |
| WBC | May 7, 2024 | Carlos Adames | 24–1–1 (18 KO) | 2 |
| IBF | vacant | |||
| WBO | August 26, 2022 | Janibek Alimkhanuly[1] | 17–0 (12 KO) | 4 |
Current world rankings
The Ring
As of April 8, 2026.[2]
Keys:
- C Current The Ring world champion
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | vacant | ||
| 1 | Carlos Adames | 25–1–1 (18 KO) | WBC |
| 2 | Yoenlis Hernández | 10–0 (9 KO) | |
| 3 | Erislandy Lara | 32–3–3 (19 KO) | WBA |
| 4 | Conor Benn | 24–1 (14 KO) | |
| 5 | Troy Isley | 15–0 (5 KO) | |
| 6 | Etinosa Oliha | 22–0 (10 KO) | |
| 7 | Aaron McKenna | 20–0 (10 KO) | |
| 8 | Chris Eubank Jr. | 35–4 (25 KO) | |
| 9 | Jesus Ramos | 24–1 (19 KO) | WBC (Interim) |
| 10 | Denzel Bentley | 22–3–1 (18 KO) | WBO (Interim) |
BoxRec
As of April 25, 2026.[3]
| Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erislandy Lara | 32–3–3 (19 KO) | WBA |
| 2 | Carlos Adames | 25–1–1 (18 KO) | WBC |
| 3 | Conor Benn | 24–1 (14 KO) | |
| 4 | Callum Walsh | 16–0 (11 KO) | |
| 5 | Aaron McKenna | 20–0 (10 KO) | |
| 6 | Chris Eubank Jr. | 35–4 (25 KO) | |
| 7 | Jesus Ramos | 24–1 (19 KO) | WBC (Interim) |
| 8 | Serheii Bohachuk | 27–3 (24 KO) | |
| 9 | Michael Zerafa | 34–5 (22 KO) | |
| 10 | Michel Soro | 38–4–2 (27 KO) |
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.
| Rank | Name | Title Reign | Title Recognition | Successful Defenses | Beaten opponents | Fights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bernard Hopkins | 10 years, 2 months, 18 days | IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO | 20 | 17 | [4] |
| 2. | Tommy Ryan | 8 years, 7 months, 4 days | World | 6 | 6 | [5][6] |
| 3. | Gennady Golovkin | 8 years, 1 months, 1 day | WBA (Super), IBF, WBC | 20 | 19 | [7][8][9] |
| 4. | Tony Zale | 6 years, 11 months, 24 days | NBA (current WBA) | 4 | 4 | [10] |
| 5. | Carlos Monzón | 6 years, 9 months, 9 days | WBA, WBC | 14 | 11 | [11][12] |
| 6. | Marvelous Marvin Hagler | 6 years, 7 months, 10 days | WBC, WBA, IBF | 12 | 10 | [13] |
| 7. | Nonpareil Jack Dempsey | 6 years, 6 months, 15 days | World | 2 | 2 | [14] |
| 8. | Felix Sturm | 5 years, 4 months, 4 days | WBA | 12 | 10 | |
| 9. | Jermall Charlo | 6 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 6 days | WBC | 4 | 4 | [15] |
| 10. | Demetrius Andrade | 3 years, 10 month, 12 days | WBO | 5 | 5 | [16] |
| 11. | Bob Fitzsimmons | 3 years, 8 months, 12 days | World | 1 | 1 | [17][18] |
| 12. | Arthur Abraham | 3 years, 7 months, 2 days | IBF | 10 | 10 | [19] |
- Active Title Reign
- Reign has ended
Amateur
Olympic champions
- 1904:
Charles Mayer (USA) - 1908:
John Douglas (GBR) - 1920: Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1924: Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1928:
Piero Toscani (ITA) - 1932:
Carmen Barth (USA) - 1936:
Jean Despeaux (FRA) - 1948:
László Papp (HUN) - 1952: Floyd Patterson (USA)
- 1956:
Gennadiy Shatkov (URS) - 1960:
Eddie Crook, Jr. (USA) - 1964: Valeriy Popenchenko (URS)
- 1968: Chris Finnegan (GBR)
- 1972: Vyacheslav Lemeshev (URS)
- 1976: Michael Spinks (USA)
- 1980:
José Gómez Mustelier (CUB) - 1984:
Shin Joon-Sup (KOR) - 1988:
Henry Maske (GDR) - 1992: Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 1996: Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 2000: Jorge Gutiérrez (CUB)
- 2004:
Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov (RUS) - 2008: James DeGale (GBR)
- 2012:
Ryota Murata (JPN) - 2016: Arlen López (CUB)
- 2020:
Hebert Conceição (BRA)
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).[20]
- In Bellator Kickboxing promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85 kg (187 lb).
- In ONE Championship, the middleweight division limit is 93 kg (205 lb).
Bare-knuckle boxing
The limit for middleweight generally differs among promotions in bare-knuckle boxing:
- In Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the middleweight division has an upper limit of 175 lb (79 kg).
- In BYB Extreme Fighting Series, the middleweight division has an upper limit of 160 lb (73 kg).
- In BKB™, the middleweight division has an upper limit of 89 kg (196 lb).
Lethwei
The World Lethwei Championship recognizes the middleweight division with an upper limit of 75 kg (165 lb). In World Lethwei Championship, Naimjon Tuhtaboyev 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.[21]
Taekwondo
| Category | Men's | Women's | Competitions | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleweight | 78–84 kg | 67–72 kg | World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games | since 1999 |
| Middleweight | 76–83 kg | 65–70 kg | World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games | until 1998 |
| Middleweight | 68–80 kg | 57–67 kg | Olympic Games, Pan Am Games, All-Africa Games | |