Middleweight

For the mixed martial arts division of the same name, see Middleweight (MMA).

Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. 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 1897. 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 of the same name). Dempsey knocked out Fulljames on July 30, 1884.

In the modern era, middleweight means that the fighter's official weight does not exceed 160 pounds (72.64 kg). (In practice, however, since weigh-ins take place usually 24 hours before the actual fight, many fighters show up at the actual ringside weighing more.)

The current linear middleweight champion is Sergio Martinez of Argentina, who won the title by defeating former champion Kelly Pavlik by unanimous decision on April 17, 2010. His record is 48-2-2 (27 KO) and he has 3 successful title defenses under his belt.

Contents

Olympic champions

Professional Champions

Current champions

Sanctioning Body Reign Began Champion Record Defenses
WBA Super April 28, 2007 Felix Sturm 36-2-2 (15 KO) 11
WBA Regular October 14, 2010 Gennady Golovkin 22-0 (19 KO) 3
WBC June 4, 2011 Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. 44-0-1-1 (31 KO) 1
IBF May 7, 2011 Daniel Geale 26-1 (15 KO) 1
WBO July 31, 2010 Dmitry Pirog 19-0 (15 KO) 2

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

Kickboxing

Professional boxing
Olympic boxing
Other/Unofficial