Middleweight
Checked
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
[edit]Professional
[edit]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
[edit]| 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
[edit]The Ring
[edit]As of May 30, 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 | Troy Isley | 15–0 (5 KO) | |
| 5 | Etinosa Oliha | 22–0 (9 KO) | |
| 6 | Aaron Mckenna | 20–0 (10 KO) | |
| 7 | Amari Jones | 15–0 (13 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
[edit]As of July 2, 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 | Jesus Ramos | 24–1 (19 KO) | WBC (Interim) |
| 4 | Chris Eubank Jr | 35–4 (25 KO) | |
| 5 | Callum Walsh | 16–0 (11 KO) | |
| 6 | Michael Zerafa | 34–5 (1) (22 KO) | |
| 7 | Shane Mosley Jr. | 23–5 (13 KO) | |
| 8 | Andreas Katzourakis | 17–0 (11 KO) | |
| 9 | Amari Jones | 17–0 (15 KO) | |
| 10 | Vito Mielnicki Jr. | 23–1 (13 KO) |
Longest reigning world middleweight champions
[edit]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 | 7 years and 3 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
[edit]Olympic champions
[edit]- 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
[edit]- 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]| 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 | |
References
[edit]- ↑ "In the Matter of the WBO Middleweight Division". World Boxing Organization. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ↑ "The Ring ratings: middleweight". Ringmagazine.com. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
- ↑ "BoxRec ratings: middleweight, active". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Bernard Hopkins". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Tommy Ryan". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ↑ "Tommy Ryan, p. 242" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Gennadiy Golovkin". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ↑ "Gennady Golovkin About To Make Middleweight History? Well, It's Complicated". Thefightcity.com. September 11, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
- ↑ "GGG Records Historic 20th Title Defense". Wbaboxing.com. May 6, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Tony Zale, p. 794" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Carlos Monzon". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ↑ "Carlos Monzon, p. 608" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Marvin Hagler". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Jermall Charlo". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record:Demetrius Andrade". Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Bob Fitzsimmons". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ↑ "Bob Fitzsimmons, p. 128" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ↑ "Professional boxing record: Arthur Abraham". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ↑ "Glory Boxer Rankings". Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Ten greatest middleweight fighters in MMA history: Anderson Silva is the division's clear GOAT". CBSSports.com. 27 May 2020.
