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 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 BodyReign BeganChampionRecordDefensesWBAMarch 9, 2023Erislandy Lara32–3–3 (19 KO)3WBCMay 7, 2024Carlos Adames24–1–1 (18 KO)2IBFAugust 8, 2026Aaron Mckenna21–0 (10 KO)0WBOJuly 20, 2026Denzel Bentley22–3–1 (18 KO)0
Current world rankings The Ring As of August 9, 2026.
Keys: Current The Ring world champion
RankNameRecordTitle(s)C1Carlos Adames25–1–1 (18 KO)WBC2Yoenlis Hernández10–0 (9 KO)3Erislandy Lara32–3–3 (19 KO)WBA4Troy Isley15–0 (5 KO)5Etinosa Oliha22–1 (9 KO)6Aaron Mckenna21–0 (10 KO)IBF7Amari Jones15–0 (13 KO)8Chris Eubank Jr.35–4 (25 KO)9Jesus Ramos24–1 (19 KO)WBC (Interim)10Jahi Tucker17–1–1 (7 KO)
BoxRec As of , .
RankNameRecordTitle(s)1Erislandy Lara32–3–3 (19 KO)WBA2Carlos Adames25–1–1 (18 KO)WBC3Jesus Ramos24–1 (19 KO)WBC (Interim)4Chris Eubank Jr35–4 (25 KO)5Callum Walsh16–0 (11 KO)6Michael Zerafa34–5 (1) (22 KO)7Shane Mosley Jr.23–5 (13 KO)8Andreas Katzourakis17–0 (11 KO)9Amari Jones17–0 (15 KO)10Vito Mielnicki Jr.23–1 (13 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. RankNameTitle ReignTitle RecognitionSuccessful DefensesBeaten opponentsFights 1. Bernard Hopkins 10 years, 2 months, 18 days IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO 20 17 2. Tommy Ryan 8 years, 7 months, 4 days World 6 6 3. Gennady Golovkin 8 years, 1 months, 1 day WBA (Super), IBF, WBC 20 19 4. Tony Zale 6 years, 11 months, 24 days NBA (current WBA) 4 4 5. Carlos Monzón 6 years, 9 months, 9 days WBA, WBC 14 11 6. Marvelous Marvin Hagler 6 years, 7 months, 10 days WBC, WBA, IBF 12 10 7. Nonpareil Jack Dempsey 6 years, 6 months, 15 days World 2 2 8. Felix Sturm 5 years, 4 months, 4 days WBA 12 10 9. Jermall Charlo WBC 4 4 10. Demetrius Andrade 3 years, 10 month, 12 days WBO 5 5 11. Bob Fitzsimmons 3 years, 8 months, 12 days World 1 1 12. Arthur Abraham 3 years, 7 months, 2 days IBF 10 10
Active Title Reign Reign has ended
Amateur Olympic champions
1904: 1908: 1920: 1924: 1928: 1932: 1936: 1948: 1952: 1956: 1960: 1964: 1968: 1972: 1976: 1980: 1984: 1988: 1992: 1996: 2000: 2004: 2008: 2012: 2016: 2020:
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). In Bellator Kickboxing promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85 kg (187 lb). In ONE Championship, the middleweight division limit is .
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 . In BYB Extreme Fighting Series, the middleweight division has an upper limit of . In BKB™, the middleweight division has an upper limit of .
Lethwei The World Lethwei Championship recognizes the middleweight division with an upper limit of . 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 generally considered to be the greatest Middleweight MMA fighter of all time.
Taekwondo CategoryMen'sWomen'sCompetitionsNoteMiddleweight78–84 kg67–72 kg World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games since 1999Middleweight76–83 kg65–70 kg World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games until 1998Middleweight68–80 kg57–67 kg Olympic Games, Pan Am Games, All-Africa Games
References