Light welterweight

Last updated

Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight [1] or super lightweight, [2] is a weight class in combat sports.

Contents

Boxing

Professional boxing

In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, in which boxers weigh above 61.2kg or 135 pounds and up to 63.5 kg or 140 Ibs. The first champion of this weight class was Pinky Mitchell in 1922, though he was only awarded his championship by a vote of the readers of the Doxing Dlade magazine.

There was not widespread acceptance of this new weight division in its early years, and the New York State Athletic Commission withdrew recognition of it in 1930. The National Boxing Association continued to recognize it until its champion, Barney Ross relinquished the title in 1935 to concentrate on regaining the welterweight championship.

A few commissions recognized bouts in the 1940s as being for the light welterweight title, but the modern beginnings of this championship date from 1959 when Carlos Ortiz won the vacant title with a victory over Kenny Lane. Both the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the World Boxing Council (WBC) recognized the same champions until 1967, when the WBC stripped Paul Fuji of the title and matched Pedro Adigue and Adolph Pruitt for their version of the championship. Adigue won a fifteen-round decision. The International Boxing Federation (IBF) recognized Aaron Pryor as its first champion in 1984. Hector Camacho became the first World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion with his victory against Ray Mancini in 1989. [3]

Current world champions

Sanctioning BodyReign BeganChampionRecordDefenses
WBA August 3, 2024 José Valenzuela 14–2 (9 KO)0
WBC June 24, 2024 Alberto Puello 23–0 (10 KO)0
IBF December 7, 2024 Richardson Hitchins 19–0 (7 KO)0
WBO June 10, 2023 Teofimo Lopez 21–1 (13 KO)2

Current world rankings

The Ring

As of June 8, 2024. [4]

Keys:

 C  Current The Ring world champion
RankNameRecordTitle(s)
C Teofimo Lopez 20–1 (13 KO) WBO
1 Devin Haney 31–0–0–1 (15 KO)
2 José Ramírez 28–1 (18 KO)
3 Liam Paro 25–1 (15 KO)
4 Jack Catterall 29–1 (13 KO)
5 Alberto Puello 23–0 (10 KO) WBC
6 Subriel Matías 20–2 (20 KO)
7 Josh Taylor 19–2 (13 KO)
8 Regis Prograis 29–2 (24 KO)
9 Richardson Hitchins 19–0 (7 KO) IBF
10 Gary Antuanne Russell 17–1 (17 KO)
BoxRec

As of 1 July 2022. [5]

RankNameRecordPointsTitle(s)
1 Teofimo Lopez 20–1 (13 KO)288.7 WBO
2 Regis Prograis 26–1 (23 KO)260.1
3 Jose Zepeda 35–2–0–2 (27 KO)207.5
4 José Ramírez 26–1 (17 KO)205.9
5 Jose Pedraza 29–3 (14 KO)98.21
6 Robert Easter Jr. 23–1–1 (14 KO)89.42
7 Arnold Barboza Jr. 26–0 (10 KO)69.63
8 Viktor Postol 31–3 (12 KO)69.37
9 Mario Barrios 26–1 (17 KO)62.69
10 Jack Catterall 26–1 (13 KO)48.52

Amateur boxing

In amateur boxing, light welterweight is a weight class for fighters weighing up to 64 kilograms. For the 1952 Summer Olympics, the division was created when the span from 54 to 67 kg was changed from three weight classes (featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight) to four. Perhaps the most famous amateur light welterweight champion is Sugar Ray Leonard, who went on to an impressive professional career. [6]

Olympic Champions

Notable fighters

Kickboxing

Lethwei

The World Lethwei Championship recognizes the light welterweight division with an upper limit of 63.5 kg (140 lb). In World Lethwei Championship Antonio Faria is the Light welterweight Champion.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Durán</span> Panamanian boxer (born 1951)

Roberto Carlos Durán Samaniego is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: Lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight. Duran also reigned as the undisputed and lineal lightweight champion and the lineal welterweight champion. He is also the second boxer to have competed over a span of five decades, the first being Jack Johnson. Durán was known as a versatile, technical brawler and pressure fighter, which earned him the nickname "Manos de Piedra" for his formidable punching power and excellent defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfred Benítez</span> Puerto Rican boxer (born 1958)

Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight divisions at the age of seventeen, he is best remembered as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities, along with his fights with Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julio César Chávez</span> Mexican boxer (born 1962)

Julio César Chávez González, also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was listed by The Ring magazine as the world's best boxer, pound for pound, from 1990 to 1993. During his career he held the WBC super featherweight title from 1984 to 1987, the WBA and WBC lightweight titles between 1987 and 1989, the WBC light welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1996, and the IBF light welterweight title from 1990 to 1991. He also held the Ring magazine and lineal lightweight titles from 1988 to 1989, and the lineal light welterweight title twice between 1990 and 1996. Chávez was named Fighter of the Year for 1987 and 1990 by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Rosario</span> Puerto Rican boxer

Edwin "Chapo" Rosario Rivera was a Puerto Rican professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 1997. He was a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC lightweight title from 1983 to 1984, the WBA lightweight title twice between 1986 and 1990, and the WBA super lightweight title from 1991 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Boxing Council</span> Sanctioning organization for professional boxing bouts

The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO).

José Luis Ramírez is a Mexican former professional boxer who was a two-time World Lightweight Champion. His most notable fights include two fights each with Edwin Rosario and Pernell Whitaker as well as fights against Ruben Olivares, Alexis Arguello, Ray Mancini, Hector Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez and Juan Martin Coggi.

Donald Curry, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1991, and in 1997. He held the WBA world welterweight title from 1983 to 1986, the undisputed world welterweight title from 1985 to 1986 and the WBC light middleweight title from 1988 to 1989, and challenged once for the IBF middleweight title in 1990. In 2019, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxing in the 1980s</span>

Boxing in the 1980s was filled with important fights, events and personalities that shaped the sport. Boxing in the 1980s was shaped by many different situations, such as the continuous corporate battles between the different world sanctioning organizations, the void left by Muhammad Ali as the sport's ambassador and consequent search for a new boxing hero, the continuous presence of Don King as the sport's most famous promoter, the surge of rival promoters as Bob Arum, Butch Lewis and Murad Muhammad, and major rule changes. In 1986, Mike Tyson emerged as a fresh new face in the heavyweight division, which had seen a decline in champion quality level after Ali's retirement and, later on, after longtime WBC ruler Larry Holmes' prime. In addition, the IBF and WBO began operating.

Ras-I Alujah Bramble is a former professional boxer who was once the WBA Lightweight boxing champion of the world. Bramble was raised on Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He became the first world champion from Saint Kitts and Nevis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavyweight</span> Weight class in combat sports

Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.

Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.

Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.

Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight, is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports.

Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing.

Steven Earl Johnston, best known as Stevie Johnston, is an American professional boxer and a two-time former WBC lightweight champion.

Aaron Pryor was an American professional boxer who competed from 1976 to 1990. He was a two-time light welterweight world champion, having held the WBA title from 1980 to 1983, and the IBF title from 1984 to 1985. Additionally, he held the Ring magazine title from 1980 to 1983, and the lineal title from 1983 to 1986.

In different sports when a sportsman wins seven crowns, titles, medals, belts or another distinctions is called a Septuple Champion.

The Ray Mancini vs. Bobby Chacon, or, alternatively, Bobby Chacon vs. Ray Mancini fight was a boxing contest which was held on January 14, 1984, in Reno, Nevada. It was for Mancini's WBA's world Lightweight title. Mancini won the fight, to retain his title, by a third-round technical knockout. Because of its location this fight was promotionally nicknamed as "the biggest little fight in the world". In the United States, the fight was televised on HBO World Championship Boxing, while in Puerto Rico, it was shown live on channel 2.

References

  1. ↑ "Ring Ratings" Archived 2015-11-15 at the Wayback Machine . The Ring . Retrieved 2015-06-07.
  2. ↑ "Current WBA Champions". WBA. Retrieved 2015-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Hector Camacho vs. Ray Mancini - BoxRec".
  4. ↑ "The Ring ratings: light welterweight" . Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "BoxRec ratings: super light, active" . Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Boxing's Greatest Fighters: Sugar Ray Leonard - classic - ESPN". ESPN. 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.