Weight class (boxing)


In boxing, a weight class is a measurement weight range for boxers. The lower limit of a weight class is equal to the upper weight limit of the class below it. The top class, with no upper limit, is called heavyweight in professional boxing and super heavyweight in amateur boxing. A boxing match is usually scheduled for a fixed weight class, and each boxer's weight must not exceed the upper limit. Although professional boxers may fight above their weight class, an amateur boxer's weight must not fall below the lower limit. A nonstandard weight limit is called a catchweight.

Weigh-in

A professional boxer usually weighs more between fights than at the time of a fight. Part of the process of training for a bout is "getting down to fighting weight". The weigh-in takes place the day before the fight. Boxers typically stand on the scales barefoot and without gloves. The weigh-in is often a photo opportunity and boxers or their entourage may trash talk each other. This element is such a valued part of the build-up that even heavyweight boxers go through the ritual of being weighed despite the fact there is no limit to be measured against.
A boxer who is over the weight limit may strip naked to make the weight if the excess is minimal; otherwise, in a professional bout, one can try again later, typically after losing weight in the interim through dehydration by vigorous exercise in a steam room. If the excess weight is too great, the effort expended trying to "make weight" will make the boxer unfit for the fight itself. In such cases the fight may be cancelled with the over-weight boxer sanctioned or the fight may proceed as a catchweight non-title fight.
The International Boxing Federation has a unique weigh-in policy in title fights. In addition to making the weight at the official weigh-in the day before the fight, the boxers are required to submit to a weight check on the morning of the fight. During this later weigh-in, the fighter must weigh no more than above the weight limit for the fight. If a boxer skips the morning weigh-in, or fails to make weight at that time, the fight can still proceed, but the IBF title will not be at stake. In heavyweight title fights, the second weigh-in is still mandatory, but since there is no upper weight limit in that class, a boxer can only be sanctioned for failing to submit to the weigh-in.
An amateur boxer must make the weight at the initial weigh-in; there is no opportunity to try again later. There is a "general weigh-in" before the start of the tournament and a "daily weigh-in" on the morning of each of a fighter's bouts. At the general weigh-in, the fighter must be between the weight class's upper and lower limits; at the daily weigh-in only the upper limit is enforced. A fighter outside the limit at the initial weigh-in may be allowed to fight in a different class if there is space in the tournament. At major events such as boxing at the Olympics, there is a limit of one boxer per country per weight class.

Culture

A boxer may fight different bouts at different weight classes. The trend for professionals is to move up to a higher class as they age. Winning titles at multiple weight classes to become a "multiple champion" is considered a major achievement. In amateur boxing, bouts are much shorter and much more frequent, and boxers fight at their "natural" weight.
One boxer is said to be better "pound for pound" than another if he is considered superior with due regard for their difference in weight. Theoretical comparisons of the merits of boxers in different weight classes are a popular topic for boxing fans, with a similar speculative appeal to comparing sports figures from different eras; in both cases, the competitors could never face each other in reality.

History

In the early nineteenth century, there were no standard weight classes. In 1823, the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue said the limit for a "light weight" was 12 stone while Sportsman's Slang the same year gave 11 stone as the limit.
Size mismatches were dangerous for the smaller boxer and unsatisfying for the spectators. National and world titles could only become recognised if standard weight classes were agreed upon. Important sets of weight classes were those specified in 1909 by the National Sporting Club of London, and those contained in the 1920 Walker Law which established the New York State Athletic Commission.
After the split in the 1960s between the WBC and the WBA, the divisions were narrowed, creating more champions simultaneously, and making it easier for fighters to move between different weight divisions. Among the professional bodies, the names of the new divisions are not standardized between different sanctioning bodies, although the cutoff weights are. These weights are specified in pounds, reflecting the historic dominance of Britain in the sport.

Glamour divisions

Boxing has its own "Original Eight" weight divisions, also known as the "traditional", "classic" or "glamour" divisions. These divisions are the most prominent and widely recognized weight divisions in boxing. Manny Pacquiao has won world championships in the greatest number of the glamour divisions, winning championships in the flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight divisions.
DivisionsWeightsYears establishment
Heavyweight200+ lbs 160+ lbs in 1738 by Broughton's Rules; 175+ lbs in 1920 by Walker Law; 190+ lbs in 1979 and finally 200+ lbs
Light heavyweight168–175 lbs 175 lbs in 1909 by National Sporting Club of London
Middleweight154–160 lbs Fights dating back to 1840s; established officially at 160 lbs in 1909 by NSC
Welterweight140–147 lbs 145 lbs in 1889; established officially at 147 lbs in 1909 by NSC
Lightweight130–135 lbs 160 lbs in 1738 by Broughton's Rules; 140 lbs in 1889; established officially at 135 lbs in 1909 by NSC
Featherweight122–126 lbs 118 lbs in 1860 by London Prize Ring Rules; 110 lbs and 115 lbs in 1889; Official at 126 lbs in 1909 by NSC
Bantamweight115–118 lbs 105 lbs in 1860 by London Prize Ring Rules; 116 lbs in 1898; 118 lbs in 1909 by NSC; Official at 118 lbs in 1920 by Walker Law
Flyweight108–112 lbs 112 lbs in 1909 by NSC and standardized in 1920 by Walker Law

Tweener divisions

The newcomer weight divisions or "tweener divisions", mostly recognized with either a "super", "light" or "junior" in front of their names, took many years to be fully recognized as legitimate weight divisions in boxing. Manny Pacquiao has won world championships in four of these divisions; super bantamweight, super featherweight, super lightweight and super welterweight.
DivisionsWeightsYears establishment
Cruiserweight175–200 lbs 190 lbs in 1979; changed to 200 lbs in 2003
Super middleweight160–168 lbs Established and recognized in 1967–1988
Light middleweight147–154 lbs Established in 1920 by Walker Law; recognized in 1962
Light welterweight135–140 lbs Established officially at 140 lbs in 1920 by Walker Law; recognized in 1959
Super featherweight126–130 lbs Established at 130 lbs in 1920 by Walker Law; recognized in 1959
Super bantamweight118–122 lbs Established at 122 lbs in 1920 by Walker Law; recognized in 1976
Super flyweight112–115 lbs Established at 115 lbs in 1920 by Walker Law; recognized in 1980
Light flyweight105–108 lbs Established at 108 lbs in 1920 by Walker Law; recognized in 1975
Strawweight105 lbs Recognized in 1987

Catchweights

A nonstandard weight limit is called a catchweight. A catchweight may be agreed to for an individual bout—sometimes even for a championship bout—but championships are awarded only at the standard weight classes. For example, when Manny Pacquiao fought Antonio Margarito at a catch-weight of 150 pounds, the World Boxing Council sanctioned this as a title fight for jr. middleweight, whose limit is 154 pounds.

Professional boxing

This table gives names and limits recognised by the four widely regarded sanctioning bodies, the label used in Boxrec.com's data, and by the magazines The Ring and Boxing News.
The date is that since which a continuous world title has been recognised by a major sanctioning body; some classes had earlier champions recognised intermittently or by minor bodies. One current weight class with only minor recognition is "super-cruiserweight"; widely used as an informal descriptor, it is a formal weight class of the lightly regarded International Boxing Association at a limit of 210 lb; the IBA's cruiserweight limit is 190 lb.

Amateur boxing

When the International Boxing Association was founded in 1946 to govern amateur boxing, it metricated the weight class limits by rounding them to the nearest kilogram. Subsequent alterations as outlined in the boxing at the Summer Olympics article; these have introduced further discrepancies between amateur and professional class limits and names. The lower weight classes are to be adjusted in September 2010, to establish an absolute minimum weight for adult boxers.
Amateur weight classes also specify the minimum weight. For safety reasons, fighters cannot fight at a higher weight. This also meant that even the heaviest weight class has a limit, albeit a lower bound. The lower limit for "heavyweight" was established in 1948 at 81 kg. When a new limit of 91+ kg was established in 1984, the name "heavyweight" was kept by the 81+ kg class, and the 91+ kg class was named "super heavyweight", a name not currently used in professional boxing.
Classes are as follows:
At the Olympics, each weight-class is a separate single-elimination tournament. The competition begins with the first round of the lightest weight class and proceeds with the first round of each higher weight class; then the next round of the lightest class, and so on, with the finals of each class held over the final two days, and the super-heavyweight final last of all.