Welterweight is a weight class in . Originally the term welterweight was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the opponents. If used, welterweight is typically between lightweight and middleweight.
Etymology
The first known instance of the term is from 1831, meaning 'heavyweight horseman', later 'boxer or wrestler of a certain weight' by 1896. This sense comes from earlier
welter, 'heavyweight horseman or boxer' from 1804, possibly from 15th century welt, meaning 'to beat severely'.
Boxing
Professional boxing
A professional welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 140 pounds, and no more than 147 pounds (about 63.5–66.7 kg).
Current world champions
Current champions
Current world rankings
The Ring
As of August 11, 2025.
Keys:
- Current The Ring world champion
boxrec">
BoxRec
.
Longest-reigning world welterweight champions
Below is a list of longest-reigning welterweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career-total time as champion (for multiple-time champions) does not apply.
Top 10 most title defenses
Below is a list of most title defenses by welterweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's reign with the most title defenses. Career-total title defenses as champion (for multiple-time champions) does not apply.
Amateur boxing
Olympic champions
The current
Olympic Games male welterweight division is set at .
Kickboxing
The weight division system is different in each organisation, so the kickboxing weight divisions of some international organizations vary:
-
International Kickboxing Federation (IKF), welterweight (Pro & Amateur) .
-
International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), welterweight .
-
World Kickboxing Association (WKA), welterweight (Pro) upper limit .
-
In Glory promotion, a welterweight division is up to .
-
ONE Championship, welterweight upper limit .
Bare-knuckle boxing
The limit for welterweight generally differs among promotions in bare-knuckle boxing:
-
In Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the welterweight division has an upper limit of .
-
In BKB™, the welterweight division has an upper limit of .
Wrestling
Olympic wrestling
Prior to 1996, the weight limit for welterweight was 74 kg/163 lb in Olympic wrestling.
[ Divisions in Professional Wrestling Wrestling-Titles.com Retrieved March 31 2023] Since that time, amateur wrestling has named its weight classes by upper weight limit in kilograms.
Professional wrestling
In the US and Canada, there was a 145 lb limit in the early 20th century at least until the early 1920s.
In Mexico, the lucha libre commission's definition of the welterweight weight class is between and .
In the United Kingdom, the 1947 Admiral-Lord Mountevans rules set out seven weight divisions with maximum weight limits and called for champions to be crowned of each limit. This included Welterweight 11st 11 lb ()[ The Wrestling Furnace Picture Gallery: Classic British Professional Wrestling: THE WEIGHT DIVISIONS in British Professional Wrestling] An earlier system of weight classes with different levels and more divisions - including Welterweight - existed under the 1930 All-In rules.[ Blue Blood on the Mat - Atholl Oakeley, S Paul, 1971 - Appendix:Rules of All In Professional Wrestling]
[[Catch wrestling/" itemprop="url" title="Wiki: catch_wrestlin">
<hr class="us2411627114">
<span class="us3003804241 us1353177739">[[Catch wrestling">catch_wrestlin">
[[Catch wrestling
From the 1870s to the 1910s, the weight limit was 10st 8 lb (148 lb) for Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling under the rules of
Sporting Chronicle (Manchester, England).
Mixed martial arts
The welterweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
and the Association of Boxing Commissions
is .
Current champions
This table is not always up to date. Last updated July 26, 2025.
|
|
| UFC | May 10, 2025 | Jack Della Maddalena | 18–2 (12 2) | 0 |
| Bellator MMA | June 22, 2024 | Ramazan Kuramagomedov | 13–0 (2KO 6SUB) | 0 |
| ONE Championship | October 25, 2019 | Kiamrian Abbasov | 23–5 (8KO 4SUB) | 1 |
| Fight Nights Global | April 6, 2019 | Dmitry Bikrev | 13–3 (9KO 1SUB) | 3 |
| KSW | April 22, 2023 | Adrian Bartosiński | 16–1 (11KO 2SUB) | 3 |
| Titan FC | March 15, 2019 | Michael Graves | 9–1 (4KO 2SUB) | 1 |
| ACA | April 26, 2019 | Albert Tumenov | 22–4 (14KO) | 1 |
| Legacy Fighting Alliance | August 21, 2020 | Jaleel Willis | 13–2 (5KO) | 0 |
| Cage Warriors | April 26, 2025 | Justin Burlinson | 10-2 (3KO 7SUB) | 0 |
Other sports
Other sports to include a welterweight division include the following:
-
Muay Thai has fixed its weight division similarly to boxing.
-
International Kickboxing Federation (IKF): muay Thai welterweight (pro and amateur) 142.1-147 lb or 64.59-66.8 kg
-
World Muay Thai Council (WMC), welterweight range is from 140 to 147 lb or 63.5 to 66.6 kg
-
World Muay Thai Federation (WMF, the official amateur organization), fixed welterweight from for adult and junior
-
The official rules of shoot boxing define welterweights as between .
-
In Olympic taekwondo, welterweight falls between . At the weight classes for the Olympic games it is between .
External links
