Welterweight

Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. 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. In most sports that use it, welterweight is heavier than lightweight but lighter than middleweight.

Boxing

Professional boxing

A welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 63.5 kg (140 lb), but less than 67 kg (147 lb).

Henry Armstrong holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses at this division, with 19 defenses of the lineal title.

Professional champions

Current champions

Current The Ring magazine welterweight rankings Updated 4 August 2015

Longest reigning 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.

Amateur boxing

Olympic champions

The current Olympic male welterweight division is set at 64–69 kg (141–152 lbs).

Welterweight (MMA)

The welterweight division in mixed martial arts refers to a number of different weight classes:

Ambiguity and clarification

Many other sports that use the welterweight class, such as boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai, define it as below about 147 lbs. The MMA welterweight class is therefore significantly heavier than the welterweight class of these other sports. For the sake of uniformity, many American mixed martial arts websites refer to competitors between 156 and 170 lb (71 and 77 kg) as welterweights. This encompasses the Shooto middleweight division (167 lb / 76 kg).