Light welterweight
Encyclopedia
Professional boxing
The light welterweight class (also called junior welterweight or super lightweight) is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds. The first champion of this weight class was Pinky MitchellPinky Mitchell
Pinky Mitchell was an American boxer who was the first champion in the light welterweight division.-Early life:Born Myron Mitchell on January 1, 1899, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mitchell was nicknamed Pinky because of his father's statement, on seeing Mitchell in his crib as a baby, that "he's like a...
in 1926, though he was only awarded his championship by a vote of the readers of the Boxing Blade 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
Barney Ross
Barney Ross , born Beryl David Rosofsky, was a world champion boxer in three weight divisions and decorated veteran of World War II.-Early life:...
relinquished the title in 1935 to concentrate on regaining the welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
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
Carlos Ortiz
For the Cuban wrestler with the same name see Carlos Julian OrtízCarlos Ortiz is a Puerto Rican who was a three time world boxing champion, twice in the lightweight division and once in the Jr. Welterweights....
won the vacant title with a victory over Kenny Lane
Kenny Lane
Kenny Lane was a famous southpaw boxer. He fought for lightweight and light welterweight titles of the world, once against Joe Brown and twice against Carlos Ortiz.-Early life:...
. Both the WBA and WBC recognized the same champions until 1967, when the WBC stripped Paul Fuji of the title and matched Pedro Adigue
Pedro Adigue
Pedro Adigue, Jr was a world champion boxer. He came from the small town of Bontod in Palanas, Masbate, the Philippines.Adigue became a professional boxer on February 18, 1962. After 14 bouts , he fought Carl Peñalosa for the Philippine lightweight title but lost on points...
and Adolph Pruitt for their version of the championship. Adigue won a fifteen round decision. The International Boxing Federation
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
recognized Aaron Pryor
Aaron Pryor
Aaron Pryor is a former boxer from Cincinnati, Ohio, and member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He is the former world Junior Welterweight champion, and regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the weight class.-Amateur career:Pryor, nicknamed The Hawk, had a record of...
as its first champion in 1984.
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez is a retired Mexican professional boxer.He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world...
holds the division record for the most consecutive title defenses with 12. He also defended the title an additional 4 times after regaining it.
Amateur boxing
In amateur boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, the light welterweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing up to 64 kilograms. For the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, the division was created when the span from 54–67 kg was changed from three weight classes (featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
, lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
, and welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
) to four. Perhaps the most famous amateur light welterweight champion is Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
, who went on to an impressive professional career.
Olympic champions
- 1952Boxing at the 1952 Summer OlympicsFinal results for the Boxing competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The events were held at Messuhalli.-Medal table:- Flyweight :- Bantamweight :- Featherweight :- Lightweight :...
– - 1956Boxing at the 1956 Summer OlympicsBoxing at the 1956 Summer Olympics took place in the new stadium at West Melbourne. A total number of 164 competitors entered from 35 nations, of whom 161 from 34 nations weighed-in and boxing was held eight nights and five afternoons. The boxing schedule began on November 23 and ended on December 1...
– - 1960Boxing at the 1960 Summer OlympicsIn the 1960 Summer Olympics, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. won the gold medal in the boxing light heavyweight division for the United States.-Medals:- Flyweight :-Quarterfinals:...
– - 1964Boxing at the 1964 Summer OlympicsFinal results for the Boxing competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics:It was held October 11 to 23.-Medal table:-Medal summary:Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics:It was held October 11 to 23....
– - 1968Boxing at the 1968 Summer Olympics-Medal table:- Light Flyweight :-First Round:* Tahar Aziz def. David Nata , 4:1* Hubert Skrzypczak def. Mohamed Sohem , 5:0* Joseph Donovan def. György Gedó , TKO-2...
– - 1972Boxing at the 1972 Summer OlympicsFinal results for the Boxing competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics:It was held August 27 to September 10, with the participation of 357 fighters from 81 countries.-Medal table:-Light Flyweight :-First Round:...
– - 1976Boxing at the 1976 Summer OlympicsThere were eleven boxing events at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Light Flyweight :-First Round:* Armando Guevara def. Eduardo Baltar , 5:0* Li Byong-Uk def. Sidney McKnight , KO-1...
– - 1980Boxing at the 1980 Summer OlympicsBoxing at the 1980 Summer Olympics took place in the Indoor Stadium of the Olympiski Sports Complex in Moscow. The boxing schedule began on 20 July and ended on 2 August...
– - 1984Boxing at the 1984 Summer OlympicsBoxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place in the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The boxing schedule began on July 29 and ended on August 11. Twelve men's boxing events were contested.-Light Flyweight :...
– - 1988Boxing at the 1988 Summer OlympicsBoxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place in the Chamshil Students' Gymnasium in Seoul. The boxing schedule began on September 17 and ended on October 2. Twelve boxing events were contested, with the participation of 441 athletes and 159 officials from 106 countries...
– - 1992Boxing at the 1992 Summer OlympicsBoxing at the 1992 Summer Olympics took place in the old Pavelló Club Joventut de Badalona in Barcelona. The boxing schedule began on July 26 and ended on August 9...
– - 1996Boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics-Qualification:The following tournaments were used as qualification tournaments for boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics.Africa* All-Africa Games in Harare, Zimbabwe from September 13 to September 23, 1995* Qualification Tournament in April/May? 1996...
– - 2000Boxing at the 2000 Summer OlympicsThe boxing competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney was held over a period of sixteen days at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour...
– - 2004Boxing at the 2004 Summer OlympicsBoxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall. The event was only open to men and bouts were contested over four rounds of two minutes each...
– - 2008Boxing at the 2008 Summer OlympicsThe boxing program of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China was held at the Workers Indoor Arena.Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers...
–
Current champions
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962... Super |
July 18, 2009 |  Amir KhanAmir Khan (boxer) Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion.... |
26-1 (18 KO) | 5 |
| WBA World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962... Regular |
July 23, 2011 |  Marcos Maidana |
31-2 (28 KO) | 1 |
| WBC World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo... |
September 17, 2011 |  Erik MoralesErik Morales Érik Isaac Morales Elvira is a Mexican professional boxer. He is the first Mexican born boxer in history to win a world title in four weight classes and is the current WBC Light Welterweight Champion... |
52-7 (36 KO) | 0 |
| IBF International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :... |
July 23, 2011 | Amir Khan Amir Khan (boxer) Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion.... |
26-1 (18 KO) | 0 |
| WBO World Boxing Organization The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the... |
April 4, 2009 |  Timothy BradleyTimothy Bradley Timothy Ray Bradley Jr. is an American boxer, fighting out of Palm Springs, California. He is the current WBO World Light Welterweight Champion. He is rated #2 in the Light Welterweight division behind Amir Khan.-Light Welterweight:... |
28-0-0-1 (12 KO) | 4 |
- List of light welterweight boxing champions