Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897. Chandler won, becoming known as the American middleweight champion.
The first middleweight fight with gloves may have been between George Fulljames and Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey (no relation to the more famous heavyweight of the same name). Dempsey knocked out Fulljames on July 30, 1884.
In the modern era, middleweight means that the fighter's official weight does not exceed 160 pounds (72.64 kg). (In practice, however, since weigh-ins take place usually 24 hours before the actual fight, many fighters show up at the actual ringside weighing more.)
The current linear middleweight champion is Sergio Martinez who won the title by defeating former champion Kelly Pavlik by unanimous decision on April 17, 2010. He has 5 successful title defenses under his belt.
Contents
Olympic champions[edit | edit source]
- 1904 –
Charles Mayer (USA) - 1908 – 22x20px John Douglas (GBR)
- 1920 – 22x20px Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1924 – 22x20px Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1928 – 22x20px Piero Toscani (ITA)
- 1932 –
Carmen Barth (USA) - 1936 – 22x20px Jean Despeaux (FRA)
- 1948 – 22x20px László Papp (HUN)
- 1952 – Floyd Patterson (USA)
- 1956 – 22x20px Gennadiy Shatkov (URS)
- 1960 –
Eddie Crook, Jr. (USA) - 1964 – 22x20px Valeriy Popenchenko (URS)
- 1968 – 22x20px Chris Finnegan (GBR)
- 1972 – 22x20px Vyacheslav Lemeshev (URS)
- 1976 – Michael Spinks (USA)
- 1980 – 22x20px José Gómez (CUB)
- 1984 – 22x20px Shin Joon-Sup (KOR)
- 1988 – 22x20px Henry Maske (GDR)
- 1992 – 22x20px Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 1996 – 22x20px Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 2000 – 22x20px Jorge Gutiérrez (CUB)
- 2004 – 22x20px Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov (RUS)
- 2008 – 22x20px James DeGale (GBR)
- 2012 – 22x20px Ryota Murata (JPN)
Professional Champions[edit | edit source]
Current champions[edit | edit source]
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | October 14, 2010 | 22x20px Gennady Golovkin | 38-0-1 (34 KO) | 19 |
| WBC | September 15, 2012 | 22x20px Gennady Golovkin | 37-0 (34 KO) | 7 |
| IBF | May 7, 2011 | 22x20px Gennady Golovkin | 37-0 (34 KO) | 4 |
| WBO | October 20, 2012 |  Billy Joe Saunders
|
28-0 (20 KO) | 3 |
Longest reigning middleweight champions[edit | edit source]
Below is a list of longest reigning middleweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.
| Name | Title Reign | Title Recognition | Successful Defenses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Bernard Hopkins |
10 years, 2 months, 18 days | IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO | 20 |
| 2. |  Carlos Monzon |
6 years, 9 months, 9 days | WBA, WBC | 14 |
| 3. | Marvin Hagler |
6 years, 7 months, 10 days | WBC, WBA, IBF | 12 |
| 4. |  Felix Sturm |
5 years, 4 months, 4 days | WBA (Super) | 12 |
| 5. | Arthur Abraham |
3 years, 10 months, 14 days | IBF | 10 |
Taekwondo[edit | edit source]
| Category | Men's | Women's | Competitions | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleweight | 78 – 84 kg | 67 – 72 kg | World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games | since 1999 |
| Middleweight | 76 – 83 kg | 65 – 70 kg | World Championships, Continental Championships, Asian Games | until 1998 |
| Middleweight | 68 – 80 kg | 57 – 67 kg | Olympic Games, Pan Am Games, All-Africa Games |
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