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.
Olympic champions[]
- 1904 –
Charles Mayer (USA) - 1908 – File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Douglas (GBR)
- 1920 – File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1924 – File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Harry Mallin (GBR)
- 1928 – File:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Piero Toscani (ITA)
- 1932 –
Carmen Barth (USA) - 1936 – File:Flag of France.svg Jean Despeaux (FRA)
- 1948 – File:Flag of Hungary (1946-1949, 1956-1957).svg László Papp (HUN)
- 1952 – Floyd Patterson (USA)
- 1956 – File:Flag of the Soviet Union 1955.svg Gennadiy Shatkov (URS)
- 1960 –
Eddie Crook, Jr. (USA) - 1964 – File:Flag of the Soviet Union 1955.svg Valeriy Popenchenko (URS)
- 1968 – File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chris Finnegan (GBR)
- 1972 – File:Flag of the Soviet Union 1955.svg Vyacheslav Lemeshev (URS)
- 1976 – Michael Spinks (USA)
- 1980 – File:Flag of Cuba.svg José Gómez (CUB)
- 1984 – File:Flag of South Korea.svg Shin Joon-Sup (KOR)
- 1988 – File:Flag of East Germany.svg Henry Maske (GDR)
- 1992 – File:Flag of Cuba.svg Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 1996 – File:Flag of Cuba.svg Ariel Hernández (CUB)
- 2000 – File:Flag of Cuba.svg Jorge Gutiérrez (CUB)
- 2004 – File:Flag of Russia.svg Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov (RUS)
- 2008 – File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James DeGale (GBR)
- 2012 – File:Flag of Japan.svg Ryota Murata (JPN)
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Professional Champions[]
Current champions[]
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA | October 14, 2010 | File:Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Gennady Golovkin | 38-0-1 (34 KO) | 19 |
| WBC | September 15, 2012 | File:Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Gennady Golovkin | 37-0 (34 KO) | 7 |
| IBF | May 7, 2011 | File:Flag of Australia.svg Gennady Golovkin | 37-0 (34 KO) | 4 |
| WBO | October 20, 2012 |  Billy Joe Saunders
|
28-0 (20 KO) | 3 |
Longest reigning middleweight champions[]
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[]
| 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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