All sports have their rules to keep the competition fair and as safe as possible. The rules regarding weight divisions in boxing are no exception. Unlike wrestling, which names the divisions after the weight required, boxing weight classes have almost poetic names. It's easy to understand who is wrestling in the 135 lb. weight class, but figuring out the difference between a welterweight and a lightweight is a little trickier.
Purpose
Author and boxing maven Robert B. Parker put it best when he said, "A good little guy will beat a bad little guy. But a good big guy will beat a good little guy." It's unfair to pit a 135 lb. fighter against a 235 lb. fighter. By restricting fighters to their weight divisions, the rules ensure a more interesting fight while protecting smaller fighters from getting injured by much larger opponents.
Original Weight Divisions
Boxers were originally divided into eight weight divisions: flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. Flyweights were a maximum of 112 lbs. Bantamweights could weight up to 118 lb. Featherweights were a maximum of 126 lbs. Lightweights could weigh up to 135 lbs. Welterweights could weigh up to 147 lbs. Middleweights were a maximum of 147 lbs. Middleweights were up to 160 lbs. Light heavyweights could weigh up to 175 lbs. Heavyweights had no maximum weight but required a minimum weight of 200 lbs.
Modern Divisions
From the original eight divisions, modern competition has expanded to 17 weight divisions to better enable fighters to seek even matches and to move between divisions in order to compete. The modern weight divisions are: straw weight (105 lbs. or less); light flyweight (108 lbs. or less); flyweight (112 lbs. or less); super flyweight (115 lbs. or less); bantamweight (118 lbs. or less); super bantamweight (122 lbs. or less); featherweight (126 lbs. or less); super featherweight (130 lbs. or less); lightweight (135 lbs. or less); light welterweight (140 lbs. or less); welterweight (147 lbs. or less); welterweight (147 lbs. or less); light middleweight (154 lbs. or less); middleweight (160 lbs. or less); super middleweight (168 lbs. or less); light heavyweight (175 lbs. or less); cruiserweight (200 lbs. or less); and heavyweight (more than 200 lbs.)
Women's Divisions
Weight classes for women are different from those for men, owing to the differences in weight between the two sexes. The weight classes for women are pinweight (up to 101 lbs.); light flyweight (106 lbs. or less); flyweight (110 lbs. or less); light bantamweight (114 lbs. or less); bantamweight (119 lbs. or less); featherweight (125 lbs. or less); lightweight (132 lbs. or less); light welterweight (138 lbs. or less); welterweight (145 lbs. or less); light middleweight (154 lbs. or less); middleweight (165 lbs. or less); light heavyweight (176 lbs. or less); and heavyweight. Heavyweight has no maximum weight, but requires a minimum weight of 189 lbs.
Amateur Divisions
Amateur fighters compete in fewer divisions. Amateur weight divisions include light flyweight (up to 106 lbs.); flyweight (up to 112 lbs.); bantamweight (up to 119 lbs.); featherweight (up to 125 lbs.); lightweight (up to 132 lbs.); light welterweight (up to 141 lbs.); welterweight (up to 152 lbs.); middleweight (up to 165 lbs.); light heavyweight (up to 178 lbs.); heavyweight (up to 201 lbs.) and super heavyweight (over 201 lbs.)
Cutting Weight
Many fighters compete in a division below their natural body weight in order to fight at a competitive advantage. Cutting weight, as it's called, requires a combination of a weight-loss maintenance diet with crash dieting during the weeks immediately before a match. In the final days before the bout, some athletes dehydrate themselves to shed a final few pounds of water weight.
References
- "Promised Land"; Robert B. Parker; 1976
- Talk Boxing: Weight Divisions
Member Comments