Weight class in combat sports
Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Boxing
Professional boxing
History
A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of 126 pounds (57 kg). In the early days of the division, this limit fluctuated. The British have generally always recognized the limit at 126 pounds, but in America the weight limit was at first 114 pounds. An early champion, George Dixon, moved the limit to 120 and then 122 pounds. Finally, in 1920 the United States fixed the limit at 126 pounds.[1]
The 1860 fight between Nobby Clark and Jim Elliott is sometimes called the first featherweight championship. However, the division only gained wide acceptance in 1889 after the Ike Weir–Frank Murphy fight (one of the most famous fights of all time).
Since the end of the 2000s and early 2010s the featherweight division is one of the most active in boxing with fighters such as Orlando Salido, Chris John, Juan Manuel López, Celestino Caballero, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Elio Rojas, Israel Vazquez, Cristobal Cruz, Rafael Márquez, Rocky Juarez, Steven Luevano, Naseem Hamed, Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao.
Current world champions
Current The Ring world rankings
As of May 25, 2024.[2]
Keys:
- C Current The Ring world champion
Longest reigning world featherweight champions
Below is a list of longest reigning featherweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.
Lineal Champions
Billy Murphy (1890-1891)
Young Griffo (1891) Vacated
George Dixon (1891-1897)
Solly Smith (1897-1898)
Dave Sullivan (1898)
George Dixon (1898-1900) (2)
Terry McGovern (1900-1901)
Young Corbett II (1901-1902) Vacated
Abe Attell (1903-1912)
Johnny Kilbane (1912-1923)
Eugene Criqui (1923)
Johnny Dundee (1923–1924) Vacated
Kid Kaplan (1925-1926) Vacated
Tony Canzoneri (1928)
Andre Routis (1928-1929)
Bat Battalino (1929-1932) Vacated
Henry Armstrong (1937-1938) Vacated
Joey Archibald (1939-1940)
Harry Jeffra (1940-1941)
Joey Archibald (1941)
Chalky Wright (1941-1942)
Willie Pep (1942-1948)
Sandy Saddler (1948-1949)
Willie Pep (1949-1950) (2)
Sandy Saddler (1950-1957) (2) Retired
Hogan Bassey (1957-1959)
Davey Moore (1959-1963)
Sugar Ramos (1963-1964)
Vicente Saldivar (1964-1967) Retired
Johnny Famechon (1969-1970)
Vicente Saldivar (1970) (2)
Kuniaki Shibata (1970-1972)
Clemente Sanchez (1972)
Jose Legra (1972-1973)
Eder Jofre (1973-1974) Abandoned
Alexis Arguello (1975-1977) Vacated
Danny Lopez (1979-1980)
Salvador Sanchez (1980-1982) Died
Eusebio Pedroza (1983-1986)
Barry McGuigan (1986)
Stevie Cruz (1986-1987)
Antonio Esparragoza (1987-1991)
Yong-Kyun Park (1991-1993)
Eloy Rojas (1993-1996)
Wilfredo Vazquez (1996-1998)
Naseem Hamed (1998-2001)
Marco Antonio Barerra (2001-2003)
Manny Pacquiao (2003-2005) Vacated
Olympic champions
Men’s
Pan American Champions
Notable featherweights
Kickboxing
In kickboxing, a featherweight fighter generally weighs between 55 and 59 kg (121 and 130 lb). However, some governing bodies have slightly different classes. For example, the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) featherweight division (professional and amateur) is between 122.1–127 lb (55.4–57.6 kg).
In Glory promotion, a featherweight division is up to 65 kg (143 lb).[17]
In Bellator Kickboxing promotion, a featherweight division is up to 66 kg (146 lb).
In ONE Championship, the featherweight division limit is 70.3 kg (155 lb).
Bare-knuckle boxing
The limit for featherweight generally differs among promotions in bare-knuckle boxing:
- In Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the featherweight division has an upper limit of 145 lb (66 kg).
- In BKB™, the featherweight division has an upper limit of 76 kg (168 lb).
Lethwei
International Lethwei Federation Japan has a featherweight division with an upper limit of 65 kg (143 lb). In International Lethwei Federation Japan, Thar A Thae Ta Pwint is the Featherweight Champion.
In World Lethwei Championship, the featherweight division has an upper limit of 57 kg (126 lb).
Mixed Martial Arts
In MMA, within the UFC company and most other MMA companies the featherweight range is from 136 to 145 lb (62 to 66 kg).
Current champions
These tables were last updated in February 2024.
Men:
Women:
See also
References
- ^ Mullan, Harry (1996). The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing. London, England: Carlton Books. p. 172. ISBN 0-7858-0641-5.
- ^ "The Ring ratings: featherweight". Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Johnny Kilbane". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Johnny Kilbane, p. 172" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Chris John". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Abe Attell". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Eusebio Pedrosa, p. 668" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Gary Allen Russell Jr". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Sandy Saddler". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Sandy Saddler, p. 720" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Léo Santa Cruz". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Naseem Hamed". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: George Dixon". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "George Dixon, p. 118" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Antonio Esparragoza". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Professional boxing record: Davey Moore". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ OFFICIAL GLORY RANKING Archived 2014-01-18 at the Wayback Machine