Boxing weight classes are a way of ensuring that boxers of similar size and weight are matched up.
While one can argue that a true champion would fight anyone, fighting within one's weight class makes for better fights.
Bigger boxers have more natural weight behind their punches. Heavyweights tend to inflict more knockouts but the fighters tend to be slower. Featherweights, on the other hand, are blindingly fast.
Dividing up boxing into weight classes helped to reduce the number of lop sided victories and the ability of boxers to pick on smaller opponents.
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It is not uncommon for boxers to move into and out of weight classes. As they grow older, they could move from middleweight to light heavyweight in order to challenge themselves more or to take a title in two different weight classes. Nothing says one has to stay in one class for one's entire career. If one can add or lose the weight, one can fight in whatever class one wants.
What are the Boxing Weight Classes?
Boxing weight classes vary depending on whether one is talking about professional boxing or amateur boxing. The below charts will give you the upper and lower limits for amateurs and professionals.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
| Weight limit (lb / kg) | WBA | WBC | IBF | WBO | BoxRec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unlimited | Heavyweight | Heavyweight | Heavyweight | Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
| 200 / 90.7 | Cruiserweight | Cruiserweight | Cruiserweight | Junior heavyweight | Cruiserweight |
| 175 / 79.4 | Light heavyweight | Light heavyweight | Light heavyweight | Light heavyweight | Light heavyweight |
| 168 / 76.2 | Super middleweight | Super middleweight | Super middleweight | Super middleweight | Super middleweight |
| 160 / 72.6 | Middleweight | Middleweight | Middleweight | Middleweight | Middleweight |
| 154 / 69.9 | Super welterweight | Super welterweight | Junior middleweight | Junior middleweight | Light middleweight |
| 147 / 66.7 | Welterweight | Welterweight | Welterweight | Welterweight | Welterweight |
| 140 / 63.5 | Super lightweight | Super lightweight | Junior welterweight | Junior welterweight | Light welterweight |
| 135 / 61.2 | Lightweight | Lightweight | Lightweight | Lightweight | Lightweight |
| 130 / 59.0 | Super featherweight | Super featherweight | Junior lightweight | Junior lightweight | Super featherweight |
| 126 / 57.2 | Featherweight | Featherweight | Featherweight | Featherweight | Featherweight |
| 122 / 55.3 | Super bantamweight | Super bantamweight | Junior featherweight | Junior featherweight | Super bantamweight |
| 118 / 53.5 | Bantamweight | Bantamweight | Bantamweight | Bantamweight | Bantamweight |
| 115 / 52.2 | Super flyweight | Super flyweight | Junior bantamweight | Junior bantamweight | Super flyweight |
| 112 / 50.8 | Flyweight | Flyweight | Flyweight | Flyweight | Flyweight |
| 108 / 49.0 | Light flyweight | Light flyweight | Junior flyweight | Junior flyweight | Light flyweight |
| 105 / 47.6 | Minimumweight | Strawweight | Mini flyweight | Mini flyweight | Minimumweight |
AMATEUR BOXING
| Class name | Weight class limit (kg) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men (old) | Men (new) | Women (old) | Women (new) | Junior | |
| Super heavyweight | Unlimited | Unlimited | — | — | — |
| Heavyweight | 81–91 | 81–91 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Light heavyweight | 75–81 | 75–81 | 75–81 | 75–81 | 75–80 |
| Middleweight | 69–75 | 69–75 | 69–75 | 69–75 | 70–75 |
| Light Middleweight | — | — | — | — | 66–70 |
| Welterweight | 64–69 | 64–69 | 64–69 | 64–69 | 63–66 |
| Light welterweight | 60–64 | 60–64 | 60–64 | 60–64 | 60–63 |
| Lightweight | 57–60 | 56–60 | 57–60 | 57–60 | 57–60 |
| Featherweight | 54–57 | — | 54–57 | 54–57 | 54–57 |
| Bantamweight | 51–54 | 52–56 | 51–54 | 51–54 | 52–54 |
| Light Bantamweight | — | — | — | — | 50–52 |
| Flyweight | 48–51 | 49–52 | 48–51 | 48–51 | 48–50 |
| Light flyweight | 46–48 | 46–49 | 46-48 | 45-48 | 46-48 |
| Pinweight | — | — | 44–46 | — | 44–46 |
wow this is so helpful thank you cause as soon as i turn 13 (3 months away) im going to be a feather weight boxer and between that time im going to have to build up my pain tolerance to be a absolute beast in the ring cause my punch force is about 266 pounds per square inch so in my eyes thats a pretty strong punh and im 6’1