What are the weight classes in boxing?
Professional boxing has 17 weight classes, from minimumweight, at 105 pounds (47.6 kg), up to heavyweight, with no upper limit. Boxers must weigh in before each fight to make their division's limit.
The main classes, from lightest to heaviest, are minimumweight, light flyweight, flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight, super welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight. Some organizations have added a bridgerweight division.
Weight classes exist to make fights fair and safer, because heavier boxers usually hit harder. The heavyweight limit begins above about 200 pounds, or 90.7 kilograms. Boxers who win titles in several divisions are celebrated. Manny Pacquiao is the only boxer to win world titles in eight weight divisions.
Olympic boxing
Olympic boxing uses fewer weight classes. At the Paris 2024 Games, there were seven classes for men and six for women. Each sport governing body sets its own divisions.
Did You Know?
Boxers often lose weight before weigh-ins and then regain it before the fight, which is why weigh-ins usually take place the day before.