Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.

Boxing

Professional

In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .

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 1867. 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 Jack Dempsey).

Current world champions

Current world rankings

The Ring

As of August 9, 2026.

Keys:

1. Current The Ring world champion

BoxRec

As of , .

Longest reigning world 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) is not counted.

1. Active Title Reign

2. Reign has ended

Amateur

Olympic champions

• 1904:

• 1908:

• 1920:

• 1924:

• 1928:

• 1932:

• 1936:

• 1948:

• 1952:

• 1956:

• 1960:

• 1964:

• 1968:

• 1972:

• 1976:

• 1980:

• 1984:

• 1988:

• 1992:

• 1996:

• 2000:

• 2004:

• 2008:

• 2012:

• 2016:

• 2020:

Kickboxing

• International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) Middleweight (Pro & Amateur) 159.1–165lb. or 72.4–75kg

• In Glory promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85kg (187lb).

• In Bellator Kickboxing promotion, a middleweight division is up to 85kg (187lb).

• In ONE Championship, the middleweight division limit is .

Bare-knuckle boxing

The limit for middleweight generally differs among promotions in bare-knuckle boxing:

• In Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the middleweight division has an upper limit of .

• In BYB Extreme Fighting Series, the middleweight division has an upper limit of .

• In BKB™, the middleweight division has an upper limit of .

Lethwei

The World Lethwei Championship recognizes the middleweight division with an upper limit of . In World Lethwei Championship, Naimjon Tuhtaboyev is the Middleweight Champion.

Mixed Martial Arts

In MMA, the middleweight division is from 171lb (77.5kg) to 185lb (84kg).

Anderson Silva is generally considered to be the greatest Middleweight MMA fighter of all time.

Taekwondo

References