Breakdown of Boxing's Weight-Classes

Nov 2, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Canelo Alvarez (blue/green trunks) and Sergey Kovalev (black/white/red trunks) box during their WBO light heavyweight title bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The most glamorous and romanticized division in boxing. Many of the sport’s most famous fighters—like Joe Louis and his 25 title defenses, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, and Lennox Lewis—all fought here and the health of the sport is largely tied to the division’s quality and fan interest in seeing the big boys brawl. With a number of high-profile heavyweights like Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua, the heavyweight division has enjoyed a relevancy renaissance in recent years.

Usually it’s a pit stop here on the way to heavyweight. Evander Holyfield was the first undisputed champion in the division’s history in the late 1980s. Oleksandr Usyk, one of our top 10 pound-for-pound boxers, was the most recent undisputed champion before moving to heavyweight in 2019.

Roy Jones Jr. is the division’s most celebrated modern champion that low-key has been one of boxing’s best and deepest over recent years. We saw Canelo Alvarez move up two divisions to light heavyweight last year to win a title while Artur Beterbiev—one of the hardest punchers in boxing—is largely considered the division’s best these days.

Alvarez, the face of boxing, will likely take the many of his future fights in this weight-class that doesn’t feature the depth and talent of the division above or below it. Canelo was supposed to take on Billy Joe Saunders in May for Saunders’ WBO belt at 168, but that's been pushed back. When Canelo and GGG meet for a third time, reportedly later this year, there's a good chance it happens at this weight instead of 160. The division currently has four different champions and one vacant title up for grabs.       

The division Bernard Hopkins ruled in the 90s when he defended his titles 20 straight times is one of boxing’s best. Canelo still holds a title in this weight class and future Hall of Famer Gennadiy Golovkin—still a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter—holds two belts. A division with a rich history that saw greats like Sugar Ray Robinson and Marvin Hagler rule it back in the day, middleweight is deep and features dangerous and talented fighters like Demetrius Andrade and Jermall Charlo who need to face-off in 2020.

Also known as junior middleweight. The division is devoid of star power, but filled with fighters who can put on a good show. While Jermell Charlo, twin brother of middleweight champ Jermall Charlo, is arguably the best at 154, division supremacy is absolutely up for grabs.

Boxing’s deepest, best, and most entertaining division, this is the weight-class Floyd Mayweather Jr. ruled for years and features three of our top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in Terence Crawford, Errol Spence, and Manny Pacquiao. Many of boxing’s greatest fighters fought at 147 pounds like Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Emile Griffith. Prayers up that we can get a Crawford-Spence unification mega-fight—one of the biggest to make in boxing—before they’re both washed up. 

Also known as junior welterweight. Caught between two of the sport’s glamour divisions, this weight-class features some of boxing’s most underrated and overlooked fighters like Josh Taylor, Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis, and Maurice Hooker. Before the boxing calendar was put on hold, supremacy in the division was expected to be sorted out by the end of the year since the best were actually lined up to eventually fight each other.

One of the best divisions, Vasiliy Lomachenko stands above everyone else at 135 since he’s our No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and is supremely gifted in ways rarely seen. But with names like Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, and Gervonta Davis lurking behind Lomachenko there are excellent fights to be made at lightweight. Maybe Mikey Garcia drops back down to 135—where Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, and Pernell Whitaker once ruled—to take a mega-fight.

Also known as junior lightweight. Floyd Mayweather made his pro debut and earned his first belt at this weight. With names like Miguel Berchelt (a borderline pound-for-pound top 10 boxer), Jojo Diaz, Jamel Herring, and Leo Santa Cruz fighting in the division, it can offer up entertaining fights for the hardcore fans. Greats like Henry Armstrong and Alexis Arguello once ruled the division.

Home, for now, of Shakur Stevenson who has future superstardom written all over him. A 2016 Olympic silver medalist for the United States is just getting started and many have him pegged for greatness. Legends like Henry Armstrong and Alexis Arguello once ruled the division.

Also known or junior featherweight. Emanuel Navarrete, who fought on the Wilder-Fury 2 undercard, is considered by many to be the best in the division.

One of our best pound-for-pound boxers and hardest puchers, Nayoa Inoue, is the top dog in this division and a burgeoning superstar. Our 2019 Fight of the Year went down in this weight-class that still features one future Hall of Famer (Nonito Donaire), an underrated power puncher in Luis Nery, and a couple of other names hardcore fans know and respect. 

Some call this the junior bantamweight division. Doesn’t really matter what you prefer as long as you respect the division since it features one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in Juan Francisco Estrada and former fixtures on the mythical list Roman “Choclatito” Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

The legendary Manny Pacquiao won his first title in 1998 at this weight. Flyweight supremacy appears to be up for grabs now that Kosei Tanaka, an undefeated three-division champion, is looking to take on new challengers at a different weight. 

Pacquiao, the only eight-division champion in boxing history, made his debut in 1995 at 106 pounds. Kenshiro “The Amazing Boy” Teraji is considered the best in the weight-class.

Also known as strawweight. The smallest weight-class in boxing. The division’s best, Wanheng Menayothin, quietly surpassed Mayweather’s 50-0 mark in 2018. He’s now 54-0.