History of weight divisions in boxing

During the 19th and again at the beginning of the 20th century, the popularity of boxing brought about the formation of weight divisions.

This was to eliminate the handicap of smaller contestants having to concede excessive weight to their opponents.

These weight divisions originated in the United States and Great Britain.

Professional governing bodies now recognize a total of 17 weight classes, which had their current names established by the major boxing organizations in 2015.

They start at a minimum weight of 105 pounds and go all the way up to heavyweight which is unlimited.

Some male fighters you may be familiar with include:

Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao

Evander Holyfield

And of course, Muhammad Ali

Some of these fighters competed in multiple weight class divisions over the course of their career.

In all world and national title fights, weight limits must be strictly observed.

In Olympic-style amateur boxing, the weight divisions for men are similar but have fewer weight classes.

Some differences between professional boxing and amateur boxing are the rules, scoring, ring size, and how boxers are compensated.

There is no universal agreement on weight divisions within women’s professional boxing, but there are amateur weight divisions.

Some famous female fighters you might know are:

Lucia Rijker

Cecilia Braekhus

Katie Taylor

And the daughter Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali.


In 2012, history was made in London, when women boxed in the Olympic Games for the first time.

Just like with Men’s Boxing, there are fewer weight divisions in the Olympics for Women’s Boxing.