Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting.
For boxing, the range is above 115 lb (52.2 kg) and up to 118 lb (53.5 kg). In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between 53 and 55 kilograms (117 and 121 lb). In MMA, bantamweight is 126–135 lb (57.2–61.2 kg).
The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Brazilian jiu-jitsu has an equivalent Rooster weight.
The first title fight with gloves was between Chappie Moran and Ray Lewis in 1889. At that time, the limit for this weight class was 110 pounds. In 1910, however, the British settled on a limit of 118.
On December 13, 2022, Naoya Inoue became the first undisputed champion of the division in the four belt era.
Sanctioning body | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
WBA | April 8, 2023 | Takuma Inoue | 19–1 (5 KO) | 1 |
WBC | February 24, 2024 | Junto Nakatani | 27–0 (20 KO) | 0 |
IBF | August 12, 2023 | Emmanuel Rodríguez | 22–2–0–1 (13 KO) | 0 |
WBO | May 13, 2023 | Jason Moloney | 27–2 (19 KO) | 1 |
1. George Dixon (1890) Vacated Canada
2. Jimmy Barry (1897-1899) Retired USA
3. Terry McGovern (1899) Vacated USA
4. Harry Harris (1901) Vacated USA
5. Harry Forbes (1901-1903) USA
6. Frankie Neil (1903-1904) USA
7. Joe Bowker (1904-1905) Vacated UK
8. Jimmy Walsh (1905-1909) USA
9. Jimmy Reagan (1909) USA
10. Monte Attell (1909-1910) USA
11. Frankie Conley (1910 - 1911) USA
12. Johnny Coulon (1911-1914) USA
13. Kid Williams (1914-1917) USA
14. Pete Herman (1917-20) USA
15. Joe Lynch (1920-21) USA
16. Pete Herman (1921) (2) USA
17. Johnny Buff (1921-1922) USA
18. Joe Lynch (1922-1924) USA
19. Abe Goldstein (1924) USA
20. Eddie Martin (1924-1925) USA
21. Charley Phil Rosenberg (1925-1927) Vacated USA
22. Al Brown (1931-1935) Panama
23. Baltasar Sangchili (1935-1936) Spain
24. Tony Marino (1936) USA
25. Sixto Escobar (1936-1937) Puerto Rico
26. Harry Jeffra (1937-1938) USA
27. Sixto Escobar (1938-1939) (2) Vacated Puerto Rico
28. Lou Salica (1940-1942) USA
29. Manuel Ortiz (1942-1947) USA
30. Harold Dade (1947) USA
31. Manuel Ortiz (1947-1950) USA
32. Vic Toweel (1950-1952) South Africa
33. Jimmy Carruthers (1952-1954) Retired Australia
34. Robert Cohen (1954-1956) France
35. Mario D'agata (1956-1957) Italy
36. Alphonse Halimi (1957-1959) France
37. Jose Becerra (1959-1960) Retired Mexico
38. Eder Jofre (1961-1965) Brazil
39. Masahiko Harada (1965-1968) Japan
40. Lionel Rose (1968-1969) Australia
41. Ruben Olivares (1969-1970) Mexico
42. Jesus Castillo (1970-1971) Mexico
43. Ruben Olivares (1971-1972) (2) Mexico
44. Rafael Herrera (1972) Mexico
45. Enrique Pinder (1972-1973) Panama
46. Romeo Anaya (1973) Mexico
47. Arnold Taylor (1973-1974) South Africa
48. Soo-Hwan Hong (1974-1975) South Korea
49. Alfonso Zamora (1975-1977) Mexico
50. Jorge Luján (1977-1980) Panama
51. Julian Solis (1980) Puerto Rico
52. Jeff Chandler (1980-1984) USA
53. Richard Sandoval (1984-1986) USA
54. Jose Canizales (1986) USA
55. Bernardo Piñango (1986-1987) Vacated Venezuela
56. Naoya Inoue (2022 – 2023) Vacated Japan
As of January 5, 2024.
Keys:
Rank | Name | Record | Title(s) |
---|---|---|---|
C | vacant | ||
1 | Jason Moloney | 26–2 (19 KO) | WBO |
2 | Emmanuel Rodríguez | 22–2–0–1 (13 KO) | IBF |
3 | Alexandro Santiago | 28–3–5 (14 KO) | WBC |
4 | Vincent Astrolabio | 19–4 (14 KO) | |
5 | Nonito Donaire | 42–8 (28 KO) | |
6 | Paul Butler | 36–3 (17 KO) | |
7 | Ryosuke Nishida | 8–0 (1 KO) | |
8 | Takuma Inoue | 18–1 (4 KO) | WBA |
9 | David Cuellar | 25–0 (17 KO) | |
10 | 21–2–1 (19 KO) |
Below is a list of longest reigning bantamweight champions in boxing measured by the individual's longest reign. Career total time as champion (for multiple time champions) does not apply.
Name | Title reign | Title recognition | Successful defenses | Beaten opponents | Fights | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Anselmo Moreno | 6 years, 3 months, 26 days | WBA | 12 | 11 | |
2. | Veeraphol Sahaprom | 6 years, 3 months, 17 days | WBC | 14 | 11 | |
3. | Orlando Canizales | 6 years, 3 months, 16 days | IBF | 16 | 15 | |
4. | Shinsuke Yamanaka | 5 years, 9 months, 9 days | WBC | 12 | 11 | |
5. | Tim Austin | 5 years, 6 months, 26 days | IBF | 9 | 9 | |
6. | Hozumi Hasegawa | 5 years, 14 days | WBC | 10 | 10 | |
7. | Panama Al Brown | 4 years, 9 months, 28 days | NYSAC, NBA, IBU | 10 | 8 | |
8. | Eder Jofre | 4 years, 6 months | NBA, WBA, WBC | 8 | 8 | |
9. | Manuel Ortiz | 4 years, 4 months, 29 days | World | 15 | 11 |
Only one boxer has ever held the Olympic and World Amateur bantamweight titles simultaneously, Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba, who managed the feat twice in 2001 and 2005.
In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between 53 kg (116 lb) and 55 kg (120 lb). However, some governing bodies have slightly different classes. For example, the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) Bantamweight division (professional and amateur) is 117.1 lbs.–122 lbs. or 53.22 kg–55.45 kg.
In ONE Championship, the bantamweight division limit is 65.8 kg (145 lb).
The bantamweight division limit generally differs among bare-knuckle boxing promotions:
In International Lethwei Federation Japan, the bantamweight division is up to 60 kg (130 lb). In International Lethwei Federation Japan, Yuta Hamamoto is the Bantamweight Champion.
The World Lethwei Championship recognizes the bantamweight division with an upper limit of 54 kg (119 lb). In World Lethwei Championship, Souris Manfredi is the Bantamweight Champion.
In MMA, bantamweight is usually 126–135 pounds (57.2–61.2 kg). In ONE Championship, the bantamweight division limit is 65.8 kg (145 lb). In Shooto, the limit is 56 kg (123.4 lb).
These tables were last updated in May 2023.
Organization | Reign began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men | ||||
UFC | Aug 19, 2023 | Sean O’Malley | 18–1 (12KO 1SUB) | 1 |
Bellator | May 7, 2021 | Sergio Pettis | 22–5 (4KO 4SUB) | 1 |
Rizin FF | N/A | Vacant | N/A | N/A |
ONE Championship | February, 2023 | Fabrício Andrade< | 9-2 (1) (5KO 2SUB 1NC) | 0 |
AMC Fight Nights | October 14, 2022 | Sabit Zhusupov | 15-3 (1) (6KO 3SUB 1NC) | 0 |
Cage Warriors | October 7, 2022 | Michele Martignoni | 8–1 (2) (2KO 3SUB 2NC) | 0 |
ACA | March 26, 2022 | Oleg Borisov | 25–6 (12KO 1SUB) | 0 |
Brave CF | November 11, 2022 | Brad Katona | 12–2 (1KO 3SUB) | 1 |
Legacy Fighting Alliance | October 14, 2022 | Muin Gafurov | 18-4 (10KO 7SUB) | 0 |
Women | ||||
UFC | July 30, 2022 | Amanda Nunes | 22–5 (13KO 4SUB) | 0 |
Invicta FC | January 18, 2023 | Talita Bernardo | 10-4 (6SUB) | 0 |
In Muay Thai, bantamweight is 115–118 pounds (52.2-53.5 kg). A notable Muai Thai bantamweight fighter is Randy Thong Phoun Phim.
Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia English article Bantamweight, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license ("CC BY-SA 3.0"); additional terms may apply (view authors). Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
®Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wiki Foundation, Inc. Wiki English (DUHOCTRUNGQUOC.VN) is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wiki Foundation.