Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. 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. For other senses of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ... Bare-knuckle boxer John Lawrence Sullivan. ... Year 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The first middleweight fight with gloves may have been between George Fulljames and Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey (no relation to the more famous heavyweight of the same name). Dempsey knocked out Fulljames on July 30, 1884. John Edward Kelly (December 15, 1862 – November 1, 1895), County Kildare, Ireland. ... For the mixed martial arts division of the same name, see Heavyweight (MMA). ... William Harrison Jack Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title between 1919 and 1926. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

In the modern era, middleweight means that the fighter's official weight does not exceed 160 pounds (73 kg). (In practice, however, since weigh-ins take place usually 24 hours before the actual fight, many fighters show up at the actual ringside weighing more.)

The current middleweight champion, Kelly Pavlik, won a T.K.O. victory in September 2007, defeating the defending champion, Jermain Taylor in the 7th round. Kelly Robert Pavlik (born April 4, 1982 in Youngstown, Ohio) is currently the reigning WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine middleweight champion of the world. ... Jermain Taylor (born August 11, 1978, Little Rock, Arkansas) —nicknamed Bad Intentions— is a professional boxer current Undisputed World middleweight boxing champion. ...

Some notable middleweights have been:

• Bob Fitzsimmons, who was the first fighter - there have only been a handful since - to hold titles in three of the original eight divisions, and the first middleweight champion to capture the heavyweight title

• Nino Benvenuti, world champion in 1967 and again from 1968 to 1970
• Gene Fullmer
• Rocky Graziano
• Harry Greb
• Emile Griffith
• "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler, defended his title 12 times, first middleweight champion to hold top three sanctioning body belts
• Nigel Benn 27 KO's from 31 middleweight contests, won WBO version of title and WBC title at super-middle
• Chris Eubank unbeaten in 28 middleweight contests, held WBO title at middle and super-middle, beat Benn
• Gerald McClellan ferocious puncher, held WBO and WBC middleweight titles, paralysed fighting Benn
• Bernard Hopkins, defended his title a record 20 times, first fighter in history to unify the WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA titles
• Roy Jones Jr., won the IBF version of the belt
• Stanley Ketchel
• Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta
• Al McCoy
• Carlos Monzon, who unified the title and defended it 14 times
• Sugar Ray Robinson, held the title a record five times. Considered greatest ever welter and middleweight.
• Mickey Walker
• Tony Zale
• Sugar Ray Leonard

Robert James Bob Fitzsimmons (May 26, 1863 - October 22, 1917) was a Cornish native and moved to New Zealand in his childhood. ... Giovanni Benvenuti (born April 26, 1938), better known as Nino Benvenuti, is an Italian former boxer who is considered by many, including noted boxing writer Brian Doogan, to be the greatest boxer ever from Italy. ... Gene Fullmer (b. ... Rocky Graziano, born Thomas Rocco Barbella in New York City (January 1, 1922–May 22, 1990), was an American boxer. ... (b. ... Emile Griffith (born February 3, 1938) is a former boxer from the U.S. Virgin Islands who won world championships in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. ... Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954), is a former American boxer. ... Nigel Benn (born January 22, 1964) is an English former boxer who held world titles at both Middleweight and Super Middleweight. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gerald McClellan (born October 23, 1967 in Freeport, Illinois) is a former boxer from the United States of America, who was world Middleweight champion. ... // Bernard Hopkins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, growing up in the Raymond Rosen housing projects and later in Germantown, where he became involved in crime and gang activity at a young age. ... Championship unification or championship consolidation is the act of combining two or more separate championships into a single title. ... The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is one of the sanctioning organizations currently recognizing world boxing champions. ... WBC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: White blood cell World Boxing Council The WBC, a music group Westboro Baptist Church Wilkes-Barre Connecting Railroad White Blood Cells (album) Washington Bible College Widcombe Baptist Church World Baseball Classic World Boardgaming Championships Womens Business Council... The International Boxing Federation, or IBF, is one of many organizations which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO, and a dozen or so others. ... World Boxing Association (WBA) is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. ... Roy Jones Jr. ... Stanislaus Kiecal, (September 14, 1886–October 15, 1910), better known in the boxing world as Stanley Ketchel was an American boxer who became world middleweight champion. ... Giacobbe La Motta (born July 10, 1921), better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed The Bronx Bull and The Raging Bull, is a former boxer who was world middleweight champion and whose life has been as controversial outside the ring as it was inside it. ... Al McCoy, The Voice Of The Suns, has broadcasted every Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game in history. ... Carlos Monzon (August 7, 1942- January 8, 1995) was an Argentinian boxer who held the world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he made a then-division record of 14 defenses. ... Sugar Ray Robinson, (born Walker Smith Jr. ... Edward Patrick Mickey Walker (July 13, 1903 - April 28, 1981) was a multi-faceted boxer from New Jersey. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956 in Wilmington, North Carolina) is a retired professional boxer. ...

Olympic champions

• 1904 –  Charles Mayer (USA)
• 1908 –  John Douglas (GBR)
• 1920 –  Harry Mallin (GBR)
• 1924 –  Harry Mallin (GBR)
• 1928 –  Piero Toscani (ITA)
• 1932 –  Carmen Barth (USA)
• 1936 –  Jean Despeaux (FRA)
• 1948 –  László Papp (HUN)
• 1952 –  Floyd Patterson (USA)
• 1956 –  Gennadiy Shatkov (URS)
• 1960 –  Eddie Crook, Jr. (USA)
• 1964 –  Valeriy Popenchenko (URS)
• 1968 –  Chris Finnegan (GBR)
• 1972 –  Vyacheslav Lemeshev (URS)
• 1976 –  Michael Spinks (USA)
• 1980 –   José Gómez (CUB)
• 1984 –  Shin Joon-Sup (KOR)
• 1988 –  Henry Maske (GDR)
• 1992 –  Ariel Hernández (CUB)
• 1996 –  Ariel Hernández (CUB)
• 2000 –  Jorge Gutiérrez (CUB)
• 2004 –  Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov (RUS)

At the 1904 Summer Olympics, seven boxing events were contested. ... Image File history File links US_flag_45_stars. ... Charles James Mayer (born April 21, 1936) is a Canadian businessman and former federal Minister of Agriculture. ... At the 1908 Summer Olympics, five boxing events were contested. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... John (Johnny) William Henry Tyler Douglas (3 September 1882-19 December 1930) was one of the finest English cricketers of his generation. ... Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the host nation of the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1920 Summer Olympics // Medals Results Flyweight (-50. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Harold William Mallin (born c. ... Flag of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom competed as Great Britain and Ireland at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1924 Summer Olympics // Medals Results Flyweight (-50. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Flag of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom competed as Great Britain and Ireland at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics // Medals Results Flyweight 112 lb (51 kg) Bantamweight 118 lb (53. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946). ... Piero Toscani (July 28, 1904 – May 23, 1940) was an Italian boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. ... Italy competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics // Medals Results Flyweight (-50. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Carmen R. Barth (September 13, 1912 – September 18, 1985) was a male American boxer who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics // Medals Results Flyweight (-50. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Jean Despeaux (October 22, 1915 – May 25, 1989) was a French boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. ... France competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics // Medals Results Flyweight (-51 kg) Bantamweight (-54kg) Featherweight (-58kg) Lightweight (-62kg) Welterweight (-67kg) Middleweight (-73kg) Light-heavyweight (-80kg) Heavyweight (80kg & over) Categories: 1948 Summer Olympics events | Boxing at the Olympics ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary_(1946-1949,_1956-1957). ... László Papp (March 25, 1926 - October 16, 2003) was a boxer from Hungary. ... Hungary competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics // Medals Results Flyweight (-51 kg) Bantamweight (-54kg) Featherweight (-57kg) Lightweight (-60kg) Light-welterweight (-63. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American heavyweight boxing champion. ... Boxing at the 1956 Summer Olympics took place in the new stadium at West Melbourne. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. ... In the 1960 Summer Olympics, Cassius Marcellus Clay, won the gold medal in the boxing light heavyweight division for the United States. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Eddie Crook, Jr. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics: It was held October 11 to 23. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Valeri Popenchenko is a retired boxer from the Soviet Union, who competed in the Middleweight division (– 57 kg) during his career as an amateur. ... The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Chris Finnegan (born 5 June 1944) is an English former professional boxer. ... The United Kingdom competed as Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics: It was held August 27 to September 10 // Medals Light-flyweight (-48kg) Flyweight (-51kg) Bantamweight (-54kg) Featherweight (-57kg) Lightweight (-60kg) Light welterweight (-63. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Soviet Union (USSR) competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. ... There were eleven boxing events at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Michael Spinks, a native of St. ... Boxing at the 1980 Summer Olympics took place in the Indoor Stadium of the Olympiski Sports Complex in Moscow. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... José Gómez (born January 28, 1959) was a Cuban boxer, who won the the Middleweight Gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics. ... Flag of Cuba Cuba competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow under the IOC country code CUB. // Medals Gold Maria Colon — Athletics, womens javelin throw Juan Hernández — Boxing, mens bantamweight Angel Herrera — Boxing, mens lightweight Andrés Aldama — Boxing, mens welterweight Armando Martinez — Boxing... Boxing at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place in the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea. ... Shin Joon-Sup (born June 17, 1963) was a South Korean boxer, who won the the Middleweight Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. ... South Korea, as Korea, competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States. ... Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place in the Chamshil Students Gymnasium in Seoul. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_East_Germany. ... Henry Maske (born January 6, 1964 in Treuenbrietzen) is a former German boxer, who was one of the most popular German sports figures, not only because of his success but also because of his exemplary mannerism and outstanding fair play. ... Flag of East Germany East Germany competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul under the IOC country code GDR (from the official name German Democratic Republic). It was the sixth time that East Germany had competed separately from West Germany and seventeenth overall appearance at the Olympics for German... Boxing at the 1992 Summer Olympics took place in the old Pavelló Club Joventut de Badalona in Barcelona. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... Ariel Hernández (born April 8, 1972) is a boxer from Cuba, who won two Olympic gold medals in the Middleweight division (71-75 kg); at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics. ... Flag of Cuba Cuba competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona under the IOC country code CUB. It was the fourteenth appearance of the nation. ... Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics // Beibis Mendoza, Colombia def. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... Flag of Cuba Cuba competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The boxing competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney was held over a period of sixteen days at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... Jorge Gutiérrez was a Cuban boxer. ... Flag of Cuba Cuba competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. ... Boxing at the Kenyan boxer David Munyasia had tested positive for cathine and has been excluded from the event. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov (born October 6, 1976 in Kaspiysk) is an Russian boxer who has won two Olympic silver medals in Middleweight. ... Flag of the Russian Federation Russia at the 2004 Summer Olympics was represented by the Russian Olympic Committee (abbreviated ROC). ...

Professional Champions

• List of middleweight boxing champions