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bantamweight

{{short description|Weight class in combat sports}}

{{lead too short|date=July 2016}}

Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above {{cvt|115|lb|1}} and up to {{cvt|118|lb|1}}. In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between {{convert|53|and|55|kg}}. In MMA, bantamweight is {{cvt|126|-|135|lb|1}}.

The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens.{{Cite web|url=http://philboxing.com/news/story-147933.html|title = Bantamweight and Featherweight, New Pinoy Niche Weight Classes?}} Brazilian jiu-jitsu has an equivalent Rooster weight.

Boxing

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.{{cite book

| last = Mullan

| first = Harry

| title = The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing

| publisher = Carlton Books

| year = 1996

| location = London, England

| pages = 178

| isbn = 0-7858-0641-5}}

From 2018 to 2019, a 8 men tournament called World Boxing Super Series was held to find the best bantamweight in the world. The tournament was won by Naoya Inoue, who defeated Nonito Donaire in the final.

On December 13, 2022, Naoya Inoue became the first undisputed champion of the division in the four-belt era.

= Current world champions =

{{main|List of world bantamweight boxing champions}}

class="wikitable"

!Sanctioning body

!Reign began

!Champion

!Record

!Defenses

WBA

|May 17, 2025

|Antonio Vargas

|19–1–0–1 (11 KO)

|align=center|0

WBC

|February 24, 2024

|Junto Nakatani

|31–0 (24 KO)

|align=center|3

IBF

|June 8, 2025

|Junto Nakatani

|31–0 (24 KO)

|align=center|1

WBO

|May 6, 2024

|Yoshiki Takei

|10–0 (8 KO)

|align=center|1

= Current ''The Ring'' world rankings =

As of June 8, 2025.{{cite web|title=The Ring Bantamweight Ratings|url=https://ringmagazine.com/en/ring-ranking|website=The Ring|access-date=9 March 2025}}

Keys:

:{{Color box|gold|C|border=darkgray}} Current The Ring world champion

class="wikitable"

!Rank

!Name

!Record

!Title(s)

bgcolor=gold|C

|Junto Nakatani

|31–0 (23 KO)

|WBC, IBF

1

|

|

|

2

|Ryosuke Nishida

|10–1 (2 KO)

|

3

|Seiya Tsutsumi

|12–0–3 (8 KO)

|WBA

4

|Yoshiki Takei

|10–0 (8 KO)

|WBO

5

|Takuma Inoue

|20–2 (5 KO)

|

6

|Emmanuel Rodríguez

|22–3–0–1 (13 KO)

|

7

|Daigo Higa

|21–3–2 (19 KO)

|

8

|Tenshin Nasukawa

|6–0 (2 KO)

|

9

|Jason Moloney

|27–4 (19 KO)

|

10

|Jeyvier Cintrón

|13–1–0–1 (6 KO)

|

= Longest reigning world bantamweight champions =

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.

class="sortable wikitable"
NameTitle reignTitle recognitionSuccessful defensesBeaten opponentsFights
1.Anselmo Moreno6 years, 3 months, 26 daysWBAalign="center"| 12align="center"| 11{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/97557|title=Professional boxing record: Anselmo Moreno|access-date=15 April 2020}}
2.Veeraphol Sahaprom6 years, 3 months, 17 daysWBCalign="center"| 14align="center"| 11{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/006077|title=Professional boxing record: Veeraphol Sahaprom|access-date=15 April 2020}}
3.Orlando Canizales6 years, 3 months, 16 daysIBFalign="center"| 16align="center"| 15{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/TheBoxingRegisterInternationalBoxingHallOfFameOfficialRecordBook|work=The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book |publisher=International Boxing Hall Of Fame |title=Orlando Canizales, p. 366|format=pdf |access-date=26 May 2019}}
4.Shinsuke Yamanaka5 years, 9 months, 9 daysWBCalign="center"| 12align="center"| 11{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/344846|title=Professional boxing record: Shinsuke Yamanaka|access-date=15 April 2020}}
5.Tim Austin5 years, 6 months, 26 daysIBFalign="center"| 9align="center"| 9{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/5108|title=Professional boxing record: Tim Austin|access-date=15 April 2020}}
6.Hozumi Hasegawa5 years, 14 daysWBCalign="center"| 10align="center"| 10{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/105935|title=Professional boxing record: Hozumi Hasegawa|access-date=15 April 2020}}
7.Panama Al Brown4 years, 9 months, 28 daysNYSAC, NBA, IBUalign="center"| 10align="center"| 8{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/8994|title=Professional boxing record: Panama Al Brown|access-date=15 April 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/TheBoxingRegisterInternationalBoxingHallOfFameOfficialRecordBook|work=The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book |publisher=International Boxing Hall Of Fame |title=Panama Al Brown, p. 84|format=pdf |access-date=26 May 2019}}
8.Naoya Inoue4 years, 7 months, 13 daysWBA, WBC, IBF, WBOalign="center"| 8align="center"| 7{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/628407|title=Professional boxing record: Naoya Inoue|access-date=8 December 2013}}
9.Eder Jofre4 years, 6 monthsNBA, WBA, WBCalign="center"| 8align="center"| 8{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/11505|title=Professional boxing record: Eder Jofre|access-date=15 April 2020}}
10.Manuel Ortiz4 years, 4 months, 29 daysWorldalign="center"| 15align="center"| 11{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/TheBoxingRegisterInternationalBoxingHallOfFameOfficialRecordBook|work=The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book |publisher=International Boxing Hall Of Fame |title=Manuel Ortiz, p. 648|format=pdf |access-date=26 May 2019}}

:{{colorbox|#B2FFFF}} Active Title Reign

:{{colorbox|}} Reign has ended

=Lineal Champions=

  • {{flagicon|CAN}} George Dixon (1890) Vacated
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Barry (1897–1899) Retired
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Terry McGovern (1899) Vacated
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Harry Harris (1901) Vacated
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Harry Forbes (1901–1903)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Frankie Neil (1903–1904)
  • {{flagicon|UK}} Joe Bowker (1904–1905) Vacated
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Walsh (1905–1909)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Reagan (1909)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Monte Attell (1909–1910)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Frankie Conley (1910–1911)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Johnny Coulon (1911–1914)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Kid Williams (1914–1917)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Pete Herman (1917–20)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Joe Lynch (1920-21)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Pete Herman (1921) (2)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Johnny Buff (1921-1922)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Joe Lynch (1922-1924)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Abe Goldstein (1924)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Eddie Martin (1924-1925)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Charley Phil Rosenberg (1925-1927) Vacated
  • {{flagicon|PAN}} Al Brown (1931-1935)
  • {{flagicon|ESP}} Baltasar Sangchili (1935-1936)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Tony Marino (1936)
  • {{flagicon|PRI}} Sixto Escobar (1936-1937)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Harry Jeffra (1937-1938)
  • {{flagicon|PRI}} Sixto Escobar (1938-1939) (2) Vacated
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Lou Salica (1940-1942)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Manuel Ortiz (1942-1947)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Harold Dade (1947)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Manuel Ortiz (1947-1950)
  • {{flagicon|ZAF}} Vic Toweel (1950-1952) South Africa
  • {{flagicon|AUS}} Jimmy Carruthers (1952-1954) Retired
  • {{flagicon|FRA}} Robert Cohen (1954-1956)
  • {{flagicon|ITA}} Mario D'agata (1956-1957)
  • {{flagicon|FRA}} Alphonse Halimi (1957-1959)
  • {{flagicon|MEX}} Jose Becerra (1959-1960) Retired
  • {{flagicon|BRA}} Eder Jofre (1961-1965)
  • {{flagicon|JPN}} Masahiko Harada (1965-1968)
  • {{flagicon|AUS}} Lionel Rose (1968-1969)
  • {{flagicon|MEX}} Ruben Olivares (1969-1970)
  • {{flagicon|MEX}} Jesus Castillo (1970-1971)
  • {{flagicon|MEX}} Ruben Olivares (1971-1972) (2)
  • {{flagicon|MEX}} Rafael Herrera (1972)
  • {{flagicon|PAN}} Enrique Pinder (1972-1973)
  • {{flagicon|MEX}} Romeo Anaya (1973)
  • {{flagicon|ZAF}} Arnold Taylor (1973-1974)
  • {{flagicon|KOR}} Soo-Hwan Hong (1974-1975)
  • {{flagicon|MEX}} Alfonso Zamora (1975-1977)
  • {{flagicon|PAN}} Jorge Luján (1977-1980)
  • {{flagicon|PRI}} Julian Solis (1980)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Jeff Chandler (1980-1984)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Richard Sandoval (1984-1986)
  • {{flagicon|USA}} Jose Canizales (1986)
  • {{flagicon|VEN}} Bernardo Piñango (1986-1987) Vacated
  • {{flagicon|JPN}} Naoya Inoue (2022-2023) Vacated

==Olympic Champions==

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

{{div col end}}

==World Champions==

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

{{div col end}}

==Pan American Champions==

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

{{div col end}}

==European Champions==

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

{{div col end}}

Kickboxing

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 {{convert|65.8|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

==Bare-knuckle boxing==

The bantamweight division limit generally differs among bare-knuckle boxing promotions:

  • In Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the bantamweight division has an upper limit of {{convert|135|lb|kg|abbr=on}}.
  • In BKB, the bantamweight division has an upper limit of {{convert|73|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.

Lethwei

In International Lethwei Federation Japan, the bantamweight division is up to {{convert|60|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. In International Lethwei Federation Japan, Yuta Hamamoto is the Bantamweight Champion.

The World Lethwei Championship recognizes the bantamweight division with an upper limit of {{convert|54|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. In World Lethwei Championship, Souris Manfredi is the Bantamweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts

{{main|Bantamweight (MMA)}}

In MMA, bantamweight is usually 126–135 pounds (57.2–61.2 kg). In ONE Championship, the bantamweight division limit is {{convert|65.8|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. In Shooto, the limit is 56 kg (123.4 lb).

=Current champions=

These tables were last updated in May 2023.

class="wikitable"

! Organization

! Reign began

! Champion

! Record

! Defenses

bgcolor="#eeeeaa"

|colspan=5 align="center"|Men

UFC

|September

14th, 2024

|Merab Dvalishvili

|19-4(3KO

1 SUB)

| align=center|1

Bellator

|May 7, 2021

|Sergio Pettis{{cite web | url=https://www.bellator.com/ranking | title=Bellator MMA | access-date=2023-02-27 | archive-date=2022-10-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026203650/https://www.bellator.com/ranking | url-status=dead }}

|22–5 (4KO 4SUB)

| align=center|1

Rizin FF

|N/A

|{{flagicon

} Vacant

|N/A

| align=center|N/A

|-

|ONE Championship

|February, 2023

|Fabrício Andrade<{{cite web | url=https://www.onefc.com/rankings/ | title=Athlete Rankings }}

|9-2 (1) (5KO 2SUB 1NC)

| align=center|0

|-

|AMC Fight Nights

|October 14, 2022

|Sabit Zhusupov

|15-3 (1) (6KO 3SUB 1NC)

| align=center|0

|-

|Cage Warriors

|October 7, 2022

|Michele Martignoni

|8–1 (2) (2KO 3SUB 2NC)

| align=center|0

|-

|ACA

|March 26, 2022

|Oleg Borisov

|25–6 (12KO 1SUB)

| align=center|0

|-

|Brave CF

|November 11, 2022

|Brad Katona

|12–2 (1KO 3SUB)

| align=center|1

|-

|Legacy Fighting Alliance

|October 14, 2022

|Muin Gafurov

|18-4 (10KO 7SUB)

| align=center|0

|-bgcolor="#eeeeaa"

|colspan=5 align="center"|Women

|-

|UFC

|January 20, 2024

|Raquel Pennington

|16-8 (1KO 4SUB)

| align=center|0

|-

|Invicta FC

|January 18, 2023

|Talita Bernardo

|10-4 (6SUB)

| align=center|0

|-

|}

Muay Thai

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

Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight.

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Boxing weight classes}}

Category:Boxing weight classes

Category:Kickboxing weight classes

Category:Wrestling weight classes

*

*

sv:Viktklass