Light Middleweight (also known as Junior Middleweight in the IBF or Super Welterweight in the WBA and WBC), is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds (66.7-69.9 kg).
History[]
This division was established in 1962, when the Austrian Board of Control recognized a fight between Nicko Sabong and Teddy Wright for the "world" championship. The fight, which took place on October 17, was won by Griffith via a 15 round decision. Three days later, the World Boxing Association championship was created when Denny Moyer outpointed Joey Giambra. The World Boxing Council recognized the WBA champion as the true division champion until 1975, when it stripped their current champion and sanctioned a fight between Miguel de Oliveira and Jose Duran for the vacant title. De Oliveira won the title over 15 rounds in 1975. The International Boxing Federation crowned its first champion when Mark Medal defeated Earl Hargrove in 1984. The World Boxing Organization crowned its first champion when John David Jackson defeated Lupe Aquino in 1988.
Fighters[]
Popular fighters to have held championships in this division were Nino Benvenuti, Manny Pacquiao, Wilfred Benítez, Roy Jones, Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard,Miguel Cotto, Thomas Hearns, Mike McCallum, Julian Jackson, Roberto Durán, Terry Norris, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Winky Wright.
Professional champions[]
Current champions[]
| Sanctioning Body | Reign Began | Champion | Record | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBA (Super) | May 5, 2012 |  Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
|
43-0 (26 KO) | 0 |
| WBA | April 20, 2013 |  Saúl Álvarez
|
42-0-1 (30 KO) | 0 |
| WBC | March 5, 2011 | Saúl Álvarez
|
42-0-1 (30 KO) | 6 |
| IBF | February 23, 2013 | Ishe Smith
|
25-5 (11 KO) | 0 |
| WBO | October 5, 2011 |  Zaurbek Baysangurov
|
28-1 (20 KO) | 2 |
- List of light middleweight boxing champions
References and notes[]
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