Back in the heyday of boxing and boxing betting, all eyes were focused on the heavyweight fighters. Nearly all of the other weight classes were practically ignored by bookmakers – but that is no longer the case, with more betting markets and options being available for pretty much all of the boxing weight divisions now.
That’s great news for a boxing bettor, as it means that they no longer have to wait for a big heavyweight fight to come up to make their bets – they can bet on boxing action on a much more regular basis.
British boxing has never been better than it is right now and fighters from the UK are leading the way – led by the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. However, these again are the heavyweights, let’s take a closer look at some of the other weight divisions you can bet on:
Professional Boxing Weight Divisions
It used to be that just seven different weight divisions were recognised by the professional boxing bodies, but as of 2015, this has now increased to seventeen. Here are all the recognised weight classes in pro boxing:
Minimumweight – 48kg / 105lbs
Light Flyweight – 49kg / 108lbs
Flyweight – 51kg / 112lbs
Super Flyweight – 52kg / 115lbs
Bantamweight – 53.5kg / 118lbs
Super Bantamweight – 55kg / 122lbs
Featherweight – 57kg / 126lbs
Super Featherweight – 59kg / 130lbs
Lightweight – 61kg / 135lbs
Super Lightweight – 63.5kg / 140lbs
Welterweight – 67kgs / 147lbs
Super Welterweight – 70kg / 154lbs
Middleweight – 72.5 kgs / 160lbs
Super Middleweight – 76kg / 168lbs
Light Heavyweight – 79kg / 175lbs
Cruiserweight – 91kg / 200lbs
Heavyweight – unlimited
Amateur Boxing Weight Divisions
Those above are the weight categories that are recognised in professional boxing fights. However, amateur Olympic-style weight divisions are a little different and this is something you need to think about if you are looking at the boxing odds of the Olympic games – as amateur boxing is somewhat a different experience from pro boxing – here are the weight divisions for amateur boxing competitions:
Light Flyweight – up to 49kg / 108lbs
Flyweight – 52kg / 115lbs
Bantamweight – 56kg / 123lbs
Lightweight – 60kg / 132lbs
Light Welterweight – 64kg / 141lbs
Welterweight – 69kg / 152lbs
Middleweight – 75kg / 165lbs
Light Heavyweight – 81kg / 178lbs
Heavyweight – 91kg / 201lbs
Super Heavyweight – above 91kgs / 201lbs.
The Differences and What it Means
As you can see, there are many differences between professional and amateur weight divisions – with 17 recognised professional divisions and only 10 in amateur boxing. So, as a boxer, if you weighed in at 59kg as an amateur, you would be considered Bantamweight – however, if you made the move to professional boxing, you would be a super featherweight. In amateur boxing you would be one of the heaviest in your division, in pro boxing, you would be one of the lighter boxers in your division.
This does mean, however, that amateur boxers have a greater lee-way when it comes to weight fluctuations. They can put on or lose a kg or 2 without having to change weight division.
Boxing Weight Division Championships
In the world of pro boxing, there are four governing bodies:
WBA (World Boxing Association)
WBC (World Boxing Council)
IBF (International Boxing Federation)
WBO (World Boxing Organisation)
These are the four major belts that everyone in their weight division will look to win. However, this also means that at any one time, there is likely to be more than one world champion for a weight division. So, for example, Anthony Joshua holds the WBA, IBF and WBO Heavyweight world titles and Tyson Fury is the WBC titleholder.
A Unification Fight
As such, one of the most anticipated fights will be between two world champions looking to unify the titles – as will be the case when Anthony Joshua takes on Tyson Fury in a winner takes all fight. This is where boxing betting becomes even more exciting and all of the top bookmakers will look to offer odds and promotions when the fight takes place.
Don’t forget to check out our boxing guide and strategy so that when the fight does take place, you are a step ahead of the game.
