Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing or boxers who weigh between 112 and 118 pounds (between 51 and 54 kilograms). Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight. The name is derived from Bantam chickens.

[edit] History

The first bantamweight title fight with gloves was between Chappie Moran and Tommy Kelly 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.^[1]

[edit] Notable bantamweights

• Monte Attell
• Fabrice Benichou
• Panama Al Brown
• Tony Canzoneri
• Orlando Canizales
• Jimmy Carruthers
• Jeff Chandler
• Benny "Irish" Cohen
• Sixto Escobar
• Luisito Espinosa
• Eder Jofre
• Alphonse Halimi
• Naseem Hamed
• Fighting Harada
• Pete Herman
• Akhil Kumar
• Miguel "Happy" Lora
• Joe Lynch
• Ruben Olivares
• Manuel Ortiz
• Lionel Rose
• Charlie Phil Rosenberg
• Isadore “Corporal Izzy” Schwartz
• Charles "Bud" Taylor
• Alfonso Zamora
• Carlos Zarate

[edit] Amateur Champions

[edit] Olympic Champions

• 1904:  Oliver Kirk (USA)
• 1908:  Henry Thomas (GBR)
• 1920:  Clarence Walker (RSA)
• 1924:  William Smith (RSA)
• 1928:  Vittorio Tamagnini (ITA)
• 1932:  Horace Gwynne (CAN)
• 1936:  Ulderico Sergo (ITA)
• 1948:  Tibor Csík (HUN)
• 1952:  Pentti Hämäläinen (FIN)
• 1956:  Wolfgang Behrendt (EUA)
• 1960:  Oleg Grigoryev (URS)
• 1964:  Takao Sakurai (JPN)
• 1968:  Valeriy Sokolov (URS)
• 1972:  Orlando Martínez (CUB)
• 1976:  Gu Yong-Ju (PRK)
• 1980:  Juan Hernández (CUB)
• 1984:  Maurizio Stecca (ITA)
• 1988:  Kennedy McKinney (USA)
• 1992:  Joel Casamayor (CUB)
• 1996:  István Kovács (HUN)
• 2000:  Guillermo Rigondeaux (CUB)
• 2004:  Guillermo Rigondeaux (CUB)
• 2008:  Enkhbatyn Badar-Uugan (MGL)

[edit] Pan American Champions

• 1951: Ricardo Gonzales (ARG)
• 1955: Salvador Enriquez (VEN)
• 1959: Waldo Claudiano (BRA)
• 1963: Abel Almaraz (ARG)
• 1967: Juvencio Martínez (MEX)
• 1971: Pedro Flores (MEX)
• 1975: Orlando Martínez (CUB)
• 1979: Jackie Beard (USA)
• 1983: Manuel Vilchez (VEN)
• 1987: Manuel Martínez (CUB)
• 1991: Enrique Carrion (CUB)
• 1995: Juan Despaigne (CUB)
• 1999: Gerald Tucker (USA)
• 2003: Guillermo Rigondeaux (CUB)

[edit] Professional Champions

Sanctioning Body	Reign Began	Champion	Record	Defenses
WBA	May 21, 2008	Anselmo Moreno	24–1 (8 KO)	2
WBC	April 16, 2005	Hozumi Hasegawa	26–2 (10 KO)	8
IBF	September 29, 2007	Joseph Agbeko	26–1 (22 KO)	1
WBO	August 11, 2007	Gerry Peñalosa	54–6–2 (36 KO)	1

For a full list, see List of bantamweight boxing champions

[edit] Kickboxing bantamweight

• International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) Bantamweight (Pro & Amateur) 117.1 lbs.–122 lbs. or 53.22 kg–55.45 kg.

[edit] See also

• Reigning boxing champions

[edit] References

1. ^ Mullan, Harry (1996). The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing. London, England: Carlton Books. pp. 178. ISBN 0785806415. 

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