Pro-Boxing Cruiserweight Rankings and Champion

In professional boxing, the cruiserweight division, also known as junior heavyweight, sits between the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. Before the creation of the current cruiserweight class, the terms "light heavyweight" and "cruiserweight" were occasionally used in the UK interchangeably.

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It took many years for the "tweener divisions," or newer weight categories, to be fully accepted as legitimate weight categories in boxing. These categories are typically identified with the words "super," "light," or "junior" in front of their names.

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In four of the tweener divisions - super bantamweight, super featherweight, light welterweight, and light middleweight - Manny Pacquiao has won world titles.

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Boxing Cruiserweight Overview

The division's weight restriction is 200 pounds (90.7 kg; 14 st 4.0 lb), though 190 pounds was the initial weight restriction (86.2 kg; 13 st 8.0 lb). Smaller heavyweight boxers who couldn't compete with the division's expanding size were given space in the division when it was created.

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While many legendary heavyweight champions, including Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis, competed at around 190 pounds, by the 1970s, it had become fairly common for healthy heavyweight boxers to weigh at least 210 pounds (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb).

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Many boxing officials believed it was unfair to put men between the weights of 176 pounds (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb) and 190 pounds (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) in the ring with these bigger opponents.

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History of the Cruiserweight Class in Pro Boxing

When the World Boxing Council (WBC) sanctioned a match between Marvin Camel and Mate Parlov for their version of the cruiserweight title on December 8, 1979, it became the first boxing organization to recognize the division. The first cruiserweight champion, Camel, won the rematch in March 1980 after the first fight ended in a draw.

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When Ossie Ocasio defeated South African Robbie Williams in 1982, the World Boxing Association (WBA) recognized him as their first cruiserweight champion, even though the WBA at the time referred to the weight class as "junior heavyweight."

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In 1983, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) adopted a similar strategy when it pitted Rick Sekorski against Marvin Camel, an ex-WBC champion, for their first championship. As the first IBF cruiserweight champion, Camel triumphed.

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After winning world championships at cruiserweight, several boxers moved up to heavyweight. The first boxer to unify the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles to become the undisputed champion was Evander Holyfield, who in 1988 advanced to the heavyweight division.

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List of current Pro Boxing Cruiserweight Champions

Latest Results from Cruiserweight Pro Boxing

• Jai Opetaia defeated Mairis Briedis via a unanimous decision on August 10, 2024.

• Chris Billam-Smith beat Richard Riakporhe via a unanimous decision on June 15, 2024.

Pro Boxing Cruiserweight Rankings 2024

Pro-Boxing Weight Divisions

• Light heavyweight
• Super middleweight
• Middleweight
• Super Welterweight
• Welterweight
• Super Lightweight
• Lightweight