Boxing weight classes and weight limits

The weigh-in. For a world title fight the official weigh-in is held the day before the bout, and the boxers must make the division’s limit there. There is no allowance over the limit in a title fight: a champion who comes in heavy loses the title on the scales, and a challenger who misses it cannot win the title even with a victory. Non-title bouts may be agreed at a catchweight instead. Each sanctioning body’s rules set the details, such as how long a boxer has to make weight again; the IBF also checks the boxers’ weight on the morning of the fight.

Super, junior and light are one division. The sanctioning bodies do not all use the same names. A super lightweight, a junior welterweight and a light welterweight all box at 140 lb: it is one division under different names, and the “Also called” column lists every name for each limit.

Heavyweight has no limit. Heavyweight is the only men’s division without an upper limit; it starts above the cruiserweight limit of 200 lb. Only the WBC has bridgerweight (up to 224 lb) between the two, so for the WBC heavyweight starts above 224 lb. The WBC introduced it in 2020; the WBA adopted it in 2023 and dropped it on 30 June 2026; the IBF and WBO never used it. Women’s heavyweight starts above the women’s light heavyweight limit of 175 lb.