welterweight
Americannoun
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a boxer or other contestant intermediate in weight between a lightweight and a middleweight, especially a professional boxer weighing up to 147 pounds (67 kilograms).
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(in a steeplechase or hurdle race) a weight of 28 pounds (13 kilograms) that is assigned to a horse in addition to the poundage assigned based on the age of the horse.
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a rider of steeplechase or hurdle-race horses who, though acting as a jockey, is of comparatively average weight and not small or lightweight as a professional jockey; heavyweight rider.
noun
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a professional boxer weighing 140–147 pounds (63.5–66.5 kg)
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an amateur boxer weighing 63.5–67 kg (140–148 pounds)
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( as modifier )
a great welterweight era
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a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually 154–172 pounds (70–78 kg))
Usage
What does welterweight mean? The word welterweight is most commonly used in boxing to refer to the weight class between lightweight and middleweight. Weight classes are divisions in which all boxers must be under a certain weight limit.The word is also commonly used to refer to a boxer in this weight class, as in The next bout is between two welterweights. Such boxers are sometimes called welters for short.The word welterweight is used in these same ways in other sports that have weight classes, such as mixed martial arts and wrestling.The specific maximum weight for the welterweight division varies based on the sport, the organization, and whether it applies to men or women.In amateur and Olympic boxing, the weight limit for the welterweight class is 69 kilograms (152 pounds) for both men and women.In professional boxing, the limit is about 67 kilograms (147 pounds). There is also a super welterweight division with a limit of about 70 kilograms (154 pounds).Weight classes are enforced by weighing competitors before a match at what’s called a weigh-in.The word welterweight is also used in horse racing to refer to a weight added to a horse in steeplechase or a hurdle race—or to a rider who is not classified as lightweight.Example: I’m dropping down to welterweight so I need to cut some weight before the next weigh-in.
Etymology
Origin of welterweight
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both bouts against Eubank were at middleweight, but Benn intends to campaign at welterweight as he seeks to earn a world title shot.
From BBC
He was the oldest welterweight champion at the age of 40 in 2019 and came close to making it aged 46 when he drew with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in the summer of 2024.
From BBC
It was a long-awaited matchup between two of the biggest names in the boxing world that ultimately earned Mayweather the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Assn. and World Boxing Organization welterweight titles.
From Los Angeles Times
Filipino Pacquiao retired from the sport to focus on his political career in 2021 but returned to the ring last July to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, who retained his title after a draw.
From BBC
At his peak he was widely considered boxing's pound-for-pound king, dominating the welterweight division for more than a decade.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
