What are the weight classes in Olympic-style boxing?
I · Intermediate · The bout, the boxers and the officials · 4 of 5From 1 January 2025 there are ten weight classes for elite men, from 50 kg to over 90 kg, and ten for elite women, from 48 kg to over 80 kg. A boxer weighs in on the morning of every day they box. Being over the limit, even once, gives the opponent a walkover.
How it works
| Elite men | Up to | Elite women | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight | 50 kg | Light flyweight | 48 kg |
| Bantamweight | 55 kg | Flyweight | 51 kg |
| Lightweight | 60 kg | Bantamweight | 54 kg |
| Welterweight | 65 kg | Featherweight | 57 kg |
| Light middleweight | 70 kg | Lightweight | 60 kg |
| Middleweight | 75 kg | Welterweight | 65 kg |
| Light heavyweight | 80 kg | Light middleweight | 70 kg |
| Cruiserweight | 85 kg | Middleweight | 75 kg |
| Heavyweight | 90 kg | Light heavyweight | 80 kg |
| Super heavyweight | Over 90 kg | Heavyweight | Over 80 kg |
- Each category also has a minimum, the limit of the one below: 47 kg for the lightest men and 45 kg for the lightest women.
- The under-19 categories are the same. Under-17s have thirteen categories from 46 kg to over 80 kg.
- Age categories, by calendar year of birth: under-17 (15 and 16), under-19 (17 and 18) and elite (19 to 40).
The weigh-in:
- Held on competition days, usually in the morning, at least three hours before the first bout.
- The boxer steps on the official scale once only, in underwear or naked.
- Over the maximum: a walkover for the opponent.
- At the first weigh-in of a competition the boxer must also be over the category's minimum.
- The category is fixed at the entries check for the whole competition.
Tricky cases
A boxer was 100 grams over. Do they get a second try?
No. A boxer is allowed at the official scales only once, and the reading is the official weight.
Does a boxer weigh in only once for a tournament?
No. Boxers must make weight on each day they box.
Why did the categories change?
The rules give two sets, one "until 31 December 2024" and one "from 1 January 2025", without stating a reason.
Why the rule exists
Matching boxers by weight is the sport's main safety rule. Weighing in every boxing day stops a boxer shedding weight once and then growing far heavier through the tournament.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Boxing rules | As above | WB 2.1; WB 2.2; WB 5.6 |
| Olympic Games | The Games' own programme picks which categories are contested | Not covered |
| Professional boxing | Seventeen or so classes in pounds, with a weigh-in the day before | C |
From the rule book
World Boxing Competition Rules, Rules 2.1, 2.2, 5.6 and 9.8.2. Approved November 2024. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Boxing Competition Rules (PDF).