Light flyweight

Light Flyweight, also known as Junior Flyweight, is a boxing weight class.

Professional boxing

The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920, the law stipulated a "junior flyweight" class, with a weight limit of 99 pounds. When the National Boxing Association was formed in 1921, it also recognized this weight class. However, on January 19, 1922, the NBA decided to withdraw recognition of the junior flyweight division. On December 31, 1929, the New York State Athletic Commission also abolished the junor flyweight class. No champion had been crowned in this division prior to its abolition.^[1]

The World Boxing Council (WBC) decided to resurrect this division in the 1970s. The first champion in this division was Franco Udella, who won the WBC title in 1975. The World Boxing Association also crowned its first champion in 1975, when Jaime Rios defeated Rigoberto Marcano via fifteen-round decision. The first International Boxing Federation champion was Dodie Boy Penalosa, who won the belt in 1983.

The first light flyweight "superfight" took place on March 13, 1993, when Michael Carbajal, the IBF champion, knocked out WBC champion Humberto Gonzalez to unify the championship. Their rematch, on February 19, 1994, was the first time a light flyweight fighter (Carbajal) made a million dollar purse.

Current World Boxing Champions

Sanctioning Body	Reign Began	Champion	Record	Defenses
WBA	December 8, 2007	Brahim Asloum	23-2 (9 KO)	1
WBC	November 21, 2009	Rodel Mayol	26-2-1 (20 KO)	0
IBF	April 19, 2009	Brian Viloria	25-2 (15 KO)	0
WBO	August 25, 2007	Ivan Calderon	32-0 (6 KO)	3

For a full list, see List of light flyweight boxing champions

Amateur boxing

At the Summer Olympic Games, the division is defined as up to 48 kilograms.

Olympic Champions

• 1968 –  Francisco Rodríguez (VEN)
• 1972 –  György Gedó (HUN)
• 1976 –  Jorge Hernández (CUB)
• 1980 –  Shamil Sabirov (URS)
• 1984 –  Paul Gonzales (USA)
• 1988 –  Ivailo Marinov (BUL)
• 1992 –  Rogelio Marcelo (CUB)
• 1996 –  Daniel Petrov (BUL)
• 2000 –  Brahim Asloum (FRA)
• 2004 –  Yan Bartelemí Varela (CUB)
• 2008 –  Zou Shiming (CHN)

European Champions

• 1969 – György Gedó (HUN)
• 1971 – György Gedó (HUN)
• 1973 – Vladislav Sasypko (URS)
• 1975 – Aleksandr Tkachenko (URS)
• 1977 – Henryk Średnicki (POL)
• 1979 – Shamil Sabirov (URS)
• 1981 – Ismail Mustafov (BUL)
• 1983 – Ismail Mustafov (BUL)
• 1985 – René Breitbarth (GDR)
• 1987 – Nszan Munczian (URS)
• 1989 – Ivailo Marinov (BUL)
• 1991 – Ivailo Marinov (BUL)
• 1993 – Daniel Petrov (BUL)
• 1996 – Daniel Petrov (BUL)
• 1998 – Sergey Kazakov (RUS)
• 2000 – Valeriy Sidorenko (UKR)
• 2002 – Sergey Kazakov (RUS)
• 2004 – Sergey Kazakov (RUS)
• 2006 – David Ayrapetyan (RUS)

Pan American Champions

• 1971 – Rafael Carbonell (CUB)
• 1975 – Jorge Hernández (CUB)
• 1979 – Hector Ramírez (CUB)
• 1983 – Rafael Ramos (PUR)
• 1987 – Luis Román Rolón (PUR)
• 1991 – Rogelio Marcelo (CUB)
• 1995 – Edgar Velázquez (VEN)
• 1999 – Maikro Romero (CUB)
• 2003 – Yan Bartelemí Varela (CUB)

Professional Champions

• List of light flyweight boxing champions

References

1. ^ Goldman, Herbert (June 1980), "Junior Divisions", The Ring 59, no. 5: 74, 75