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Featherweight Division     Weight: 122-126

History

A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of between 122 pounds and 126 pounds. In the early days of the division, the upper limit fluctuated. The British have generally always recognized the limit at 126 pounds, but in America the weight limit was at first 114 pounds. An early champion, George Dixon, moved the limit to 120 and then 122 pounds. Finally, in 1920 the United States fixed the limit at 126 pounds.

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The 1860 fight between Nobby Clark and Jim Elliott is sometimes called the first Featherweight Championship bout. However, the division only gained wide acceptance in 1889 after the Ike Weir–Frank Murphy fight (one of the most famous fights of all time).

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Since the end of the 2000s and early 2010s the featherweight division has been one of the most active in boxing with fighters such as Orlando SalidoChris JohnJuan Manuel LópezCelestino CaballeroYuriorkis GamboaRafael Márquez, Naseem HamedMarco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao.

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Notable Featherweight Champions throughout the life of the division are on the following list:

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  1. Manny Pacquiao

  2. Juan Manuel Lopez

  3. Alexis Arguello

  4. Willie Pep

  5. Sandy Sadler

  6. Salvador Sanchez

  7. Jackie Wilson

  8. Marco Antonio Barrera

  9. Henry Armstrong

  10. Jeff Fenech

  11. Eder Jofre

  12. Azumah Nelson

  13. Ultimo "Sugar" Ramos

  14. Kid Chocolate

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Actually, it's a good thing the bantamweights boast such a terrifically consistent list of excellent fighters. It was certainly difficult for the 126 pounders to gain worldwide recognition. However, the fighters at 126 pounds forced the public to notice them by matching the best against the best:

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1. Salvador Sanchez vs Danny "Red" Lopez

2. Azumah Nelson vs Salvador Sanches (twice)

3. Willie Pep vs Sandy Sadler trilogy

4. The great Alexis Arguello vs the equally respected Ruben Oliveres

5. Henry Armstrong, seemingly against every fighter who laced up gloves in division after division.

Carded Featherweights 

  CAREDED   

 

Joey Archibald

Alexis Arguello

Alberto Arizmendi

Henry Armstrong

Abe Attell

Mike Ayala

Marco Antonio Barrera

Sal Bartolo

Benny Bass

Percy Bassett

Hogan Bassey

Batling Battalino

Mbulelo Botile

Tony Canzoneri

Roberto Castanon

Ruben Castillo

Julio Pablo Chacon

Ike Chestnut

In-Jin Chi

Kid Chocolate

Young Corbett II

Pat Cowdell

Eugene Criqui

Steve Cruz

Daniel Ponce De Leon

Mario Diaz

George Dixon

Jim 'Jem' Driscoll

Johnny Dundee

Antonio Esparragoza

Luisito Espinosa

Louie Espinoza

Johnny Famechon

Jeff Fenech

Patrick Ford

Derrick Gainer

Jaime Garza

Wilfredo Gomez

Alejandro Gonzalez

Young Griffo

Calvin Grove

Art Hafey

Naseem Hamed

Cherif Hamia

Scott Harrison

Paul Hodkinson

Paul Ingle

Harry Jeffra

Eder Jofre

Chris John

 

 

Tom Johnson

Rocky Juarez

Louis Kaplin

Kevin Kelley

Johnny Kilbane

David Kotey

Fidel LaBarba

Juan LaPorte

Jose Legra

Danny Lopez

Hector Lopez

Ernesto Marcel

Abner Mares

Juan Manuel Marquez

Terry McGovern

Barry McGuigan

Manuel Medina

Freddie Miller

Davey Moore

Erik Morales

Owen Moran

Azumah Nelson

Freddie Norwood

Ruben Oliveres

Manny Pacquiao

Jorge Paez

Young Kyun Park

Tommy Paul

Eusebio Pedrosa

Willie Pep

Ultimo "Sugar" Ramos

Eloy Rojas

Andre Routis

Sandy Saddler

Vicente Saldivar

Clemente Sanchez

Salvador Sanchez

Petey Sarron

Kuniaki Shibata

Cesar Soto

Bernard Taylor

Phil Terranova

Gregorio Vargas

Wilfredo Vasquez

Marcos Villasana

Jackie Wilson

Howard Winstone

Chalky Wright

Benny Yanger

Aaron Pryor (WW)

POSSIBLE ADDS:

 

Yober Ortega

Victor Polo

Tomoki Kameda

Thomas Sithebe

Takashi Koshimoto

Takalani Ndlovu

Steve Robinson

Steve Luevano

Spider Jim Kelly

Shigeji Kaneko

Satoshi Hosono

Roy Ankrah

Ronnie Clayton

Ricardo Gonzalez

Raul Rojas

Raul Cruz

Rafael Ortega

Petey Scalzo

Pete Sarmiento

Paul Jorgensen

Pat Cowdell

Nel Tarleton

Mitsunori Seki

Mike Belloise

Michael Brodie

Mario Miranda

Manuel Medina

Lulu Perez

Luis Alberto Lopez

Leo Rodak

Knud Larsen

Kiko Martinez

Juan Ramirez

Juan Manuel Lopez

Jose Girones

Jessie Magdaleno

Jackie Gunguluza

Jackie Graves

Jackie Callura

Isaac Dogboe

In Jin Chi

Ike Chestnut

Hiroyuki Enoki

Harold Dade

Guty Espadas

George Marsden

Edgar Sosa

Eddie Shea

Danny Webb

Cruz Marcano

Chick Delaney

Brandon Figueroa

Billy Spider Kelly

Antonio Herrera

Antonio Gomez

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