Super middleweight

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Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds. There was interest in a division between middleweight (160 pounds) and light heavyweight (175 pounds) in the 1970s, and a few states briefly recognized a "Junior Light Heavyweight" division at 167 pounds. During this period Don Fullmer, Billy Douglas, and Danny Brewer won the "world junior light heavyweight championship," although the media and most commissions outside these fighters' home states did not recognize such a division.^[1]

The current super middleweight division traces its beginning to 1984, when Murray Sutherland defeated Ernie Singletary for the International Boxing Federation version of the title. The World Boxing Association created its version of the super middleweight title when Chong Pal Park defeated Jesus Gallardo in 1987 (Park had been IBF champion before relinquishing the title to fight for the WBA version). The World Boxing Council crowned its first champion in 1988 when Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Donny Lalonde in a fight that was also for its version of the light heavyweight title.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a highly competitive super middleweight division in Britain and Ireland, including the rivalry between Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, and Michael Watson, which included two memorable fights and the tragic injury to Watson, followed by the emergence of Steve Collins, who defeated Benn and Eubank, before retiring and vacating the title, and the ongoing 10-year reign of Joe Calzaghe. In addition, fellow Brits Richie Woodhall and Robin Reid also held versions of the title between 1996-97 and 1997-98. In 2007, two champions of the division, the undefeated Calzaghe and the likewise undefeated Mikkel Kessler, had a title unification fight which Calzaghe won by a unanimous decision to become the undisputed champion of the division. Calzaghe since moved to the light heavyweight division, retiring after his victory over Roy Jones Jr..

[edit] Professional Champions

[edit] Current champions

Sanctioning Body	Reign Began	Champion	Record	Defenses
WMC	July 23, 2005	Eugene Ekkelboom	59-5 (20 KO)	4
WBA	June 21, 2008	Mikkel Kessler	40-1 (30 KO)	1
WBC	December 6, 2008	Carl Froch	25-0 (19 KO)	1
IBF	October 19, 2007	Lucian Bute	23-0 (18 KO)	3
WBO	January 10, 2009	Károly Balzsay	20-0 (14 KO)	0