Light Heavyweight

In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds and up to 175 pounds ), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has produced some of boxing's greatest champions:Bernard Hopkins, who upon becoming champion, broke the record for oldest man to win a world title, Evander Holyfield, Tommy Loughran, Billy Conn, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks, Dariusz Michalczewski and Roy Jones, Jr. to name a few.

Many light heavyweight champions unsuccessfully challenged for the heavyweight crown until Michael Spinks became the first reigning light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight championship. Bob Fitzsimmons captured the light heavyweight championship after losing his heavyweight championship. Two all-time great heavyweight champions, Ezzard Charles and Floyd Patterson, started out as light heavyweights. Charles defeated Archie Moore and Joey Maxim several times in non-title bouts before becoming heavyweight champion and Patterson lost an eight-round decision to Joey Maxim before becoming heavyweight champion himself. Evander Holyfield successfully moved up from the light-heavyweight division to both the cruiser and eventually heavyweight divisions and became undisputed champion of both.