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In boxing, the light heavyweight (above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]) division is the weight division between cruiserweight and super middleweight. The light heavyweight class has produced some of boxing's greatest champions: Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Tommy Loughran, Billy Conn, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks, Roy Jones Jr, Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins 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.
[edit] Olympic champions
[edit] Professional champions
[edit] Current champions
[edit] See also
Eddie Eagan (USA)
Harry Mitchell (GBR)
Víctor Avendaño (ARG)
David Carstens (RSA)
Roger Michelot (FRA)
Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) (USA)
Cosimo Pinto (ITA)
Danas Pozniakas (URS)
Mate Parlov (YUG)
Torsten May (GER)
Vassiliy Jirov (KAZ)
Aleksandr Lebziak (RUS)
Zhang Xiaoping (CHN)
Jean Pascal
