The British Boxing Board of Control will introduce a new weight class, light cruiserweight, with effect from January 1 next year.
“Light cruiserweight will have a championship limit of 13st 5lbs (187lbs) and as such will bridge the current largest weight gap between two divisions in the sport (25lbs) and will be available across Area, English, Celtic and British titles,” the Board stated on their website.
The new division will sit between light heavyweight and cruiserweight which, in Britain, have weight limits of 175 and 200lbs respectively.
The idea was initially proposed to the Board’s General Secretary Robert Smith by trainer Pat Barrett earlier this year and quickly supported by Adam Booth, Jamie Moore, Andy Lee and Robert McCracken. The introduction of the weight class, that was also proposed to the WBC by Joe Gallagher at the sanctioning body’s annual convention in Bangkok in December, was then approved unanimously by all BBBoC-licensed trainers.
The only debate, Smith told BoxingScene, was around what the weight limit would be.
Speaking in Bangkok last year, Gallagher said: “If you look at the smaller weight classes they go up by three or four pounds until you get up to featherweight. Then it’s five, six and seven pounds up to light heavyweight then it’s a jump of 25 up to cruiserweight. What you’re left with are fighters that are too big for light heavyweight but not big enough to be cruiserweight.
“If we create a weight class in the middle it makes it much safer.”
Smith added that boxers can compete at the new weight limit immediately but it would be January before it is an official class.