welterweight

A boxer must weigh less than 147 pounds to compete in the welterweight division against other professional welterweight boxers. The word is also used for a boxer in said division. The same word can also be used for light weight participants in other sports where weight matters.

Source: paraphrased from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000

Wel"ter*weight` (?), n.

1. (Horse Racing)

A weight of 28 pounds (one of 40 pounds is called a heavy welterweight) sometimes imposed in addition to weight for age, chiefly in steeplechases and hurdle races.

2.

A boxer or wrestler whose weight is intermediate between that of a lightweight and that of a middleweight.

 

© Webster 1913