There were attempts by boxing promoters in the 1920s to establish this weight class, but few sanctioning organizations or state athletic commissions would recognize it.
Jack Wolf won recognition as champion when he beat Joe Lynch at Madison Square Garden on September 21, 1922, but afterwards the weight division fell into disuse.
The World Boxing Association crowned its first champion in 1977 when Soo Hwan Hong knocked out Hector Carasquilla in three rounds to win the inaugural WBA championship.
In 1983 the International Boxing Federation sanctioned the bout between Bobby Berna and Seung-In Suh for its first title.
Notable fighters to hold championship titles at this weight have been Wilfredo Gómez, Lupe Pintor, Jeff Fenech, Daniel Zaragoza, Kennedy McKinney, Érik Morales, Naoya Inoue, Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire, Rafael Márquez, Toshiaki Nishioka, and Israel Vázquez.