Famous British Boxers

A 2-time world heavyweight champion, British Tyson Fury has had an undefeated run in his 32 matches, with 31 wins and 1 unlucky draw in a match against Deontay Wilder. He has also released a bestselling memoir, Behind The Mask, and was named to the Forbes list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2020.

Widely regarded as one of the best active boxers in the world, Anthony Joshua is the first British heavyweight to win both a major world title and an Olympic gold medal. Having avoided a life of crime, Joshua focused solely on boxing; his rags to riches story serves as an inspiration. He is one of the most influential Black Britons.

Part of the Smith family of boxers, Liam Smith believes boxing saved him from getting into street fights as a rowdy teenager. The former WBO light-middleweight champion also once held the Commonwealth title. He once made headlines for refusing to shake hands with his opponent Anthony Fowler in a press conference.

British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons initially spent a lot of time in his family’s blacksmith’s forge in New Zealand, thus later earning the nickname The Fighting Blacksmith. He later scripted history as the first boxer to win world titles in three categories, the middleweight, the light-heavyweight, and the heavyweight divisions.

The son of renowned British boxer Chris Eubank, Chris Eubank Jr. is a star the middleweight and super-middleweight categories. He moved to the US at age 16 and began his amateur boxing career there. He once revealed he cried the entire day when he learned of his brother Sebastian’s death.

Best known for his gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, former boxer James DeGale had also won a Commonwealth bronze and 2 EU silver medals in the middleweight division. In 2021, he took to Instagram to announce that his home had been burgled and his Olympic medal had been stolen.

Known for his quirky ring entrances, such as entering in a palanquin or wearing a Halloween mask, former British boxer Naseem Hamed is also famous for his signature southpaw style. Known as the best featherweight from Britain, he has held numerous titles, such as the WBO and the WBC.

Rocky Fielding is a British boxer who held the WBA super-middleweight title in 2018. Fielding held the Commonwealth super-middleweight titles on two occasions between 2013 and 2017. In 2017, he also held the British super-middleweight title.

British boxer Chris Eubank has been ranked the third-best super-middleweight boxer of all time in Britain. Initially raised in Jamaica, he later returned to Britain but lived amid poverty and battled drug and alcohol addiction, till he stepped into boxing, inspired by his elder brothers.

Born into a Romani traveling community, Billy Joe Saunders is the great-grandson of popular bare-knuckle boxer Absolom Beeney. The British boxer has competed in the Olympics and has been a EU and Commonwealth welterweight champion. He has also been in the news for brawls and behavioral issues.

Sky Sports analyst and commentator and former boxer Carl Froch is known for his World Championship bronze and his double English National Championship gold wins, all in the middleweight category. Though he initially loved football, too, he eventually chose boxing as a career option. He is also publicly a flat-Earther.

Martin Murray is an English retired boxer who competed between 2007 and 2020. From 2011 to 2014, Murray held the World Boxing Association (WBA) interim middleweight title. Between 2010 and 2012, he held the Commonwealth and British middleweight titles.

One of the most successful amateur boxers in the US, Michael Bentt earned countless medals, including a World Cup bronze and a North American Championship gold. Following his retirement, he joined Northampton College and also stepped into acting, with memorable roles in films such as Ali.

Though born in Hungary, boxer Joe Bugner later gained citizenships of Australia and the UK, too. Known for fighting bouts against the likes of Muhammad Ali, he also won the European heavyweight championship. He later gained popularity as an actor, too, with films such as Street Fighter.

British boxer and middleweight world champion Alan Minter is best remembered for his bronze-winning performance at the 1972 Munich Olympics and his trademark southpaw move. His boxing career began with an undefeated stint of 11 matches. The boxing legend died at age 69 after a long battle with cancer.

Known as The Dark Destroyer, boxer Nigel Benn has been both a middleweight and a super-middleweight world champion. He had also previously been part of the British Army in West Germany and Northern Ireland. He is also known for his rivalry with fellow British boxer Chris Eubank.

Former British boxer George Groves has been a WBA super middleweight champion and won the British, European, and Commonwealth titles too. Since his retirement at age 30, he has focused on his career as a TV and radio boxing commentator and a motivational speaker. He is also a Wasserman advisor.

Famous for his numerous heavyweight titles, including the British, the Commonwealth, and the European titles, boxer Dereck Chisora is known to his fans by his nickname, Del Boy. In late 2021, he dismissed all rumors of retirement via social media after his defeat to New Zealand boxer Joseph Parker.

Known as The Cat, boxer and Muay Thai fighter Carl Thompson held many titles, such as the WBO and IBO titles. The Manchester-born sports star was also known as one of the most entertaining boxers from Britain. Throughout his 17-year career, he had also won British, European, and World titles.

Former boxer Frank Bruno, known by his nickname True Brit, is best known for his 1995 WBC title win against Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium. In December 2021, he took to social media to debunk a death hoax targeting him. He has also released chartbusting cover versions and appeared on various TV shows.

Retired British boxer Nicola Adams scripted history as the first female boxer to earn an Olympic gold and retain the gold at the following Olympic event. Openly lesbian, she is also an LGBT icon. Though shortlisted for Strictly Come Dancing, she withdrew after her partner tested COVID-positive.

While he began boxing at age 9, former British boxer Paul Smith, part of the Smith boxing family, later excelled in both the middleweight and super-middleweight categories. He also won a Commonwealth Games silver in amateur boxing. Also known as the Real Gone Kid, he has been a DJ, too.

Best known for his surprise victory against boxing legend Mike Tyson in 2004, former boxer Danny Williams has won countless heavyweight titles, such as the Commonwealth and the British titles. Known to his fans as the Brixton Bomber, he retired in late 2020 owing to health concerns.

Known as Fearless Freddie, Freddie Mills was not just a successful middleweight and light-heavyweight boxer, but also fought in the heavyweight category. Post-retirement, he ran a nightclub and appeared in movies and shows. He apparently shot himself to death later, though many believe he was murdered.

Former British boxer David Haye, or The Haymaker, was a WBA world heavyweight and world cruiserweight champion. He is best remembered for his record-breaking WBA title win against Russian boxer Nikolai Valuev, who was both taller and heavier than him. He owns a boxing promotion firm and a vegan protein brand.

Best known for winning a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, former boxer David Price has also been a 3-time English National champion, a Commonwealth champion, and a EU champion. He retired at age 38, announcing the news on social media, after being inactive for a couple of years.

Apart from being an actor, best known for the film Mortal Kombat and the series JAG, Trevor Goddard had also been a talented light heavyweight boxer. He also played cricket and football in his youth. He died of an accidental drug overdose at age 40, in his North Hollywood home.

Apart from winning a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, boxer Audley Harrison also earned a Commonwealth gold. Initially a street criminal, he was also once jailed for robbery. After serving his sentence, he not only excelled in boxing, but also earned degrees in leisure management and sports science.

One of Britain’s greatest heavyweight boxers, Henry Cooper was known for his signature move, the left hook known as Enry's 'Ammer. Known for his warm personality, he was liked even by his opponents. He almost won against Muhammad Ali in 1963 and 1966. He remains the only boxer to be knighted.

Former Commonwealth middleweight champion Michael Watson had started boxing at age 14. A near-fatal brain injury in a fight against Chris Eubank in 1991 left him in a coma for 40 days. Though he recovered later, he never went back to the ring and won damages worth almost £1 million for the mishap.

Nicknamed the Belter, boxer Terri Harper is a former super-featherweight world title holder. She began boxing at age 12 but then focused on her education, only to return to boxing after her GCSEs. She once revealed that she had come out as a lesbian at age 14.

Known as The Dancing Destroyer, former boxer Herbie Hide excelled in the cruiserweight and heavyweight categories and also held the WBO heavyweight title. Throughout his career, he was also often dragged into trouble with the law. He was eventually jailed for conspiring to supply cocaine, as a result of a sting operation.