Women Boxers

Laila Ali is an American former professional boxer. The daughter of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali competed from 1999 to 2007, during which she remained undefeated. She is also credited with saving wrestling legend Hulk Hogan's life by calling him when he was suicidal and depressed. After retiring from professional boxing, Laila Ali became a television personality.

Boxer and mixed martial artist, Claressa Shields, reigned as the undisputed female middleweight champion from 2019 to 2020. She has previously held multiple WBA, WBC, and IBF female middleweight titles. She is also the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic medals. She was named the Female Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2018.

A 5-time world champion and an Olympic gold medalist, Katie Taylor is one of Ireland’s best boxers. She also has 6 gold medals at the European Championship. Born amid poverty in the coastal town of Bray, to a boxer father, Katie was initially trained by him.

Known as the Blonde Bomber to her fans, Australian boxer and female super-bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges had begun training in karate at age 5 and had then moved on to kickboxing, Muay Thai, and eventually competitive bodybuilding. She is a qualified math teacher and speaks 5 languages, too.

Tagged by the media as Boxing’s First Lady, Norwegian boxer/kickboxer Cecilia Braekhu scripted history by becoming the first female boxer to hold the WBA, IBF, WBC, and WBO titles at the same time. Colombian-born Braekhu was adopted by a Norwegian couple as a 2-year-old and began boxing as a teenager.

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.

American figure skater, Tonya Harding, was the 1991 and 1994 US champion but her 1994 title was taken away after a controversy erupted regarding her ex-husband. He was charged with planning an attack on a rival American skater, Nancy Kerrigan. Tonya Harding was banned for life by the US Figure Skating Association after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Initially a kindergarten teacher, Pat Coombs later established herself as a prominent comedian. Known for her work on both TV and radio, she later gained fame with shows such as EastEnders. After being diagnosed with osteoporosis, she began campaigning for the National Osteoporosis Society to spread awareness about the ailment.

Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain was born into a poor family in Assam and was initially interested in Muay Thai. The Arjuna Award winner made waves after winning a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has also won medals at the Asian Championship and the World Championship.

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.

Former WBA female bantamweight title holder Shannon Courtenay had her title revoked after failing to make it to the specified weight category for her fight against Jamie Mitchell. She later blamed her menstrual cycle for her sudden weight gain of 2.5lbs. She has also been dubbed The Baby Face Assassin.

Delfine Persoon is a Belgian professional boxer who held the IBF lightweight title in 2012. From 2014 to 2019, she held the WBC female lightweight title. In 2015, Delfine Persoon was adjudged Belgian Sportsman of the Year. She is often counted among the world's best female boxers. 

Mariana Juarez is a Mexican boxer who held the WBC female flyweight championship title from 2011 to 2012. She also held the WBC bantamweight championship title from 2017 to 2020. In 2020, she was ranked the second-best active female bantamweight in the world by The Ring. In 2020, she was also ranked the ninth-best active female boxer, pound for pound.