Women Boxers

Holly Holm is a mixed martial artist. A former world champion in boxing, Holm currently competes in the UFC and holds the distinction of being the first fighter to hold a UFC title and a world boxing title. Her win against Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in the history of combat sports.

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.

Paige VanZant is an American mixed martial artist, model, and author. Although she spent over 13 years exploring dance forms like hip hop, ballet, and jazz in a dance studio owned by her parents, VanZant took up martial arts during her teenage years and went on to compete in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A multi-talented personality, VanZant also loves hunting.

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.

Tasmanian MMA fighter and bare-knuckle boxer Bec Rawlings was always sporty but eventually chose martial arts as a way to reduce weight. Known as the Queen of Bare Knuckle, she has competed for BKFC. She has also had successful stints with Invicta and UFC and is now a flyweight division competitor.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.