Best of the British
Hand-to-hand combat has always been part of the human experience, and there is evidence to suggest that our earliest ancestors engaged in recreational fighting throughout pre-history. Boxing has been a popular sport for centuries since it was included in the Ancient Greek Olympic games in 688 BCE.
The sport we know and love today was formalised in the mid-18th Century when the Marquess of Queensberry Rules were established. The sport goes from strength to strength, with millions tuning in for the bigger matches and plenty of casino site players branching out to wager on their favourite fighter.
Part of the appeal of boxing is the high-profile participants, many of whom have earned worldwide reputations for their fighting ability.
Some of the top British boxers of the last decade include:
Anthony Joshua
As one of the most talked-about fighters of recent years, Anthony Joshua has earned himself a place on the list by virtue of his incredible achievements throughout his career. His titles include:
● 2012 Olympic gold medallist
● British Heavyweight Champion
● Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion
● World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion
● International Boxing Federation Heavyweight Champion
● Member of the Order of the British Empire
Joshua has continued to earn titles and beat opponents from all over the world, with his most notable recent bouts including one against Francis Ngannou. As a former UFC heavyweight champion, there were high expectations of Ngannou for this event, which was billed as ‘Knockout Chaos’.
However, Joshua appeared relatively untroubled by Ngannou, knocking him down twice before delivering a blow that had him out for the count. Eddie Hearn, a boxing promoter, confirmed many fans’ beliefs when he said that Joshua cannot be beaten by anyone currently in the heavyweight division.
Tyson Fury
As one of the most controversial figures in boxing, Tyson Fury has attracted almost as much attention for his life out of the ring as he has for his incredible boxing record. The self-styled ‘Gypsy King’ has courted controversy, making bold statements to the press and seeking out some of the most high-profile fighters to challenge.
When he took The Ring magazine heavy title for the second time, he joined Floyd Patterson and Muhammed Ali as the only boxers to achieve the title twice. Fury’s other achievements include a victory against Derek Chisora to become British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion; a win against Martin Rogan to become Irish heavyweight champion, and a TKO for Tom Schwartz to earn him the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight championship as well.
Callum Smith
As one of four successful boxing brothers, Callum Smith is continuing a family tradition by dominating the welterweight class over recent years. Although he lost to Artur Beterbiev in January 2024, his record before then was almost completely unblemished with just a single other loss, to Canelo Alvarez in 2020.
Holding a selection of titles, including The Ring super middleweight champion, the WBA (Super) middleweight title, the European super middleweight title, and the WBC Silver super middleweight title. His most notable wins have been against high-profile fighters such as Olympians Lenin Castillo and Mathieu Bauderlique, and champions John Ryder, George Groves, and Nieky Holzken.
Carl Frampton
Although he stands at just 5ft 5in tall, Carl Frampton has earned himself a reputation for being utterly ferocious in the ring. His nickname ‘Jackal’ is a testament to the relentlessness with which he took on previously unbeaten opponents such as Scott Quigg and Leo Santa Cruz.
He was awarded ‘Fighter of the Year’ by Ring magazine in 2016 when he exceeded all expectations and won against two of the most feared fighters in their class. He was the first Northern Irish fighter to become world champion in two separate weight classes, holding titles as both featherweight and bantamweight champion.
Since retiring in 2021, Frampton has become a boxing pundit, hosting his own podcast and delivering expert analysis and insight across the boxing world.
Lawrence Okolie
After representing Team GB at the Rio Olympics in 2016 as a heavyweight, Lawrence Okolie turned pro and began competing as a cruiserweight, and this was a pivotal moment in his boxing career. His professional career has featured 18 straight wins in his new class, beginning with a bout that only lasted 20 seconds before he knocked out his opponent, Geoffrey Cave, with two right hooks to the head.
His second fight was almost as definitive, lasting 2 minutes 36 seconds, during which he knocked opponent Lukasz Rusiewicz down several times before a stoppage was called in the first round. This streak continued and his third and fourth fights both ended in first-round stoppages, against Rudolf Helesic and Russell Henshaw respectively.
His most recent fight, against Łukasz Różański, won him the WBC bridgerweight title, and he has also won the WBO cruiserweight title, European cruiserweight title, and the Commonwealth cruiserweight title.