Britain has a strong history with the sport of boxing as some of the most revered fighters to step into the ring and lace up the gloves include those from the UK. Boxers across all the different weight classes have lifted world titles and had glittering careers while representing Britain.

The long list of great British boxers and history required to know can make it hard to create an all-time ranking. However, professional fighter, trainer, and boxing historian Dan Morley has given his all-time top 30 list of British fighters. The Brit is well studied in the topic of British boxing and understands the sport inside out from having participated in and out of the ring.

Here are Morley’s top 30 British fighters of all time.

10

Chris Eubank

Professional record: 45–5–2

Cracking the top 10 of Morley’s list is former WBO middleweight and super middleweight champion, Chris Eubank. The former fighter is well-remembered for his eccentric persona and flamboyant style outside the ring.

The most memorable moments from his fighting career include his two battles with fellow Brit and arch-rival Nigel Benn. Eubank was able to stop his nemesis in their first encounter in 1991. The pair were unable to be separated in the rematch two years later at Old Trafford, as the bout was scored a split draw.

His rivalry with Benn transitioned into their sons’ respective boxing careers, with Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn battling it out twice in recent years.

9

Randolph Turpin

Professional record 66-8-1

Next up on the list is middleweight Randolph Turpin, who won titles at British and European level, before defeating all-time boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson in 1951 to win the NYSAC, NBA (WBA), and Ring Magazine belts at 160lbs.

Turpin was unable to defend those titles in the immediate rematch against Robinson, but he would go on to win British and Commonwealth titles when he moved up to light heavyweight. In 1966, he passed away at age 37 due to gunshot wounds to the head and heart.

8

Carl Froch

Professional record: 33-2

Among the more recent British boxing stars to feature in Morley’s top 10 list is former WBC, WBA, and IBF super middleweight champion, Carl Froch. The Cobra was involved in many exciting showdowns in his career and was often praised for his resilience in big title fights.

His rivalries with Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler and fellow Brit George Groves resulted in him having two fights with both fighters. The Cobra’s rematch win over Kessler avenged his first career loss. Froch’s second win over Groves in 2014 was a highlight for British boxing as it was the first fight to headline a boxing event at the new Wembley Stadium.

7

Jack Kid Berg

Professional record: 157-26-9

Jack Kid Berg was a former fighter who became light welterweight world champion in 1930 after beating Mushy Callahan via a 10th-round stoppage at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He successfully defended his NBA and Ring Magazine titles numerous times over the following years.

The 192nd and last of his professional boxing bouts came in 1945. He died in 1991, aged 81.

6

Ken Buchanan

Professional record: 61-8

Ken Buchanan was a former Scottish boxer who competed at lightweight, winning multiple titles and dominating the division. After domestic and European success, he triumphed at world level and even had a short stint as undisputed lightweight champion in the early 1970s.

After winning 59 of his first 62 fights, Buchman would go on to endure more difficulties in the ring towards the latter stages of his career, losing five of his final seven professional fights, including all of his last four. He passed away three years ago at the age of 77 due to a battle with dementia.

5

Ted Lewis

Professional record: 232-46-23

Making the top five and being the most active fighter in the top 10 with over 300 fights to his name is Ted Lewis. He fought at welterweight, where he was a two-time world champion, while he moved up and also competed at middleweight and light heavyweight in his career.

He shared a rivalry with American welterweight icon Jack Britton, engaging in 20 fights with him between 1915 and 1921, sharing 224 rounds between them. Lewis died in 1970, aged 75.

4

Lennox Lewis

Professional record: 41-2-1

Lennox Lewis is regarded by many as one of the modern boxing greats due to his glittering amateur and professional careers. The British-Canadian won Olympic and Commonwealth gold while representing Canada before embarking on a superb professional heavyweight career.

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In 1999, Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in their rematch contest in Las Vegas, Nevada, to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. This crowning achievement registered his name in the British boxing history books.

Lewis would finish his career with a TKO of the former world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in Los Angeles in 2003, retaining the WBC, IBO, and Ring Magazine titles he held at that time.

3

Joe Calzaghe

Professional record: 46-0

Next on Morley’s list and the only fighter in the top 10 with an undefeated record is former two-weight world champion Joe Calazghe. The southpaw fighter dominated at super middleweight, unifying the division before moving up and winning the Ring Magazine light heavyweight title.

Calazaghe retired after a unanimous points decision victory over Roy Jones Jr in 2008. His career included wins over many boxing greats such as Chris Eubank, Bernard Hopkins, Mikkel Kessler, and Jeff Lacy.

The victory over Eubank in 1997 for the WBO super middleweight title was Calzaghe’s first taste of world title success, and began an impressive run of 24 consecutive world title fight victories.

2

Bob Fitzsimmons

Professional record: 69-12-14

In second place on the list is boxing’s inaugural three-weight world champion, Bob Fitzsimmons, who lifted titles at middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.

After making his professional debut in 1885, he then won his first world title in 1891 before going onto fight until his last bout against Jersey Bellew in 1914.

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Fitzsimmons is regarded as one of boxing’s hardest ever punchers, with 57 of his wins coming via knockout. His light heavyweight world title win over George Gardiner in 1903 made him the oldest world champion (40 years) until the record was broken by George Foreman and then Bernard Hopkins.

He died in 1917, aged 54, due to pneumonia.

1

Jimmy Wilde

Professional record: 137-4-1

The greatest British boxer, according to Morley, and ranked No.1 at the top of his list, is Jimmy Wilde. The former flyweight star held the flyweight world championship from 1916 up until his final bout against Pancho Villa in 1923, which he lost via a seventh-round knockout.

Wilde’s greatness is personified by him holding the longest unbeaten run ever in boxing, as it took his 103rd opponent to get the better of him in the ring. Like Fitzsimmons, the Welshman was renowned for his explosive power, as 98 of his victories were recorded via knockout.

He passed away in 1969, aged 76, due to suffering from dementia and diabetes.