As Anthony Joshua prepares to fight Jake Paul in Miami ahead of a meeting with Tyson Fury in 2026, we decided to rank the greatest boxers Britain has ever produced.
Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion of the world, is among a number of high-profile Britons who do not make the cut...
10. Naseem Hamed (1992-2002)
With his style and extraordinary punching power, “Prince” Naseem Hamed could lay claim to being the most entertaining boxer Britain has ever produced. Unorthodox, flashy and attacking, featherweight “Naz” was as flamboyant as he was controversial. He retired with a 36-1 career record – the only blemish being his defeat to Marco Antonio Barrera.
9. Randolph Turpin (1946-1964)
Randy Turpin was responsible for the biggest upset in British boxing history, beating the great Sugar Ray Robinson – widely considered to be the best of all time – on points in 1951 to claim the world middleweight crown. He finished his career with a record of 66-8-1 and 45 knockouts. Struggling for money, he went into professional wrestling before taking his own life in 1966.
8. Tyson Fury (2008-present)
Tyson Fury dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in Germany and defeated Deontay Wilder twice in the United States to cement his status as one of the modern era’s greatest heavyweights. The “Gypsy King” has a telescopic jab and is a clever mover for a man 6ft 9ins tall.
Named after Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight world champion, Fury captured the public’s imagination with his comeback from depression. Has since suffered two high-profile defeats in undisputed contests with Oleksandr Usyk, the reigning heavyweight world champion.
7. Lennox Lewis (1989-2003)
World heavyweight champion between 1992-94, 1997-01 and 2001-03, Lewis was the first of boxing’s great super heavyweights.
The 1988 Olympic gold medallist could move, box, and punch athletically. He forged a reputation as a destructive fighter in a career that featured a defining win over Mike Tyson and victory over Vitali Klitschko via a sixth-round stoppage. He finished as the dominant heavyweight champion of his generation, with a career record of 41 wins, two defeats and one draw.
6. Ken Buchanan (1965-1982)
Ken Buchanan is widely considered to have been Scotland’s greatest-ever fighter. Known as “The Fighting Carpenter”, he won his first lightweight world title in 1970 against Ismael Laguna, defending it for two years, before losing to the great Roberto Durán by way of a controversial stoppage in the 13th round.
Buchanan fought Guts Ishimatsu in another world title fight in 1975 but lost on points after 15 rounds. He retired with a career record of 61 victories and eight defeats.
5. Bob Fitzsimmons (1883-1914)
A terrific puncher, Fitzsimmons was born in Cornwall and earned fame as the first ever man to win world titles in three different weight divisions. Fitzsimmons turned professional in 1883 and won his first title in 1891 when he knocked out Jack Dempsey for the middleweight crown. Known as “The Fighting Blacksmith”, Fitzsimmons was the lightest ever heavyweight champion, weighing 167 lbs. and finished with a career record of 51-8-5 with 44 knockouts.
4. Joe Calzaghe (1993-2008)
“The Fighting Pride of Wales” is one of only four European boxers to retire as an undefeated world champion. Calzaghe won his first world title in 1997, defeating Chris Eubank Snr, and retired having held the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF super middleweight titles, along with the Ring Magazine world titles for super middleweight and light heavyweight. Calazaghe held his WBO title for over 10 years with era-defining victories over Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jnr before retiring with a career record of 46-0.
3. Ted Lewis (1909-29)
The “Kid” turned professional aged 14, and within five years had won the British and European featherweight titles. He won the welterweight world title twice in a legendary 20-fight rivalry against Jack Britton. In his first world title win over Britton, Lewis became the first Englishman to win a world title in the United States. He retired with a career record of 227 wins, 40 defeats and 23 draws and won nine world titles ranging from featherweight to middleweight.
2. John Broughton (1725-1767)
A pioneer of boxing who invented the padded glove and was undefeated across 42 years.
John “Jack” Broughton was a real pioneer of boxing. “The Broughton Rules” contributed to the development of “The Marquis of Queensberry Rules”, still used worldwide. Broughton invented the first form of padded boxing glove, and in a remarkable fighting career that spanned 42 years never lost a fight.
1. Jimmy Wilde (1911-1923)
Wilde – also known as “The Mighty Atom” – was world flyweight champion from 1916 to 1923, and although he fought well over 100 years ago, his greatness must not be overlooked. Incredibly, his record stands at just three losses in 149 fights, with 99 knockouts.
Wilde, 5ft 2ins tall, rarely weighed more than 100 pounds, but he was rated among the best-ever punchers. The Ring Magazine placed the Welshman third among history’s great punchers, behind only Joe Louis and Sam Langford, both global icons of the sport.