The 4 Greatest British Boxers of all time

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Varun Kumar

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in Boxing in the United Kingdom. Citizens of the UK now prefer to watch live boxing matches on the Sky website. The country has produced world champions, such as Carl Frampton, Anthony Joshua, Amir Khan and Kell Brook in recent years. To add to the list of fine boxers, here are the top 5 boxers in the history of boxing in the United Kingdom.

BRIGHTON,SUSSEX – FEBRUARY 16,1922: Ted Kid Lewis (R) lands a left punch against Tom Gummer during the fight at The Dome, ,on February 16,1922 in Brighton, Sussex, United Kingdom. Ted Kid Lewis won by a KO 1. (Photo by: The Ring Magazine/Getty Images)

John “Jack” Broughton

John “Jack” Broughton was the true pioneer of modern boxing. He was the first person to codify a set of rules to be used in boxing contests. Born in the village of Baunton in Gloucestershire, Broughton left home at age 12 and made his way to Bristol where he worked at the waterside. He gained recognition as world champion after defeating Bill Greeting and Tom Pipes. In his 42 years fighting career from 1725-1767, Broughton never lost a fight. He also held the Bare’ Knuckle Championship of England for over 20 years.

He operated a boxing arena in London from 1742 until his death. His rule of pugilism was used in boxing until the London Prize Ring Rules surpassed it in 1838.

Ted “Kid” Lewis

Ted “Kid” Lewis was born on 28 October 1893 and he won the World Welterweight Championship twice. Lewis became a professional boxer in 1909 and was renowned for his relentless and attacking style of fighting. In 1915, he won a fight against Phil Bloom in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Lewis boxed 42 fights involving championship holding 10 different world, British Empire, British and European titles. He was known as the “dashing kid” and Lewis feared no-one in the boxing ring.

In 1929, he fought the last of nearly 300 career bouts in London. He has lost only 41 times in his 20-year career. Lewis was also elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Bob Fitzsimmons

Bob Fitzsimmons was the first person to become thee-division world champion in boxing. He turned professional in 1883 and achieved fame for beating Jim Corbett. Fitzsimmons also holds a Guinness World Record for being the lightest heavyweight champion. On 14 January 1891, he won the first world title by defeating Jack Dempsey in New Orleans. In a fight against Peter Maher, Fitzsimmons won the World Heavyweight Championship title in 1896. He retired with a career record of 51-8-5 (44 KO’s) and is enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Fitzsimmons is ranked 8th in The Ring magazine’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Joe Calzaghe

One of only four European champions to ever retire undefeated, Joe Calzaghe eventually fulfilled the early promise he had shown after some period of under-performance. In October 1997, he won the WBO super middleweight title by defeating Chris Eubank. He held the WBO title for 10 years and successfully defended 21 times. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall OF Fame in 2014.