Best British Heavyweight Boxers of All Time
Great Britain is known for producing some of the all-time best heavyweight boxers. Throughout the history of boxing, there have been many British heavyweights, who have won world titles.
Here is a quick list of the best British heavyweight boxers of all time. Check out the short history of these British fighting legends below.
Lennox Lewis
If we’re going to make a list of the best British heavyweight boxers ever, Lennox Lewis must be mentioned. Lennox is the only British heavyweight in the history of the sport to become the undisputed champion.
The West Ham native was at the top of the sport during an era that included many all time great heavyweights. During his stellar career, Lennox was able to become a 3x world champion and defend his title multiple times.
He beat everyone from Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Shannon Briggs, and Vitali Klitchsko. Lewis is a true icon of the sport and is unanimously considered one of the greats.
Tyson Fury
The current best British heavyweight boxer, who is making his mark as a legendary fighter is Tyson Fury. Tyson is considered one of the best boxers on the planet today, who is one of the most skilled big men ever.
The Gypsy King has displayed incredible well-rounded skills as he has decimated the current heavyweight division. Fury took part in the epic trilogy of fights with KO artist Deontay Wilder, where he showed incredible heart.
During this trilogy, Fury was leveled with bomb right hands, but had the heart to get back up and win twice. Tyson dominated the last two fights of the trilogy by finishing wilder in both matches.
Most recently, Fury had a highly viewed match against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. This brought together fight fans, who bet on both boxing and UFC odds that took place in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson was able to win a close fight and earn a huge payday from the fight. The reigning heavyweight king’s next will be one of his biggest as he faces fellow undefeated champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua is another great fighter, we must mention on our list of the best British heavyweight boxers. Joshua is a former 2x unified heavyweight champion, who has had incredible performances in his career.
He has knocked out everyone from former heavyweight king Wladimir Klitchschko, Andy Ruiz, Alexander Povetkin, and Kubrat Pulev. Despite three devastating losses, Joshua looked back in full form after he decimated Francis Ngannou in two rounds.
Anthony is still a draw and at only 34, he still has time to win another world title.
Henry Cooper
The beloved Sir Henry Cooper is another that we must mention on the list of the best British heavyweight boxers of all time. During the golden era of heavyweight boxing, Cooper was the biggest UK star in fighting.
Cooper was the European and UK champion, who went toe-to-toe with the icons of the sport. He fought everyone from Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali twice.
Frank Bruno
Another one of the best British heavyweight boxers that we must mention before wrapping up the list is Frank Bruno. The London native was as tough as they come and fought numerous legends in his 14-year career.
Bruno fought for the heavyweight title on four occasions and finally succeeded on his fourth try. It was the highlight of his career as he defeated Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium for the WBC title.
Frank had a great career, where he won a staggering 38 of his 40 wins by KO.
David Haye
Former champion David Haye started his career as a cruiserweight before becoming one of the best British heavyweight boxers. As a cruiserweight, Haye was one of the best of his era.
After winning the European championship, David beat Jean-Marc Mormeck for the unified title. He then became the undisputed cruiserweight champion by defeating Enzo Maccarinelli by TKO in round two.
David then set his sights on history with his goal to become an undisputed champion in two weight classes. He went up to heavyweight and beat Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight title and defended the title twice.
Haye then got his shot at greatness against Wladimir Klitschko for the undisputed heavyweight title, but lost the decision. Despite coming up short, Haye remains one of the British greats as a former two-division champion.
Joe Joyce
The last fighter on our list of the best British heavyweight boxers is current top contender Joe Joyce. Joe has displayed impressive skills and big KO power in his career thus far.
The former Olympic silver medalist got into boxing late, but he’s had some impressive performances. In Joe’s first 15 pro fights, he went undefeated 14 KOs and won the interim WBO title.
Despite suffering two tough losses to Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang, Joe has bounced back. At 38, Joyce has a few more years left in his career and could easily win another title.
