My All-Time 60 Best British Fighters

I have been putting this together since the start of the year, it is finally complete.*

Some things you should note; the only active fighters I rated, were those who began their career before January 2001. I considered a fighter retired, if he has not had a fight since December 2009.

I did not use the American-Irish fighters of the turn of the 20th Century.

I used Bob Fitzsimmons.

So here goes, I am sure I will have quite a few who disagree:

60 Walter McGowan
59 Alan Rudkin
58 Ben Jordan
57 Robin Reid
56 Dick Turpin
55 Colin McMillan
54 Jim McDonnell
53 Carl Thompson
52 Paul Hodkinson
51 Herbie Hide
50 Billy Hardy
49 Tommy Farr
48 Junior Witter
47 Sir Henry Cooper
46 Tony Sibson
45 Colin Jones
44 Richie Woodhall
43 Len Harvey
42 Freddie Mills
41 Michael Watson
40 Joe Bugner
39 Johnny Nelson
38 Terry Downes
37 Steve Robinson
36 Owen Moran
35 Clinton Woods
34 Jackie Paterson
33 Jim Watt
32 Billy Plimmer
31 Frank Bruno
30 Terry Marsh
29 Maurice Hope
28 Howard Winstone
27 Barry McGuigan
26 Dave 'Boy' McAuley
25 Pedlar Palmer
24 Herol Graham
23 John H Stracey
22 Alan Minter
21 Dennis Andries
20 Jem Mace
19 Ricky Hatton
18 John Conteh
17 Lloyd Honeyghan
16 Duke McKenzie
15 Ken Buchanan
14 Rinty Monaghan
13 Nigel Benn
12 Chris Eubank
11 Randy Turpin
10 Benny Lynch
9 Freddie Welsh
8 Naseem Hamed
7 Joe Calzaghe
6 Jack 'Kid' Berg
5 Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis
4 Jim Driscoll
3 Lennox Lewis
2 Jimmy Wilde
1 Bob Fitzsimmons

Those who just missed out: Jackie Brown (The 20s/30s Version), Walter McGowan, Terry Allen, Charlie Magri, Joe Burman, Johnny Owen, Scott Harrison, Eric Boon, Billy Schwer, Charlie Nash, Brian Curvis, Dave 'Boy' Green, Chris Pyatt and Dave Cockell

There were others who made the final list, but were cut, the most famous being the Finnegan brothers, Kirkland Laing, Spencer Oliver, Terry Spinks, Paul Ingle, Johnathan Thaxton, Gary Jacobs, Ryan Rhodes, Howard Eastman, Glen Catley, Henry Wharton, Fidel Castro Smith (Slugger O'Toole), Glen McCrory, Gary Mason and Horace Notice.

*I have tinkered and the list does not sync with my all-time 100 list.

 

Mace gets in there as probably THE pioneer of gloved boxing, thus no Cribb.

I decided at the start Mace would be placed 20th, no matter what.

Actually with one exception:

I normally place Benn and Eubank equal; but got off the fence, and gave the .0001 to Eubank, so Benn would immediately follow Eubank's placement.

 

Kane was initially listed (I worked off lists of the classic eight divisions, to help compile the overall list).

 

For instance I ranked Duke McKenzie as a Flyweight, but his ranking was for all of his resume from 112 to 126. Paul Weir would be rated as a Flyweight, but would get a Pound for pound bias.

Looking at the numbers: (Surprisingly, IMO) only 4 from Flyweight; 5 Bantams; 7 Feathers; 3 Lights, 6 Welters, 8 Middles, 10 Light Heavies, 7 Heavies, plus the ten that were on my all-time top 100 pound for pound list.