There has never been a better time for women’s boxing and the ladies are proving that they can put on fights that are just as exciting as the men. They can headline events and draw big crowds and we’re starting to see super champions emerge in the sport that are helping to take it to the next level.
Judging by all the records being broken by today’s female fighters we have to say that the top of our list is populated by female fighters who are still in the game and achieving history as they go.
Women’s boxing is still very much in its infancy and as these Trail Blazers continue to smash records they are surely inspiring a whole new generation of women to lace up the gloves and try their hand at professional boxing.
The one gripe we have about female boxing at the moment is that they only fight 2 minute rounds compared to 3 minutes for the men and this is less suitable for showing boxing skills. We see no reason why they shouldn’t be also fighting 3 minute rounds.
Table of Contents
Claressa Shields
Claressa Shields is an awesome female fighter that has made plenty of history in a professional career of only 10 flights to date.
Claressa won Olympic gold at both the 2012 and 2016 games in the welterweight division, making her the only US fighter (male or female) to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in boxing.
She wasted no time going pro in 2016 and although she is not the biggest puncher she quickly set the game alight smashing records and breaking down barriers in her wake for future female combatants.
She became the first female to headline a boxing event on a major US network and she was a world champion within one year on August 2017 when she beat Nikki Adler, Winning the WBC super middle weight title.
Claressa then broke Lomachenkos record of becoming the quickest two weight world champion in only six fights.
She went on to become one of only seven fighters to hold world titles from all sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBO, IBF & WBA) before making more history and claim her title as the greatest female fighter of all time. She became a three weight world champion in the fastest time in only her tenth fight when she beat Ivana Habazin in January 2020.
She received much acclaim from the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward and she has had plenty of back and forth with another all time female great in Laila Ali recently.
Claressa is currently thinking about trying out female MMA.
Laila Ali
She Be Stinging!
Laila Ali has been a pioneer for women’s boxing as you can imagine being the daughter of the greatest of all time in Muhammad Ali. Laila was bound to be a star from even before she stepped in a ring but she would go on to blaze her own trail, winning multiple world titles and retiring undefeated with 24 wins.
Laila also packed quite a punch winning 21 of our bouts by knockout and she accumulated plenty of titles in the Super middleweight division including the WBC and the IBA.
Layla also journied up to the light heavyweight division where she won the IWBF light Heavyweight world title But she has been in the news again recently with talk of a potential bout between her and Claressa Shields.
Lucia Rijker
Lucia Rijker was a dutch kickboxer turned boxer who became one of the best female fighters to ever doit and opened up plenty of opportunities for the female fighters that have come since.
The Netherlands is famous for its kickboxing champions and that is exactly how Lucia started out.
Rijker was a 4 time world champion kickboxer with an awesome record of 36 – 0 with 26 knockouts before she turned her attention to boxing.
Rijker would prove just as successful in the boxing ring, amassing an impressive record of 17-0 but she was frustrated by not being able to make fights with other big names such as Christy Martin and Laila Ali.
She took a brief break from the boxing world to pursue an acting career in Hollywood, featuring in movies such as Million dollar baby and Rollerball before finally getting her dream bout against Christy Martin.
This match was going to be explosive, promoted by Don King and with a guaranteed purse of $250k for each fighter as the main event on a stack card full of male fighters.
The fight would eventually be cancelled due to Rijka picking up an ankle injury and although she didn’t fight again, she will still go down as one of the best women to ever do it and her heavy Ko percentage (14 kos from 17 fights) would earn her the nickname of ‘Lady Tyson’.
Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor is a humble Irish fighter who is adored by her many fans in the UK and Ireland. She too has headlined cards full of male fights and she gets a ton of support from the Irish fans.
Taylor became the first ever women’s lightweight Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and the crowd literally almost blew the roof off the arena as she did it in London. Personal problems affected her performance in 2016 and she wasn’t able to retain her title choosing to try her hand in the pro ranks instead.
Katie has put together a host of impressive performance and the undeafeated Bray woman is the current undisputed lightweight world champion.
Katie doesn’t have the knockout power but in her 15 win perfect record, she has stopped 6 of her opponents.
She became a world champion in only 5 fights and is one of only 7 boxers to hold all 4 titles simultaneously (IBF, WBA, WBO, WBC) and she also holds the Ring magazine belt.
They have postponed her bout with Serrano due to the Corona Virus plandemic but she has already beat Serrano’s sister Cindy, we look forward to seeing this excellent fight when it does play out.
Amanda Serrano
Amanda Serrano is a New York based, Puerto Rican born fighter who holds the crown of most world titles held in different divisions (7). She is only eclipsed By Manny Pacquiao in this regard who held titles in eight weight classes.
Amanda has had a long and illustrious career with 38 wins, 1 draw and one loss with an impressive 28 knockouts on her resume.
The southpaw has also turned her attention towards MMA where she has a record of one win, one draw and no losses and she has also been widely tipped to join the WWE as a female superstar.
Amanda and fellow all time great Katie Taylor had been set to clash in June of 2020 but the fight has been postponed due to the coronavirus plandemic.
Once this flight gets scheduled it will show who deserves to be taught of as the better fighter and possibly one of the all time greats in women’s boxing.
Celia Braekhus
Celia Braekhus is an incredible fighter with a interesting story. She was born in Columbia and was adopted by Norwegian parents at 2 years old and went on to become one of the greatest female fighters of all time.
She was a European amateur champion and won 75 out of 80 amateur fighters before going on to have an equally impressive professional career to date with a perfect record of 36 wins out of 36 with 9 knockouts.
Celia has been the welterweight champion of the world for 11 years since 2009, making her the longest reigning champion in current women’s boxing.
Celia is another of the 7 boxers to hold all 4 titles in a certain weight division joining Serrano, Taylor and Claressa Shields in this coveted list.
Ann Wolfe
Ann Wolfe is a well known female fighter and maybe even better known as the trainer of James Kirkland who fought at a world level for quite some time.
Ann would achieve a lot in female boxing, opening doors for plenty of fighters coming along behind her. She fought 26 times professionally with 24 wins, 1 loss and 1 no contest also racking up 16 big Kos along the way. This came after a brief amateur career of 3-1.
She holds the distinct record of holding three world titles in 3 different weight classes namely Jnr Middleweight, Middleweight and Super Middleweight.
She also appeared in a couple of movies including Wonder Woman and Amazon Warrior. The Texas native retired in 2006 to focus more on training fighters.
Holly Holm
Holly Holm is a super famous UFC fighter these days but she has a long history in combat sports, both boxing and kickboxing.
Holly started out in amateur kickboxing at 16 where she amassed a record of 6-0-2 before trying her hand at professional boxing.
Many people don’t know that Holly was extremely successful in the boxing ring with world titles at Lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight. She finished up in pro boxing with a record of 38 fights, 33 Wins (9 KO’s) 2 losses and 3 draws.
She recorded 18 defenses of her world titles and received the ring magazine female fighter of the year award in both 2005 and 2006.
Holly has always been popular in her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico where she is good friends with Jon Jones. After boxing, she went into MMA, first with Bellator and then UFC. She shot to super stardom after she beat Ronda Rousey at UFC 196, pretty much sending the former star into retirement from Mixed Martial Arts.
All in all Holly has done a lot for female boxers coming through and MMA fighters alike.
Christy Martin
Christy Martin is another pioneer of female boxing. She opened the door for many others that followed her and she even suffered a defeat at the hands of Holly Holm.
Christy won a single world title in a professional career that spanned a whopping 23 years from 1989 to 2012.
Her world title win came in her last win for the WBC super welterweight belt at her second attempt having previously been beaten by Laila Ali at an earlier attempt.
In Christy personal life, her ex husband attempted to murder her, stabbing her multiple times and shooting her in the torso. Christy survived and is now happily remarried, this time with a woman and she runs a promotional company in Florida to this day.
Skills wise, she is not the best on this list, but for what she achieved for women’s boxing and sports in general ensures her spot on the list of greatest female fighters of all time.
Regina Hamlich
Regina Hamlich did plenty to open doors for women who want to get into boxing in Europe with a long and successful career that saw her win titles and Jnr Flyweight, Flyweight and Super Flyweight in a long lasting career that started in 1995 and ended in 2007.
Regina is another on our list that started out as an amateur kickboxer where she became a European champion before venturing into professional boxing where she put together an impressive record of 56 fights, 54 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss with 9 KO’s on her resume.
Outside the ring she has been a successful business woman with her own line of cosmetics and she even did a lot of modelling throughout the years for German magazines and she recorded 2 victories in exhibition bouts against tv reporter Stefan Raab which shot her to super stardom in Germany and around Europe.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed our list as womens boxing continues to enjoy sustained growth. Let us know what you think in the comments.
References:
https://sport.one/the-top-10-best-female-boxers-of-all-time/
https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/15494
FAQs
10 Best Female Boxers Of All Time | Boxing Addicts? ›
Laila Ali has held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF, and IBA female super middleweight titles, as well as the IWBF light heavyweight title. She retired from the ring in 2007 and is considered by many to be the greatest female boxer of all time.
Who is considered the greatest female boxer of all time? ›Laila Ali has held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF, and IBA female super middleweight titles, as well as the IWBF light heavyweight title. She retired from the ring in 2007 and is considered by many to be the greatest female boxer of all time.
Who is the hardest hitting female boxer of all time? ›In addition to these titles, Ann Wolfe was also the Women's International Boxing Association World Super Welterweight and World Light Heavyweight champion. This path of dominance in women's boxing established Ann Wolfe as one of the sport's most powerful punchers and most powerful female boxer of all time.
Who is famous female boxer? ›Mary Kom. Mary Kom is regarded as one of the most decorated athletes and boxers from India having won medals in all the continental events. She was the only female boxer from India to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics and also went on to win the bronze medal.
Is Laila Ali the greatest female boxer ever? ›During her career, from which she retired undefeated, she held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title. Ali is widely regarded by many within the sport as one of the greatest female boxers of all time. She is the daughter of iconic boxer Muhammad Ali.
What female boxer has only fans? ›Ebanie Bridges was paid more than a quarter-million dollars to join OnlyFans. The women's IBF bantamweight titleholder insists she was courted to help lead other famous athletes to the subscription-based platform and continues to use her page to interact with her fans, not to sell pornographic content.
What female boxer has the strongest punch? ›This path of dominance in women's boxing established Ann Wolfe as one of the sport's most powerful punchers and most powerful female boxer of all time.
What boxer beat his wife? ›She said that one night, Tyson and his wife ''had a fight, and he hit Robin in the head with a closed fist. '' Tyson, contacted at his hotel room in Atlantic City, where he will defend his title June 27 against Michael Spinks, was asked by Newsday whether he had struck his wife.
What female boxer was beat by her husband? ›Christy Renea Martin (née Salters; born June 12, 1968) is an American former professional boxer. Competing from 1989 to 2012, she held the WBC female super welterweight title in 2009. In 2010, Martin was stabbed and shot by her husband.
Who hit Ali the hardest? ›Even boxing legends like Ron Lyle and Muhammad Ali ranked Shavers as the hardest puncher they ever faced. Shavers hit so hard that 68 of his 75 professional boxing wins were via knockout, and 33 of those knockouts occurred in the first round.
Who is the queen of boxing? ›
1. Muhammad Ali. The Greatest was not only one of the best heavyweights of all time, he was also one of the most colorful. He won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics and went on to become the first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times.
Who was Muhammad Ali's favorite boxer? ›But the man Ali himself named as the best fighter of all time is Sugar Ray Robinson.
How old was Jackie Frazier when she fought Laila Ali? ›Laila Ali was 9-0 (8 knockouts) and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde was 7-0 (7 knockouts) when they starred on the first Pay Per View boxing card ever to be headlined by women. At 39 years of age, Frazier-Lyde was 16 years older than Ali.
Do female boxers wear breast protection? ›4) Female boxers shall wear breast protectors and groin protectors that are both properly fitted and a mouthpiece is also required.
Can a female boxer beat a man? ›Whether you're male or female you don't need an extraordinary amount of strength or power to strike and defeat your opponent, instead, you need proper technique, agility, and speed. A female fighter who dominates proper technique remains calm and in control of herself, can overpower a larger and stronger male.
Are female boxers affectionate? ›If the Boxer had a favorite song it would probably be “We are Family.” The breed's reputation as an all-around healthy, affectionate, even-tempered, athletic, and loving family member is well-earned, and it's why the Boxer consistently ranks in the Top 10 AKC-registered breeds.
Who was faster Ali or Tyson? ›Point 3 – Speed
Ali is the clear winner when it comes to foot speed. He had speed that a man of his size wouldn't normally possess. Ali had quick hands as well, but his hand speed was nowhere near as lethal as his foot speed. For years Mike Tyson's hand speed has been overlooked.
Background: One knockdown that stands among the most memorable of all time was the Frazier left hook that landed on the jaw of Muhammad Ali in the 15th round of their first fight. Ali survived but Frazier, in that moment, sealed his reputation as having one of the most lethal punches in boxing history.
Can female boxers punch below the belt? ›
The pelvic guard is an essential piece of protective gear for women. Despite some questioning, the importance of a pelvic guard as boxers are not allowed to punch below the others belt, the potential damage poses too high of a risk to be ignored.
Has a man ever fought a woman in boxing? ›Female superstar Claressa Shields famously said awhile back that she thinks she could beat up Keith Thurman and would give Gennady Golovkin a run for his money. While no one expects those fights will ever take place, a battle of the sexes in the ring literally has happened. Twice.
Which boxer kissed his opponent? ›We've seen kisses before at boxing face-offs
Earlier in veteran heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora's career, he didn't even seek consent and forced himself on Carl Barker during a face-off, sparking a melee.
Fredia Gibbs the first female African American kickboxing world champion, learned how to fight as a child because she grew up scared and afraid.
Which woman boxer flashes crowd after win? ›Australian bare-knuckle fighter Tai Emery, who went viral for flashing her chest after a knockout victory, blames 'Karens' for her being threatened with a fine if she pulls the stunt again.
What female boxer became paralyzed? ›In 1996, Katie Dallam became the first female professional boxer seriously injured in the ring. What happened to her that night would not only inspire her art, but it's believed to be the basis for a short story that became the blockbuster, Oscar-winning film, “Million Dollar Baby.”
Who is the only woman boxer who has won a medal in each of the six world championships? ›Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte, popularly known as MC Mary Kom, has been one of India's leading sporting superstars over the last two decades. Be it her six women's world championship titles or the bronze medal from the London 2012 Olympic Games, there's barely any accolade to elude this boxing legend.
Who was the only person to knock out Ali? ›According to Ali, Wepner had stepped on his foot, and then pushed him causing him to lose his balance and fall. Film and photographic records prove Ali's claim, although Wepner claims it was a genuine knockdown.
Who was stronger than Ali? ›Berbick has the distinction of being the last to beat Ali. In 1981, in what was Ali's last fight at the professional level before hanging up his gloves, Berbick beat him via a unanimous decision.
Who did Ali fight 3 times? ›Muhammad Ali fought three professional boxing matches against Ken Norton between 1973 and 1976. Ali won the series 2–1, though the final fight (judged a unanimous decision in Ali's favor) was highly controversial.
Who was the first woman boxer? ›
Hear about the first Olympic gold medal winner in women's boxing Nicola Adams. Learn about Nicola Adams of Great Britain, who won the first Olympic gold medal in...
Who is the black female world champion boxer? ›| Claressa Shields | |
|---|---|
| Shields at Collision 2022 | |
| Born | Claressa Maria Shields March 17, 1995 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Division | Light middleweight (Boxing) Middleweight (Boxing) Super middleweight (Boxing) Lightweight (MMA) (2021–present) |
In those days, the rules of boxing allowed kicking, gouging and other methods of attack not part of today's arsenal. Women's boxing first appeared in the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1904, in St. Louis. During the 1920s, Professor Andrew Newton formed a Women's Boxing Club in London.
Is it OK to have 2 female Boxers? ›Two Boxers commonly get along very well but there can be issues of dominance and aggression, sometimes severe enough to require separation or rehoming of one dog.
Are two female Boxers good together? ›Most definitely, this is the most ideal situation as they understand each other. Preferably have a male and female. Two females will also get along as long as they are introduced as puppies. An older female will get on with a puppy female but it is not advisable to introduce two fully grown females.
What boxer has the most knockouts? ›Billy Bird – 139 TKO/KOs
The record-holder for the most knockouts in boxing's history belongs to UK's Billy Bird, who had 139 knockouts out of his 356 professional fights. Bird racked up 260 wins, 73 losses and 20 draws.
Rocky Marciano (USA) (b. Rocco Francis Marchegiano) (1923-69) is the only world champion at any weight to have won every fight of his entire completed professional career, from 17 March 1947-21 September 1955 (he announced his retirement on 27 April 1956); 43 of his 49 fights were by knock-outs or stoppages.
Was Sugar Ray Robinson better than Ali? ›While Atlas and Kellerman agreed Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time, ESPN.com voters chose Muhammad Ali as "The Greatest." Ali received nearly four times as many first place votes from ESPN.com participants than did runner-up Robinson.
Who is boxer's best friend? ›Clover. A good-hearted female cart-horse and Boxer's close friend.
Who was faster Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali? ›Jacobs told Ali biographer Thomas Hauser that, having long called Robinson the greatest ever, he'd made a close study of films of Robinson and Ali, including timing the speed of their punches. He said that Ali, 63 pounds heavier than Sugar Ray when both were at their best, was faster.
Did Muhammad Ali go to Joe Frazier's funeral? ›
Joe Frazier funeral: Boxing great Muhammad Ali is assisted as he enters the service for boxer Joe Frazier at the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 14.
How old was Ali when he fought Foreman? ›On October 30, 1974, 32-year-old Muhammad Ali becomes the heavyweight champion of the world for the second time when he knocks out 25-year-old champ George Foreman in the eighth round of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” a match in Kinshasa, Zaire.
How old was Ali when he fought homes? ›On October 2, 1980, Holmes faced the celebrated Ali, who at age 38 was mounting a comeback. Holmes won in 11 rounds, cementing his claim as world heavyweight champion. The fight, however, was emotionally difficult for Holmes.
Who is the female goat in boxing? ›Shields currently holds the record for becoming a two and three-weight world champion in the fewest professional fights. As of October 2022, she is ranked as the world's best active female middleweight by BoxRec, as well as the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by ESPN and The Ring. Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Who are undefeated in women's boxing? ›| Boxer | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Laila Ali | 24–0–0 | Inaugural IBA women's super middleweight title. |
| Inaugural WBC women's super middleweight title. | ||
| Natascha Ragosina | 22–0–0 | |
| Inaugural WBA women's super middleweight title. |
Hear about the first Olympic gold medal winner in women's boxing Nicola Adams. Learn about Nicola Adams of Great Britain, who won the first Olympic gold medal in...
Are female Boxers affectionate? ›If the Boxer had a favorite song it would probably be “We are Family.” The breed's reputation as an all-around healthy, affectionate, even-tempered, athletic, and loving family member is well-earned, and it's why the Boxer consistently ranks in the Top 10 AKC-registered breeds.
What boxer changed to a woman? ›Following threats from the press to out her, in August 2014, Maloney announced in the Sunday Mirror that she is now known as Kellie, and is undergoing gender reassignment. Lennox Lewis was initially shocked at the news but expressed respect for Maloney's decision.
Who is the baby face female boxer? ›...
| Shannon Courtenay | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | The Baby Face Assassin |
| Weight(s) | Bantamweight Super-bantamweight |
| Nationality | British |
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano is the only heavyweight champion in boxing history to retire with an undefeated record. He finished with a 49-0 record with 43 knockouts.
Who is the only woman boxer to win a medal in all 7 world championship? ›
MC Mary Kom: A magnificent career defined by consistent success at the highest level. From an Olympic medal to world championship crowns and national honours, know the storied career of the Indian boxing legend.