Boxing
Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno, Tyson Fury: ranking of the 10 best British heavyweight of all time
Published
11 months agoon
For decades, British ponderous scales were known in the United States as “heavyweight horizontal”, this was their story in the fight for the title of world champion.
But this changed in the 1990s with the appearance of Lennox Lewis.
On Saturday, Daniel Dubois will try to become the third British who will be the undisputed ponderous world champion.
Ten boxers who were born in Great Britain had global heavyweight titles, while others bravely failed Global Glory.
– in the Usyk camp: behind the scenes with the heavyweight champion
– Dubois plans to free “chaos” to Usyk
Each list will create a debate – even about whether people on it should be classified as British.
ESPN breaks the 10 best British heavyweight of all time.
10. Daniel Dubois
Dubois became a champion after winning the IBF ephemeral title with winning in the eighth round over Filip Hrgovic, before he was promoted (without throwing a blow) to the full world champion, when Utyk gave up the belt last year. In the stunning first defense in September in September, Dubois four times four times on the way to win in round 5 sealed the former master Anthony Joshua on the way to victory in round 5.
27 -year -old Dubois bounced from two losses: against the English rival Joe Joyce (2020) and Utyk (2023). The British argue to get a reasonable knocking down when he challenged Usyk for the titles of WBA, IBF and WBO World, but was considered a low blow.
Then Usyk dropped Dubois in round 8 and knocked him out in the next round. Although Dubois had a great win on Joshua, time will tell if the former master has passed the best. Dubois needs another great win to raise on this list.
9. Tommy Farr
Welshman Farr, a former miner, made a brave effort against the great Joe Louis before 36 903 at the Yankee stadium in 1937.
Farr entered the fight, released as a no-hoper, but took the first distance master who did it in over 15 rounds-not the floor before losing a unanimous decision.
The Fresh York crowd even booed the result. Over 2 million people fought to listen to the fight on the radio in Great Britain. The following year, Farr lost his decisions for Max Baer and James J. Braddock.
8. Sir Henry Cooper
In 1963, 35,000 fans saw Muhammad Ali – then known as Cassius Clay – stopped Cooper on the cut on the previous floor at the Wembley stadium.
The left hook of Cooper – known as “Enry’s Ammer” – sent Ali to the canvas in round 4, but the Englishman was inclined to cuts, and was detained in the next round.
Three years later, Ali stopped Cooper again in cuts. It was the first world fight for the title of heavyweight in England for 58 years and was news on the first page, and the millions listened to him live on the radio shortly before the start of the World Championships in England in 1966. Ali’s exact blows left Cooper’s face covered with blood, and the fight was stopped in the sixth round.
7. Joe Bugner
The Bugner, who moved to Great Britain from Hungary in childhood, and later moved in Australia, twice in 1973 and 1975 he lost the distance to Muhammad Ali.
Bugner, who in 1975 underwent 15 rounds from Ali for the unquestioned title in Kuala Lumpur, defeated such as Jimmy Ellis, Jurgen Blin and Henry Cooper (controversial), but his rivals in Great Britain were more popular.
6. Frank Bruno
Bruno finally managed to win the title of world champion during the fourth attempt, but it’s best to remember the two losses of stopping the title of the world vs. Mike Tyson.
The Londonian was not in any way, but he gave Tyson a great fear in his first meeting for all three world titles in 1989. After returning after early knocking after only 12 seconds Bruno, and then torn out the heavyweight champion with his right hand and the left hook.
Tyson was at the top and found his rhythm in the fifth round to overwhelm Bruno with a wave of blows. Bruno was paralyzed with fear in the 1996 rematch and was destroyed in three rounds.
But Bruno won the exhausting meeting with Oliver McCall to win the WBC title about the point decisions in Wembley in 1995. Bruno lost to the best opposition, such as Tyson, James “Bonecrusher” Smith, Tim Witherspoon and Lennox Lewis.
5. David Haye
After unifying the world titles in the cruiser scale in the first defense in 2008, the Londonian overcame huge defects in height and weight to win the title of WBA World Heavywweight from Nikolai Valuev according to the decisions of the majority points in 2009.
It was Haye’s third fight as a ponderous weight when he defeated a seven-stone defect to defeat the Russian warrior. Haye (217 pounds) was too mobile and cleverly packed in a 7-meter, 316 pounds Valuev, which rose over 6-3 Haye.
Haye made two defense, after which she lost the title Vladimir Klitschko in points in the fight for the title of unification in 2011. Valuev is not considered one of the best heavyweight masters in history, and Haye did not shine when it mattered vs. Klitschko.
4. Anthony Joshua
The two -time moment of the world champion came when he left the canvas to knock out the former long -term world champion Vladimir Klitschko in round 11 before 90,000 at the Wembley stadium in 2017. Joshua was knocked out by Dubois seven years later, before 96,000 in the same place, and since then not Fear.
AJ ruled as a master in 2016–2019, and then from 2019 to 2021, and also provided the stunning KO of the former UFC Francis Ngannou champion in August 2024.
His knockout power made him one of the largest crowds in the history of British boxing.
Joshua won the titles of WBA, IBF and WBO, but he lost points twice for Usyk, as well as suffering a humiliating losing KO with Andy Ruiz in 2019. His record in the fighting titles is nine wins, four defeats.
35 -year -old Joshua is expected this year, and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, said that 2026 would be his last.
3. Tyson Fury
Fury was outclassed by Wladimir Klitschko with movement and boxing skills to win the titles of WBA, WBO and IBF in Germany in 2015, but he never defended belts because of problems with depression, drugs and alcohol.
Fury returned to boxing three years later and survived the knocking in rounds 9 and 12 to get a draw vs. WBC champion Deontay Wilder. In their rematch in 2020, Fury became the third British boxer (after Lennox Lewis and Bob Fitzsimmons), who won the world championship title on American land, when he detained Wilder in round 7 and became a two -time world champion.
When Fury met with the American again in 2021, he produced 11 rounds to confirm his status of heavyweight leading in the world.
After winning the detention on the English rivals of Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, Fury did not beat the best of his era twice when Usyk won two points last year.
Fury’s heritage will be defined by these failures, while the potentially the biggest fight in his career, compared to Joshua’s English rival, is threatened that it will not happen.
Fury, 37 years in August, suggested a return in April 2026. Fury has 5-2-1 in the fight for the title of world champion.
2. Bob Fitzsimmons
Fitzsimmons, who moved from Cornwall in England to Fresh Zealand at the age of 11, defeated James J. Corbett for the title of world champion at Carson City, Nevada, which was a shock and huge global news in 1897.
Fitzsimmons increased from being a champion of world medium weight, and Corbett was a heavyweight champion.
Corbett, who surpassed Fitzsimmons by 16 pounds, was detained by the Englishman in the 14th round. Then Fitzsimmons lost the title in the first defense of James J. Jeffries on Brooklyn in 1899, and the American knocked out Fitzsimmons in the 1902 rematch in San Francisco, when Fitzsimmons remained an hidden in the eighth round.
A year later, Fitzsimmons became the world champion in three importance when he won the world heavyweight title.
1. Lennox Lewis
Lewis, who left London at the age of 12 to live in Canada, became the undisputed champion in 1999, 100 years after the end of two -year rule of Fitzsimmon as a heavyweight king.
The three -time world champion defeated Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko. Lewis was denied the undisputed glory by a scandalous draw against Holyfield in 1999, but he achieved justice in a rematch later the same year with a unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
Lewis produced stunning winnings vs. Hasim Rahman, Frans Botha and faded Tyson. Lewis defeated the crisis to defeat Klitschko, and Avenged defeated with McCall and Rahman. After losing to McCall, Lewis hired coach McCall, Emanuel Steward, who forced him to operate his reach, boxing skills and stab more.
It was a strategy that served Lewis well when he accumulated a stunning record of 17 wins, 2 losses and a 1 draw in global fights for the title of heavyweight.
I just missed the cut:
Herbie Hive: two -time WBO world champion; He made Michael Bentt in 1994, but Riddick Bowe knocked him out in the 6th round of the first defense; In 1997 he won the WBO belt, stopping Tony Tucker in two rounds, before he was detained in two rounds by Vitali Klitschko in the third defense in 1999.
Danny Williams: Ko’d Mike Tyson in four rounds in July 2004, but then he was flattened by the WBC master Vitali Klitschko less than six months later.
Matt Skelton: He lost his unanimous decision vs. Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA secondary title in 2008.
Don Cockell: In 1955 he made a brave performance vs. Rocky Marciano in the penultimate defense of America. Marciano was lucky to escape with a series of fouls before he stopped Cockella in round 9.
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Boxing
Tim Bradley names the heavyweight who can beat Oleksandr Usyk: ‘This could be his time’
Published
1 hour agoon
June 14, 2026
Tim Bradley listed probably the biggest challenge for Oleksandr Usyk, who some say should hang up his gloves after the clash with Rico Verhoeven.
Last month, the Ukrainian endured a tougher-than-expected test against Verhoeven, which ended with a controversial suspension following an 11th-round knockout.
Until then Usyk was losing on one of the judges’ scorecards However, he managed to inspire the intervention of referee Mark Lyson, who waved at Verhoeven after the bell.
Indeed, it was controversial while on duty, however, the real story is that Verhoeven, a former kickboxer, was able to last 11 rounds with the heavyweight king.
Perhaps it was because Usyk underestimated his opponent, or perhaps his performance would be better explained by a text message he received from his daughter, who contacted him from a bomb shelter in Ukraine before the fight.
Either way, the 39-year-old would need to significantly improve his performance if he faces WBC “interim” champion Agit Kabayel in his next fight.
I keep talking his YouTube channelBradley said Kabayel, who has previously stopped fighters such as Zhilei Zhang and Frank Sanchez, posed a real threat to Usyk’s dominance as WBC, IBF and WBA world champion.
“You have a guy like Kabayel who has been waiting for a while. This might be the right time for him [to defeat Usyk].
“Usyk’s aged manager [Alex Krassyuk] he said, “You must go ahead and retire, because if you don’t retire, you will be defeated.”
“[Krassyuk] I didn’t like what he saw against Rico, but I have hope for him in this fight [with Kabayel] what’s happening next. Fighting Kabayel will be tough for him.
“This guy can punch, he can punch the body very well, he can move and box, he can get forward, he can counter-punch – he can do a little bit of everything.”
Having been ordered to defend his WBC title against Kabayel, Usyk must now decide whether to face the undefeated challenger or vacate the belt and pursue alternative options.
Boxing
Diego Pacheco Immanuwel Aleem and Andy Cruz-Albert Bell fight on July 18 DAZN card
Published
3 hours agoon
June 14, 2026
Pacheco (25-0 (18 KO)) will defend his WBC Silver and WBO International super middleweight belts against Aleem 22-4-3 (14 KO). The 25-year-old Los Angeles native is coming off a unanimous decision win over Kevin Lele Sadjo last December.
Pacheco was knocked out in the eighth round following a unanimous decision victory over Kevin Lele Sadjo last December.
Since then, Pacheco has made significant changes outside the ring, joining Sheer Sports and bringing Hall of Fame trainer Buddy McGirt into his corner. Matchroom has also renewed a promotional deal with a highly-rated super middleweight.
“I can’t wait to take him to a world title,” Robert Diaz of Sheer Sports said of Pacheco.
This common feature can have solemn consequences in the lightweight division. Cruz (6-1 (3 KO)) will try to recover from the first defeat of his professional career when he faces Bell (28-1 (9 KO)) in the IBF final.
On January 24, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist lost a 12-round majority decision to Muratalla, failing in his attempt to win the IBF lightweight title. Despite the setback, Cruz received an immediate opportunity to return to title contention.
Bell enters the fight on a long winning streak and has spent years climbing the rankings in search of a breakthrough opportunity. The winner will strengthen his position before the next meeting with Muratalla, who is scheduled to defend his title against Robson Conceicao on August 1.
The lightweight world title eliminator and one of the most highly rated super middleweights in boxing returns to action, with the July 18 card providing significant stakes in two divisions as Matchroom continues to shape the title picture for the second half of 2026.
Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather heard the murder unfold during a FaceTime call
Published
4 hours agoon
June 13, 2026
Floyd Mayweather has been linked to some amazing stories from his life inside and outside of boxing. Few are as shocking as the day he reportedly listened helplessly to a murder-suicide over a FaceTime call.
The incident occurred on December 8, 2014, when rapper Earl Hayes, a member of Mayweather’s inner circle and a recording artist associated with The Money Team, shot and killed his wife, actress and dancer Stephanie Moseley, before taking his own life.
According to multiple reports, Mayweather spoke with Hayes at the time and tried to serene the rapper down for a period of time as the situation got out of control.
FaceTime call
The tragedy took place in the Palazzo East apartments in Los Angeles.
According to police, officers responded after neighbors reported hearing shots and a woman screaming. The LAPD SWAT team entered the apartment and discovered Hayes and Moseley dead from apparent gunshot wounds in the locked bathroom.
Authorities later concluded that Hayes fatally shot Moseley before turning the gun on himself.
Reports at the time indicated that Hayes had contacted Mayweather during an argument over suspicions that Moseley had been inconstant.
Mayweather reportedly kept trying to serene Hayes down as the conversation escalated.
Hollywood shock
Moseley’s death shocked the entertainment industry.
The Canadian actress and dancer appeared on the VH1 series “Hit the Floor” and throughout her career she has performed alongside music’s biggest stars.
A statement released by VH1 at the time said the network and the entire “Hit the Floor” family were devastated by the loss and expressed their condolences to Moseley’s family and friends.
Hayes’ friends also expressed disbelief, describing him as a caring and talented person whose actions seemed completely out of character.
Tragedies surrounding Mayweather
The Hayes tragedy wasn’t the only devastating real-life event that coincided with Mayweather’s life outside of boxing.
The former five-weight world champion was also present during the drive-by shooting that injured one of his bodyguards, and the death of Josie Harris, the mother of his three children, sparked another public tragedy and another personal tragedy.
Harris died on March 10, 2020 at the age of 40. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner later ruled her death was the result of an accidental overdose.
A forgotten story
More than a decade has passed, and many boxing fans have no idea this event even happened.
Mayweather was not involved in the crime itself, but reports that he was on the other end of the call ensured that his name would forever be linked to one of the most shocking stories of his career.
For those who remember it, few stories surrounding Floyd Mayweather have been more challenging to understand.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Tim Bradley names the heavyweight who can beat Oleksandr Usyk: ‘This could be his time’
Diego Pacheco Immanuwel Aleem and Andy Cruz-Albert Bell fight on July 18 DAZN card
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