Boxing is one of the most famous and watched sports, women’s boxing first appeared in exhibition bouts at the Olympic Games in 1904. The first event was between two thirteen-year-old sports girls, proving that girls are no less than boys and can perform. At the same time, boxing is banned for women in some countries. So here are some of the best female boxers in the world. So have a look at the greatest women boxers.
Katie Taylor
One of boxing’s most accomplished novices, the 35-year-old Taylor has seen tremendous growth since turning professional after the 2016 Olympics. She won the world title in her seventh bout, became the unified champion in her ninth, and became the undisputed champion at 135 pounds in just 14 fights. Acquired Taylor has attracted considerable attention in both the UK and US. Their next fight could be their biggest yet.
Lucia Rijker
One of the most famous female fighters, Lucia Rijker won several world titles at light-welterweight and was at one point called “the most dangerous woman in the world”. Originally a kickboxing champion, “The Dutch Destroyer” is one of only three women inducted into the Hall of Fame. She ended her illustrious boxing career with an impeccable 17-0 record including 14 knockouts.
Claressa Shields
We’re off to a strong start with a fighter who, despite not actively competing today, is already considered the best female boxer of all time. At the amateur level, Claressa Shields is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. At the professional level, she is the only boxer in women’s (or men’s) competitions to win all major world championships at the same time.
Shields is a powerful and fast boxer who is considered to be the pound-for-pound best in the world today by all the ranking organisations.
Laila Ali
Next on the list is Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali. Ali made her professional debut in 1999 and became the first woman to serve as Shea Frazier’s daughter Jackie in 2001.
Ali is a former IBA and he is IWBF, WBC and he is WIBA super middleweight champion and IWBF is also his light heavyweight champion. Being the daughter of a legend can come with a lot of pressure, but Ali has managed to pull it off. Now that she’s a TV personality, Ali has to wonder how she’ll deal with today’s hordes of fighters.
Amanda Serrano
Amanda Serrano is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. She has held the WBO, WBC and IBO featherweight titles since 2019, making her the undisputed champion in the featherweight division.
With nine major world titles held in seven different weight classes, she is the owner of the Guinness World Record for the most boxing world championships won by women in different weight classes. She is the first woman and the first Puerto Rican to win titles in more than four weight classes.
Christy Martin
One of the most important figures in the history of women’s boxing, Christy Martin’s longevity and tough demeanor have cemented her status as one of the greatest fighters in boxing history. The “Coal Miner’s Daughter” made her professional debut in 1989 and won her WBC super welterweight title in 2009.
She used to work with Evan Holyfield, the son of Martin Evander, and has now taken part in a few boxing matches. There can only be one Christy Martin and the boxing world is lucky to have someone like her.
Ann Wolfe
Ann Wolfe was a ferocious puncher and the hard-hitting Texan won 16 of her 26 fights by knockout. Brown Sugar held world titles in three different weight classes simultaneously and things certainly weren’t handed to the American. Wolfe and her two daughters were homeless for a period of time, before she took up the sport and she was only defeated once in her boxing career.
Regina Halmich
Regina Halmich, one of the greatest female boxers of all time, played a key role in expanding the sport to women throughout Europe. The famous German boxer was the undisputed champion of the flyweight, super-flyweight and light-flyweight divisions before retiring in 2007. They had faced only one defeat in 56 matches.
Cecelia Braekhus
Cecilia Brackus is a former undisputed welterweight champion and one of the most accomplished female boxers of all time. The Norwegian star was the first woman to hold all four major belts in any weight class, and she defended them 25 times over a span of 11 years. She also won The Ring magazine title in 2017, becoming the first female boxer to do so. She remained undefeated until 2020, when she lost a close decision to Jessica McCaskill in a shocking upset. Cecelia Brackus then lost the rematch in 2022 by another close decision, ending her reign as welterweight queen.
Mia St. John
Mia St. John is a professional boxer and former World Boxing Council champion in the super welterweight division. She is also the lightweight champion of IBA and IFBA. She doubles up as a Taekwondo champion as well as a model and businesswoman. He fought a total of 65 times, winning 49 of them (including 19 by knockout), losing 14 and drawing twice.
Holly Holm
Holm is another famous female boxer with a lot of achievements in the sport. Her name alone quakes fear in the hearts of opponents. Holm held the Light Welterweight, Welterweight, as well as Light Middleweight titles in her career and successfully defended the titles in 18 different fights.
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. The 39-year-old also represented India at the Tokyo Olympics but couldn’t progress to the medal round.
At first, she was into athletics but then shifted to boxing after seeing fellow Manipurian Dingko Singh win a medal at the 1998 Asian Games. Since then there was no looking back winning the state boxing championships in 2000.
