The Top 10 British Boxers Pound-for-Pound as of September 2014
After a two-and-a-half month period in which three British boxers became world champions for the first time—Paul Butler, Kell Brook and Carl Frampton—there is now a relative lull in proceedings, as befitting the historical end of the boxing season.
That makes it a good opportunity to access the strength of British boxing and the current top 10 fighters as measured on the mythical pound-for-pound calculus.
None of the top 10 have a meaningful fight scheduled until November 29, so barring an unexpected defeat, this list should truly hold for some time.
For fighters outside the top 10, we will soon see Paul Smith in an undeserved title shot versus Arthur Abraham in Germany, while Stuart Hall faces Randy Caballero in Monaco to again contest the vacant IBF bantamweight title—the very belt he lost to Butler in June. Both Brits are expected to lose.
Butler has returned to his natural weight class of super flyweight where he has a world-title shot lined up next month against a good operator in Zolani Tete. He has home advantage in Liverpool against the South African, but a win would still be slightly surprising against the much more experienced belt-holder.
Two British fighters with "world-titles" do not make the list, both WBA "regular" champions—Jamie McDonnell and Scott Quigg in the bantamweight and super-bantamweight classes—the true WBA champions being Anselmo Moreno and Guillermo Rigondeaux, respectively.
Quigg only just misses out on the top 10, having looked impressive in three straight stoppage wins within three rounds, but his standard of opposition has been lacking, and a recent draw with nondescript Cuban fighter Yoandris Salinas is a serious asterisk.
Nathan Cleverly would have made the list as a light heavyweight, but time will tell if making the big weight jump to cruiserweight was a wise decision. A convincing win for either Cleverly or rival Tony Bellew in their anticipated November showdown would have them challenging the back end of the top 10.
David Haye will be 34 before he fights again—if he fights again—and could return to the peak of the heavyweight division, provided his speed and explosiveness remain.
Among fighters closing in on the world-title level, middleweight Billy Joe Saunders and featherweight Lee Selby are the ones to watch in the coming year.
But, for now, here are the top 10 British fighters, pound-for-pound.
10. Dereck Chisora
1 of 10
Weight: Heavyweight
Age: 30
Record: 20-4
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: eighth
Dereck Chisora is the only fighter on the list to have suffered four defeats, but they have come at the very highest level against Vitali Klitschko and David Haye, and he probably deserved the decision over local favourite Robert Helenius in Finland three years ago.
The worst loss was his first against Tyson Fury in July 2011, but he gets the chance to avenge it on November 29 in London. For the original encounter he came in at 261 pounds, nearly two stone over his ideal fighting weight, having more recently come in around the 235-pound mark, so there is plenty of room for improvement.
In his best performances against Helenius and Vitali, Chisora showed a relentless work rate and iron-punch resistance which enabled him to work past their jabs and onto the inside to rough up fighters not used to fighting at close range.
That made his Round 5 KO loss to Haye all the more worrying for his future because it seemed to suggest his ability to stand up to a big shot, which had been so critical to his success, was on the wane.
Since Haye, promoter Frank Warren has skilfully rebuilt Chisora's career with five wins, the highlight being the way he broke the spirit of American slickster Malik Scott inside six rounds.
There have, however, been worrying signs when Edmund Gerber and Ondrej Pala shook Chisora with heavy shots. Arguably nearly every heavyweight has serious power when they detonate, but Chisora does look less sturdy now than the young bull who walked through everything Vitali Klitschko had to offer.
At 30, Chisora is not old for a heavyweight, but he has had some brutal nights. The Fury rematch will show how much he has left, but for now he deserves inclusion here based on his proven ability at the top end of the heavyweight division.
9. Martin Murray
2 of 10
Weight: Middleweight
Age: 31
Record: 28-1-1
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: seventh
Like Chisora, Murray has shown his best form in fights he did not win—he drew with then-WBA champion Felix Sturm in 2011 before losing a close decision to WBC champion and consensus division kingpin Sergio Martinez last year.
The flipside is that Murray has no truly impressive wins on his ledger, with his recent comfortable decision win over the workmanlike Ukrainian fighter Max Bursak his biggest scalp.
Murray is a fighter who seems to fight to the level of his opposition, and he rarely puts on a good show against weaker competition, as proved by his lacklustre KO ratio of 12 from 28 wins.
While Murray supporters still claim he did enough to beat Sturm and Martinez, neither decision was particularly unjust, and the St. Helens man certainly did not decisively assert his case, even if he did demonstrate he can mix at world-title level.
However, given that Sturm has since lost to Daniel Geale and Sam Soliman, hardly a murderers' row, and Martinez looked finished in his very next fight against Miguel Cotto, Murray's signature nights are beginning to lose some of their polish.
He would stand little chance against the division's coming man, Gennady Golovkin, so his best hope is a third title shot against IBF belt-holder Soliman or the next WBO champion, which will be either Matt Korobov or Demetrius Andrade.
Given his past visa problems, those fights might prove difficult to make, not least because Murray is backed by the South African promotional outfit Golden Gloves, which lacks proven influence on the international stage.
For now, Murray can still ride high based on his good performances in world-title fights, but he needs to beat a top-15 fighter soon to remain in contention—his coming fight with Domenico Spada is a waste of time and will do little to advance his career.
8. James DeGale
3 of 10
Weight: Super Middleweight
Age: 28
Record: 19-1
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: seventh
Since he won Olympic gold back in 2008, great things have been expected of James DeGale.
When he won the British title by dismantling Paul Smith in only his second year as a professional and his ninth fight, it looked like he would be able to replicate his amateur success in smart fashion.
Nearly four years have passed since then, a strange limbo for the boxer, and despite adding the European title to his collection, DeGale is yet to challenge for a world title.
His big setback came in 2011 when George Groves edged a razor-thin decision over 12 rounds to register the Harlesden man's only defeat.
That put Groves ahead of DeGale in the queue, and it was a chastening experience for the Olympian to find himself on the undercard of Groves' rematch with Carl Froch at Wembley Stadium.
But that night, in his first match as an Eddie Hearn fighter and now injury-free, DeGale produced his best performance to date, flattening unbeaten American talent Brandon Gonzales inside of four rounds.
DeGale now finds himself atop the rankings to face Froch, and that fight is looking quite likely to happen, probably next year at the Nottingham man's preferred stadium—the City Ground.
There are still questions about the 28-year-old's work rate when fights go long, and his punch technique can be sloppy at times, but he looked like a genuinely revitalised fighter against Gonzales. If he continues to rise to the occasion in such destructive fashion, he has the talent to claim global honours.
DeGale is ranked higher than Murray and Chisora based more on potential than achievement. Given his superior hand speed and overall boxing ability, he would already be the favourite against those two men in a pound-for-pound match-up.
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7. George Groves
4 of 10
Weight: Super Middleweight
Age: 26
Record: 19-2
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: 10th
George Groves is only 10th on BoxRec, below DeGale, but that is because their computerised rankings make no allowance for refereeing mistakes.
It was Groves' first encounter with Froch which made his name as he sensationally floored the established champion in Round 1 before dominating the early rounds, unloading a particularly impressive barrage in the Round 6.
Notoriously, the first time Groves was in any real trouble was in Round 9, referee Howard Foster jumped in prematurely to deny Groves the chance of a famous victory—and thus made a rematch inevitable.
Groves entered the second fight with confidence, but a cagier Froch weathered his attacks much better in a tight contest before finding a devastating one-punch KO punch in Round 8.
The Londoner has now signed with German-based promotional outfit Sauerland and contests the European title in a comeback fight at Wembley Arena this Saturday—he should beat the belt-holder Christopher Rebrasse fairly comfortably.
Groves has proven he has good speed and the power to hurt anyone at the weight, but the main doubts are those shown up by Froch—his tendency to fade in the later rounds and his punch resistance.
The most logical fights for Sauerland to make would be Groves against either of the marquee super middleweights, the returning former champion Mikkel Kessler or current WBO belt-holder Arthur Abraham.
You could place Groves higher based on his impressive displays against Froch, particularly the first fight, but it remains to be seen how he will bounce back from a shattering defeat, and he now needs to beat a top-10 fighter to crystallise the potential he showed in those losing displays.
6. Ola Afolabi
5 of 10
Weight: Cruiserweight
Age: 34
Record: 21-3-4
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: sixth
Ola Afolabi is undoubtedly the forgotten man of British boxing, although that's hardly surprising given that he has only fought once on home turf.
That was his career-best win back in 2009 when he shrugged up some hefty blows from Enzo Maccarinelli before landing one of the most memorable one-punch KOs of recent years in Round 9.
Given that came at the sold-out Manchester Arena as the chief support to Amir Khan versus Marco Antonio Barrera, you would think the positive exposure might make a British promoter take a chance on the titanium-chinned and always game London-born slugger.
No such offer was forthcoming, but Afolabi was rewarded with a shot at WBO champion Marco Huck. Although he lost a close decision, he impressed German audiences enough to be granted a rematch two-and-a-half years later in 2012.
That time Afolabi was yet more convincing and was perhaps unlucky not to nick the decision—the fight was scored as a draw which was an outcome within a fair margin of error. The 12th round in particular was a humdinger with both men exhausted but still throwing bombs all the way to the bell.
By the time of the third match last year, it seemed that the previous encounter had taken something out of the pair, and Huck prevailed on a close, but clea, 12-round decision.
At 34, Afolabi may be somewhat faded, but given that in the past 10 years he has only lost to Huck, arguably the best in the division, it would be unfair to write him off.
Promoters K2 have manoeuvred Afolabi into position for a shot at Cuban IBF champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez which should happen before the end of the year. Hernandez looked vulnerable last time out against Firat Arslan, so Ola has a real chance in his fourth title challenge.
If he wins then a clash with the winner of Nathan Cleverly versus Tony Bellew could be a big fight for 2015—and thus Ola might even appear on British soil for the second time.
5. Tyson Fury
6 of 10
Weight: Heavyweight
Age: 26
Record: 22-0
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: third
Tyson Fury is the highest-ranked fighter here never to have won a world title, and, indeed, he is yet to contest one.
The Manchester man has endured a frustrating 18 months in which he has twice been signed to fight Haye, and then Chisora, only for all three dates to fall through due to injuries to his prospective opponents.
If Fury, as generally expected, beats Chisora a second time on November 29, then he will establish himself as the No. 1 contender to the winner of the Wladimir Klitschko-Kubrat Pulev multi-title showdown.
In some quarters, Fury will always be the chubby giant who uppercut himself in the face, a YouTube classic which his critics love to replay.
Having turned pro at only 20, with a limited amateur career, it is hardly surprising that Fury had to learn on the job, but despite his brash antics outside of the ring, he is no joke these days.
Indeed, there isn't a heavyweight in the world to whom Fury would not pose serious problems, and that includes the longtime champion Klitschko.
Admittedly, Fury has been dropped by Steve Cunningham and Neven Pajkic, hardly feared punchers, but he was never close to being knocked out, and his resilience and fighting spirit are from the top drawer.
Combining a mammoth 6′8″ frame with surprisingly quick hands, good stamina and even the ability to switch-hit, the 26-year-old is the most athletic man of his size ever seen in a ring, taking into account that he is bigger than the agile Wladimir. That distinction makes him a genuine pound-for-pound talent.
After six stoppage wins out of his last seven (with only the negative Kevin Johnson going the distance, as he did against Vitali Klitschko), Fury seems to be developing into his enormous frame, and at 26, he is still very young for a heavyweight, comfortably the youngest inside the division's top 10.
An unpredictable character in and out of the ring, there is no guarantee that Fury will fulfil his potential, but when he is properly focused and prepared, he is truly a force with which to be reckoned.
4. Amir Khan
7 of 10
Weight: Welterweight
Age: 27
Record: 29-3
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: 11th
After Khan unified the WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles in July 2011, there was a strong case to put him as Britain's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter—Haye had recently lost to Wladimir Klitschko in a disappointing performance and Froch, having dropped a decision to Mikkel Kessler, was correctly expected to lose to Andre Ward.
That remains the peak of Khan's career. He next came on the wrong side of a split decision to Lamont Peterson in December of that year after being deducted two points by the relatively inexperienced referee Joseph Cooper.
A rematch was called off when Peterson failed a drug test, which created doubts as to the legitimacy of his original win—consequently the WBA would return its title to Khan but not the IBF.
If the Peterson loss could be excused, his next defeat couldn't, as it came in decisive fashion to Danny Garcia who decked Khan hard in Round 3 before finishing the job in the next session.
That rekindled memories of Khan's earlier KO loss to Breidis Prescott, a black mark on his record he had worked hard to leave behind.
When Khan was dropped by the light-hitting Julio Diaz in his second comeback fight after Garcia, you could seriously wonder if his top-level career was nearing its end, even at such a young age.
But last time out in his first fight at welterweight, Khan controlled former world champion Luis Collazo from the opening to the closing bell, sending him to the canvas three times along the way.
Particularly impressive was his ability to outbox Collazo at range with his blistering hand speed, before tying him up effectively when he tried to work inside. Khan looked sturdier and stronger at the weight, as he did originally at light welterweight having moved up after the Prescott loss.
There will always be questions about Khan's punch resistance, but as a former unified world champion coming off a solid win, there is no way you can put him lower than fourth in the British rankings.
3. Kell Brook
8 of 10
Weight: Welterweight
Age: 28
Record: 33-0
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: fourth
Current IBF World Champion
Kell Brook is not a new entry to this list, but he is certainly the highest climber after upsetting the odds to unseat unbeaten American IBF champion Shawn Porter last month in California.
Triumph then turned to disaster in double-quick fashion when Brook was stabbed while on a celebratory holiday in Tenerife.
Now at a time when Brook should be soaking up the acclaim for his win and arranging big-money defences, he is instead contemplating months of slow rehabilitation on his gruesome injury.
The Sheffield man is not blessed with good fortune as his career previously stalled last year when a world-title date with Devon Alexander was cancelled three times. Even more incredibly, he was previously stabbed, rather less severely, back in 2007.
After years of knocking on the door, Brook finally received his shot in August and got his tactics just right, winning rounds with his crisp jab and one-two punch, while tying up the squat Porter when he rushed forward.
Brook is in the toughest division in boxing where his ranking of fourth or fifth, depending on who you ask, is very respectable, given that arguably boxing's two best fighters pound-for-pound—Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao—reside at the weight.
A showdown between Brook and Khan is the biggest all-British fight that could be made right now and may see Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Sport return to Wembley Stadium next summer, providing The Special One recovers on schedule from his grief in Tenerife.
Although Khan has fought for much longer at world level, Brook's decision win over Porter is a better achievement than anything the Bolton man has done in the past couple of years and justifies Brook's placing above his domestic rival.
2. Carl Frampton
9 of 10
Weight: Super Bantamweight
Age: 27
Record: 19-0
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: second
Current IBF World Champion
Britain's newest world champion is Carl Frampton. In a unusual scenario, he had already beaten IBF belt-holder Kiko Martinez before the Spaniard ascended to world-champion status and was able to see him off again in a rematch in Belfast.
Frampton stopped Martinez in nine in their first meeting last February, but the second went the distance, with Frampton taking a comfortable decision.
The outgoing champion was a fighter reborn having won four straight fights by KO, three of them world-title bouts, and yet he still had no answers against the Northern Irish fighter who controlled the action for the vast majority of the fight.
In a division where dominant former two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux from Cuba holds both the WBO and WBA titles, Frampton deserves serious consideration as the second-best fighter—his wins over Martinez being more impressive than anything the WBC belt-holder Leo Santa Cruz has achieved.
The 16,000 passionate fans who packed a specially constructed stadium in Belfast's Titanic Quarter this month mark Frampton as a serious box-office attraction. The money he generates in Northern Ireland could potentially bring the world's best to his back garden, and home advantage can prove decisive in boxing.
At 27, Frampton, a former European champion, should be entering his prime, and with the entertaining Santa Cruz and his British rival, Scott Quigg, as potential showdowns, there are opportunities out there for him to establish himself as his country's best fighter in the near future.
Given that both Frampton and Brook are newly crowned IBF champions, there is very little to pick between them, but the Belfast man takes second place on the basis Martinez is more of a known quantity than Porter, and he won a more convincing decision.
1. Carl Froch
10 of 10
Weight: Super Middleweight
Age: 37
Record: 33-2
BoxRec Divisional Ranking: second
Current IBF World Champion
Froch is the great survivor of British boxing, having bounced back from two defeats in two years to reclaim a portion of the world title and win five fights on the spin.
Like global pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Froch is at an age, 37, when the typical fighter has retired, and yet he showed few signs of slowing down when bombing out his leading domestic rival, George Groves, in May.
Froch may rank second in his division, but like Frampton he is only behind one of the sport's top fighters in unbeaten American champion Andre Ward.
The Nottingham man is the only British fighter to grace both The Ring Magazine and Bleacher Report's world top-10 rankings, at eighth place and 10th place, respectively.
After losing a decision to Ward back in 2011, Froch embarked on his Indian summer by trouncing feared IBF champion Lucien Bute inside of five rounds at the Capital FM Arena.
Last year he avenged his first career loss to Kessler before his dramatic pair of fights with Groves, from which he ultimately emerged the clear victor.
Froch was recently chasing a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., which would have been a potential pay-per-view on both sides of the Atlantic, but with that option seemingly no longer on the table, he is expected to see the year out and return in 2015, most likely against IBF No. 1 contender James DeGale. Given his advanced age, Froch may not have more than one or two big nights left in him.
For now, though, he has earned his status as Britain's premier fighter the hard way, fighting, leading competition for seven years in perhaps the toughest run of fights of any boxer in recent times and winning nearly all of them.
It is a shame that the British public only really caught onto Froch in May when 80,000 people packed out Wembley, but he has long had the respect of the boxing cognoscenti as one of the world's toughest men, a fighter who, win or lose, gives everything he's got.
All fighter records from BoxRec.
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