BoxRec

Before I list the best boxers out of the United Kingdom. ----- Some acknowledgement and respect to the United Kingdom nation and to the British masses. In their being such VERY staunch and loyal Allies to the United States.

The British militaries very stellar service in each and every one of these operations. ------ World War 1, World War 2 (Battles in France, Battle of Britain, radar operators, Britains aerial bomber destroyer force, Battle of the Atlantic, Strategic Bombing Campaign, North African Campaign, Naval War In the Mediterranean, Battles for Sicily, Battles for Italy, Operation Overlord, Battles in Sumatra, Battles in New Guinea, Battles in Borneo, Battles in Malaysia, Battles in Burma, Liberation of France, Battles in Nazi Germany). Battles after World War 2. ----- In Indonesia, Southern Yemen, Falkland Islands, First Gulf War, Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War.


The British are top fighters. Second to none.


The best English boxers.

First tier. ------

Bob Fitzsimmons, Jack "Kid" Berg, Eric Boon, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Peter Kane, Eric Boon, Jock McAvoy, Len Harvey, Peter Kane, Charley White, Nel Tarleton, Jackie Brown, Barbados Joe Walcott, Panama Joe Gans, Randolph Turpin, Freddie Mills and Lennox Lewis.



Second tier. ------

Henry Cooper, Terry Downes, Don Cockell, Tony Sibson, Henry Akinwande, Nigel Benn, Frank Bruno, Lloyd Honeyghan, Barry McGuigan, Naseem Hamed and Ricky Hatton.



Third tier. -----

Carl Froch, Chris Eubank, Amir Khan, Tyson Fury, PJ Gallagher, Dave Boy Green and David Haye.

Top boxers out of the United Kingdoms Wales. -----

Jimmy Wilde, Jim Driscoll, Freddie Welsh, Tommy Farr, Howard Winstone and Joe Calzaghe.



Top boxers out of the United Kingdoms Scotland. ------

Benny Lynch, Ken Buchanon, Jackie Patterson and Murray Sutherland.



Top boxers out of the United Kingdoms 6 counties of Northern Ireland. -----

Rinty Monaghan.

I really fail to see why cooper is ranked so high he had a good career but he wasn't something special, at the very least Froch and Haye are better have achieved more than him.

And I'd like to thank the United States for eventually getting involved in the fight against the Axis, even if it was only because you got bombed....

Decent list NYDominican, worthy of debate. First thing I'd do is add Conteh and delete Akinwande, Fury and, er PJ Gallagher. If you have Boy Green then you have to have John Stracey. And Dennis Andries had a pretty good career, though he owes a lot to moving to Detroit.

As for the Scots I think you can remove Murray Sutherland and add Jim Watt. I take it the Irish list is unfinished?

Top tier British boxers - Jimmy Wilde, Benny Lynch, Bob Fitzsimmons, Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe, Ted Kid Lewis, Jack Berg, Freddie Welsh, Jim Driscoll, Owen Moran, Ken Buchanan

Next tier - Naseem Hamed, John Conteh, Jock McAvoy, Len Harvey, David Haye, Carl Froch, Nigel Benn, Herol Graham, Barry McGuigan, Lloyd Honeyghan, Chris Eubank, Randolph Turpin, Ricky Hatton, Ernie Roderick

I never get tired of seeing who our friendly cousins try to claim as their own.

klompton wrote:I never get tired of seeing who our friendly cousins try to claim as their own.

now now klompton

Bob Fitzsimmons was born in Cornwall

dr_devious wrote:Bob Fitzsimmons was born in Cornwall

Moved to NZ at 9 started training and fighting there later moved to oz and had his first 28 pro fight. I wouldn't really consider him as a British fighters dont think he ever lived there after he left with his family. Really he is NZs or Ozs greatest fighter.

dr_devious wrote:Bob Fitzsimmons was born in Cornwall

“Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life”

I think the point being made is that Cornishmen don't consider themselves English or British. At the time he was born, they still had their own language, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_nationalism

Some Cornishmen may not 'consider' themselves British - but they are. They have to apply for British passports to travel abroad, for example.
They still have their own language and there are some that would like an independent Cornwall.
So yes, Fitzsimmons was born in an English county and is therefore British by birth.
BTW it is a popular misconception that his middle name was James. Actually (confirmed by his birth certificate) he had no middle name.

My all-time favorite was Dave Charnley. No modern British boxer ever defeated more top quality Americans than did Charnley. High rated invaders from the U.S. that Charnley beat included Johnny Gonsalves, Don Jordon, Joey Lopes, Paul Armstead, Len Matthews, L.C. Morgan, Joe Brown, Kenny Lane, under rated Philadelphian, Jethro Cason.

And Charnley saved the reputation of British boxing when he KO'd J.D. Ellis, after Ellis had destroyed Johnny Cooke, Dave Coventry and Brian Jones when he toured the island back in 1962.

Of course Charley dropped a few to the likes of Carlos Ortiz, Joe Brown and Emile Griffith but they were all-time greats and Dave provided stiff competition for all of them.

SteveO wrote:Some Cornishmen may not 'consider' themselves British - but they are. They have to apply for British passports to travel abroad, for example.
They still have their own language and there are some that would like an independent Cornwall.
So yes, Fitzsimmons was born in an English county and is therefore British by birth.
BTW it is a popular misconception that his middle name was James. Actually (confirmed by his birth certificate) he had no middle name.

No argument from me. I was just clarifying what I thought the other chap was saying.

NYDominican wrote:Before I list the best boxers out of the United Kingdom. ----- Some acknowledgement and respect to the United Kingdom nation and to the British masses. In their being such VERY staunch and loyal Allies to the United States.

The British militaries very stellar service in each and every one of these operations. ------ World War 1, World War 2 (Battles in France, Battle of Britain, radar operators, Britains aerial bomber destroyer force, Battle of the Atlantic, Strategic Bombing Campaign, North African Campaign, Naval War In the Mediterranean, Battles for Sicily, Battles for Italy, Operation Overlord, Battles in Sumatra, Battles in New Guinea, Battles in Borneo, Battles in Malaysia, Battles in Burma, Liberation of France, Battles in Nazi Germany). Battles after World War 2. ----- In Indonesia, Southern Yemen, Falkland Islands, First Gulf War, Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War.


The British are top fighters. Second to none.


The best English boxers.

First tier. ------

Bob Fitzsimmons, Jack "Kid" Berg, Eric Boon, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Peter Kane, Eric Boon, Jock McAvoy, Len Harvey, Peter Kane, Charley White, Nel Tarleton, Jackie Brown, Barbados Joe Walcott, Panama Joe Gans, Randolph Turpin, Freddie Mills and Lennox Lewis.



Second tier. ------

Henry Cooper, Terry Downes, Don Cockell, Tony Sibson, Henry Akinwande, Nigel Benn, Frank Bruno, Lloyd Honeyghan, Barry McGuigan, Naseem Hamed and Ricky Hatton.



Third tier. -----

Carl Froch, Chris Eubank, Amir Khan, Tyson Fury, PJ Gallagher, Dave Boy Green and David Haye.

Some worthy names in your lists, though I'm not sure how Barbados Joe Walcott and Panama Joe Gans can be classed as English boxers.

Some pre-1920s British fighters who deserve inclusion: Owen Moran, Digger Stanley, Joe Bowker, Matt Wells, Ben Jordan, Pedlar Palmer.

Some 20s and 30s guys who deserve inclusion: Danny Frush, Bermondsey Billy Wells, Teddy Baldock, Dave Crowley, Seaman Tommy Watson, Dick Corbett, Johnny King, Ernie Roderick.

SamWise72 wrote:

SteveO wrote:Some Cornishmen may not 'consider' themselves British - but they are. They have to apply for British passports to travel abroad, for example.
They still have their own language and there are some that would like an independent Cornwall.
So yes, Fitzsimmons was born in an English county and is therefore British by birth.
BTW it is a popular misconception that his middle name was James. Actually (confirmed by his birth certificate) he had no middle name.

No argument from me. I was just clarifying what I thought the other chap was saying.

At the risk of being pedantic, some Cornish people still might think they're not English, but I don't think there is anyone thinking that they're not British.

Their language is pretty much just a corrupt version of Welsh, by the way.

the great Jimmy McLarnin was Irish. Born in Ireland. But is Ireland part of the United Kingdom? I think not.

elmersalsa wrote:the great Jimmy McLarnin was Irish. Born in Ireland. But is Ireland part of the United Kingdom? I think not.

Complicated one b/c he was actually born in Northern Ireland which remained part of the United Kingdom after the rest of Ireland gained independence. But I get the impression he was a Catholic Ulsterman so would have considered himself Irish.

On the question of people like Fitzsimmons, Lewis and McLarnin if they have to be catagorised I prefer to go on where they learned to box, Fitzsimmons (NZ), Lewis (CA) and McLarnin (CA). At least that way they are credited to the country that shaped them as a boxer.

Although the fighters themselves often view themselves as something different. If you asked Fitzsimmons what he was he'd say a Cornishman before anything else.

Bit of trivia to stir things up: Fitzsimmons actually became an American citizen in 1893 - 4 years before winning the heavyweight title.

Fitz's nationality is debatable, my point was really he was born in Cornwall and is arguably British, not sure how Barbados Joe Walcott and Panama Joe Gans got on the original list