The Greatest British Boxers Ever

Traveling from London to Liverpool gave me the opportunity to write about the five greatest British fighters of all time.  While the sport of boxing may have appeared in relief drawings in the 3rd millennium BC, and Homer (not Simpson) wrote about boxing in the oft-required reading "Iliad," give the British credit for putting some rules around the sport of punching people in the face.

Mayweather slaps and pulls hair
to avoid fighting Pacquiao

Since writing those rules, there have been some dazzling fighters who have not only entertained us with their ring presence but often with a shade of white rarely seen in a country with sunlight. 

Here are my top five (6) British fighters of all time (since I've been alive):

5b. Nigel Benn 48-5-1 (35 KO) Super Middleweight
With a ring name like "The Dark Destroyer," you had to be "not-white" and destroy things which was what Benn did well.  Early in his career, one Chris Eubank, spanked him into delerium but later, he got his much needed revenge with a draw, which for US soccer fans equals a win.  Benn held the WBC title for nearly five years and was a constant fixture in the world rankings.  I promptly thanked him for turning Iran Barkley into drooling, one round mess in 1990 and thank him to this day. 

5a. Chris Eubank 45-5 (23 KO) Super Middleweight
Eubank was a tough, slick fighter that went undefeated for ten years but what stands out in my mind is the receeding hair line that was just freaky.  For many, it had to feel like you were watching your grandfather take on the neighborhood bully.  Regardless he went about his business with a smile and a coke...wait, wrong guy.  Speaking with everyone in the UK, you'll know that he was not only a gentleman but a tough, powerful boxer.  Fortunately for all, he has completely shaved his head.

4. 'Prince' Naseem Hamed 36-1 (31 KO) Featherweight
Throughout the 90s, I tuned in to each of his fights in hopes of watching someone turn this clown into a pez dispenser.  Unfortunately, I would have to wait until 2001 when national hero, Marco Antonio Barrera came to our rescue.  He not only beat Hamed but put him in a full nelson half way through the fight and slammed his face into the corner buckle.  After that All-American (Mexican) whoopin, Hamed was never the same and retired shortly thereafter.  I soon found myself missing the little guy's antics though and hounded him to return.  Regardless of my sheer disgust with Hamed, there's no doubting he was great.  With a KO ratio similar to Mike Tyson and walking around at 5'4" and 126 lbs, that kid had power.  I don't believe he's related to Pippa.

3. Ricky Hatton 45-2 (32 KO) Jr. Welterweight (Welterweight)
With an entire nation of red shirted soccer loving nuts hanging by every massive punch of this little guy, it was hard not to become an instant fan. Like his hometown team, powerhouse Manchester United, Hatton tore through boxing greats like an American roller through Robert Green's dainty hands.  Spending the extra $20 each month for Showtime was worth it to watch this kid fight.  After rolling through the division and watching world champions like Kostya Tszyu crumble under his power, Hatton finally got his shot with the all too familiar Floyd "The Barber" Mayweather.  I prayed long and hard but Hatton was no match for the future felon.  Two fights later and Hatton was yet another dot in the way of Pacman.  With two horrific rounds, Hatton was retired.  He's probably one of my favorite fighters ever due mostly in part by his willingness to fight.

Rooney/Hatton

2. Lennox Lewis HWT - 41-2-1 (32 KO) Heavyweight
For the greater part of his career, most in the United States struggled to figure out Lennox Claudius Lewis' country of origin.  He was born in London, England, represented Canada in the Olympics and had Jamaican parents.  Claudius is a name of Roman origin and Lennox is an air conditioning manufacturer in the United States.  If the naming convention weren't tough enough, two of the greatest heavyweights of the "post greatest heavyweight" era, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, ran away from Lewis faster than Banksy after painting a girl with a rose on Prince Charles' house.

As Tyson and Holyfield aged, Lennox finally caught up fighting two horribly boring fights with Evander Holyfield and one not surprising destruction bout with Hangover star, Mike Tyson.  Regardless, I rank Lewis as one of the greatest 50 heavyweights of all time and the 2nd best British boxer ever for one simple reason.  After getting his jaw line rotated against Americans McCall and Rahman, Lewis came back and destroyed his conquerors.  He made McCall cry and Rahman sleep.

Good thing it's connected

1. Joe Calzaghe - 46-0 (32 KO) Middleweight
I followed Joe for years and was always amazed by his speed.  As he progressed, however, his power was called into question. He closed out his final seven fights with only 1 knockout which bothered knock out hungry American fans.

For the greater part of his career, he was ducked by the top fighters in the world (USA) such as Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins.  After taking apart Olympian Jeff Lacy and beating apple Danish boxer Mikkel Kessler, he finally got his wish.  After two years of boring talk, he finally stepped into the ring with Bernard Hopkins and if life wasn't boring enough watching a Hopkins fight, Calzaghe made it the opposite of better He won a split decision but it was a stinker, caused mostly by Bernard's "put you to sleep" style. 

Ending his career on a high note, Calzaghe, whose names sounds more like Kawasaki, destroyed a broken Roy Jones Jr.  Unlike his predecessors, Calzaghe is still the only undefeated British world champion which is why he's my all time best British boxer in the world, ever.

Kawasaki #1