Boxing has always been a male dominated sport but recently it has seen a rise in many young female boxers. Boxing has seen some top female stars give it their all in the ring. From multiple-time champions, record breakers, and history makers, women’s boxing has had its fair share of dominant athletes.
In addition, they have been catching up to the realm of men’s boxing level.
So today we will discuss some of the best female boxers of all time.
10 .Holly Holm
Popularly known as “The Preacher’s Daughter” is the only fighter to hold a world-boxing and a UFC title, as she started her boxing career before her MMA one.
Holly Holm is a former Bantamweight Champion. She has been the World Champion multiple times in boxing and has also defended her title 19 times.
The female boxer, Holm made her boxing debut in 2002 and won the IBA light-welterweight title, as well as the WBA, WIBA, IFBA, IBA, GBU welterweight titles. With nine wins via knockout.
In his career Holm has beat the likes of Anne Sophie Mathis, Diana Prazak, Christy Martin, Mia St. John, and Mary Jo Sanders. While MMA ended up being her current home, boxing holds a special place in Holm’s heart.
She is ranked by BoxRec as the second best female professional boxer of all time.
Undoubtedly, it can be said that Holly Holm is one of the greatest female boxers of all time
9 .Lucia Rijker
Lucia Rijker started boxing in an era where it was frowned upon for women to even put on boxing gloves. She was fighting against not only his opponent but also fighting against the society.
Rijker still managed to beat every female she fought and take on the ridicule that came with being a woman at that time and wanting to fight.
She was known as ‘The most dangerous woman’ during her prime years in the ring, Rikjer was a kickboxing Champion before competing in boxing, where she became the WIBF light-welterweight world champion.
Rijker ultimately retired after an unbroken record of 17-0 including knockouts.
Sadly, the boxing fans couldn’t see her fighting against Christy Martin.
Lucia Rijker is one of the first three women to ever be inducted into the Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
Apart from Boxing, Rijker has also done a couple of movies like, “Million Dollar Baby” and “Shadowboxers”. In addition, Rijker remains dedicated inspiring and encouraging other female fighters through her ongoing motivational lectures and seminars.
Lucia Rijker was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020.
Lucia Rijker is undoubtedly one of the best female boxers in the Boxing History.
8 .Ann Wolfe
Ann Wolfe is an American retired boxer, trainer and actress. Wolfe held world titles in three different weight classes simultaneously and is regarded as one of the greatest female boxers of all time.
Ann Wolfe made her professional boxing debut against Branda Lee, beating her in a four round match.
Wolfe has trained numerous amateur and professional boxers, including James Kirkland, a light-middleweight, and Jennifer Fenn, her eldest child.
She is a member of the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
Apart from professional boxing, Ann has done a supporting Role of the Amazon Artemis in 2017, movie “Wonder Woman”.
7 .Christy Martin
Christy Martin is one of the most important figures in women’s boxing history, Christy Martin’s longevity and tough nature has cemented her status as one of the top fighters in boxing history. Martin is said to be one of the best female boxers in United States.
“The Coal Miner’s Daughter”, Martin began her fighting career with winning three consecutive titles in “Toughwoman” contest. Martin started her professional boxing career with a six-round draw against Angela Buchanan in 1989. Later, Christy went on to winning 19 consecutive matches.
She then began training with boxing coach Jim Martin in 1991.
Christy became the first woman to sign with Don King, and debuted in Las Vegas, NV in 1994. Two years later she rose to fame as the lightweight women’s champion of the world, earning her a place on the Sports Illustrated cover.
She also recieved an immediate pay increase from $15,000 to $150,000 per fight, guaranteeing her place in history as one of the best female boxers ever.
Cristy Martin won the WBC super-welterweight title in 2009.
The first female boxer to be inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 201, Martin was also inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 2021, Netflix released a documentary Untold: Deal with the Devil, on Martin’s chronicling career and personal life.
So, it can easily be said that Christy Martin was one of the best female boxers of all time.
6 .Laila Ali
Next on the list is the daughter of Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali. She made her pro debut back in 1999, Ali became the first woman to headline a pay-per-view event against Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, in 2001.
Ali is a former IBA, and IWBF, WBC, and WIBA super-middleweight champion, as well as an IWBF light-heavyweight champion.
She retired from the ring in 2007 and is considered by many to be the greatest female boxer of all time.
After retirement, Laila Ali became an accomplished television personality and co-authored an autobiography Reach!: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power.
She was inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.
5 .Regina Halmich
Regina Halmich is a German boxer. She is amongst the most successful female boxers of all time and has helped popularise female boxing in all over Europe.
Halmich won the IBF flyweight title in 1995 and defended it a total of 29 times. She also won the IBF super-flyweight title and the IBF light-flyweight title.
She ended her Professional Career in 2007, Regina stood with 54 wins, including 16 via Knockouts, she faced a single loss and a single draw as well.
Outside of fighting, Halmich pursued modeling and owned her own cosmetics business.
Regina Halmich is considered as one of the best female fighters of her generation.
4 .Cecelia Braekhus
Cecilia Braekhus is one of only ten boxers in the history of the sport to hold all four major titles at the same time. After collecting more gold, she would end up defending her titles 25 times. The Norwegian would beat the likes of Jessica Balogun, Mia St. John, Ivana Habazin, Erica Farias, and Kali Reis.
Braekhus was finally defeated in 2019 against Jessica McCaskill, and then again in a rematch in 2021. As a dominant champion of her time, Braekhus was an unearthly fighter.
Cecelia Braekhus was one of the best female boxers of her generation.
3 .Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor is an Irish professional boxer and former footballer. She is a two-weight world champion and the current undisputed lightweight champion.
She is well-renowned for her brisk and combative boxing style.
The female fighter, Taylor has held the WBA title since 2017, the IBF title since 2018, and the WBC, WBO, and The Ring magazine titles since 2019, as well as having held the WBO junior-welterweight title in 2019.
Following her victory over Delfine Persoon in 2019, Katie Taylor became one of only eight boxers in history (male or female) to hold all four major world titles in boxing—WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO—simultaneously.
In addition, Taylor has also won five consecutive gold medals in the Women’s World Championships, six time at the European Championships, and five times at the European Union Championships.
According to BoxRec, Katie Taylor is the best pound-for-pound in the world in the lightweight division.
2 .Amanda Serrano
One of the most decorated boxers of all-time, male or female, Amanda Serrano. She is is a seven-weight world champion.
Serrano made her boxing ring debut in 2009, since then Serrano has moved up and down weight classes achieving great success. She is currently on a 28-fight win streak, her last loss being in 2012 against Frida Wallberg.
Since then, Amanda Serrano has beaten the likes of Eva Voraberger, Yazmin Rivas, Heather Hardy, Daniela Romina Bermudez, and Fatuma Zarika.
As of March 2021, she is ranked as the world’s best active female featherweight by The Ring and BoxRec, and the third best active female, pound for pound, by ESPN and third by The Ring.
Amanda Serrano is one of the best female boxers of all time.
1 .Claressa Shields
Claressa Maria Shields is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist. She has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the undisputed female light middleweight title since March 2021, the undisputed female middleweight title from 2019 to 2020, and the unified WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles from 2017 to 2018.
Claressa Shields is the only boxer, male or female, to hold all four major world titles simultaneously in two weight classes.
In addition, Claressa Shields has also won two gold medals, in a three weight class (World Champion) and is undisputed in two weight class.
As of October 2022, she is ranked as the world’s best active female middleweight by BoxRec, as well as the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by ESPN and The Ring.
Undoubtedly, it can be said that Claressa Shields is one of the best female boxers in the History.
Also check out the list of the best Women Bodybuilders.
