In the last few years, British boxers have completely dominated the heavyweight scene, resulting in a new, successful era for British boxing.
Two of the best heavyweights in recent times, Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte, will battle it out at Wembley Stadium on the April 23, in an event that is sure to whet the appetite of boxing fans around the globe.
With the press conference happening in the same location today, we thought why not look at the best 10 British heavyweights of the modern era, with help from The Sportsman.
10. Dillian Whyte – What an introduction to the list. He has only ever lost two fights, and considering one was against an in-form Anthony Joshua in 2015, it’s not too shabby. He proved that he could come back from defeat and has won 12/13 fights since. Fury will have a fight on his hands.
9. Henry Akinwande – The man from Dulwich defended the WBO title twice. Having never been beaten for his title, he vacated it to fight Lennox Lewis for the WBC title, which he lost in strange circumstances, having been disqualified for excessive holding.
8. Herbie Hide - A two-time WBO title holder, that is something that cannot be taken away from him. People will say that he held the belt at one if its less prestigious points, but it was still a massive achievement nonetheless. He lost one of his belts to Vitali Klitschko, which is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
7. Henry Cooper - The man from Lambeth is best known for his 1963 fight with a baby-faced Cassius Clay, and despite losing, he managed to knock the ‘future Ali’ down at one point. Not many can say they were unbeaten for 12 whole years either.
6. Joe Bugner – A man of international substance, the Hungarian born British-Australian took both Ali and Frazier to the limit, and beat the likes of Brian London, something that probably isn’t talked about enough.
5. Frank Bruno – One of our favourites and someone who probably transcended our love of the sport, Bruno is one of the most recognisable names and faces in the boxing world. After three failed attempts, he finally won the WBC title from Oliver McCall in one of British boxing’s greatest nights.
4. David Haye – His career may have ended after two straights losses to Tony Bellow, but the ‘Hayemaker’ will always be regarded as one of the greats, famously beating Derek Chisora at the old Upton Park in 2012.
David Haye and Joe Fournier will fight in September
3. Anthony Joshua – Ranked third in the world despite losing two of the last four fights, AJ will be looking to prove his place on the list once more. He has already proved that he can come back from a fall after his rematch victory over Andy Ruiz Jr after the latter’s shock victory in 2018.
2. Tyson Fury – Another active boxer who has already cemented his legacy, the ‘Gypsy King’ will be looking to extend this when facing Whyte in April, already saying he will have a social media ‘break’ to train and give his opponent the respect he deserves. Whyte will provide stern opposition, but Fury will still be expected to come out on top.
1. Lennox Lewis – Is this even a surprise? The best boxer that Britain has ever produced. His fights against Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are legendary, the only question is – will he be overtaken in this list? You never know what the future holds.