Boxing is an enthralling sport and also an absolute jaw-dropping one. We all know boxing greats such as Mohammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Mayweather but we forget that there is another gender who represents the same sports and we don’t talk about it. Yes, the female boxers who showed their talent inside the ring and proved to everyone they are no lesser.
The Olympics are edging closer and Boxing is one sport that always remains in limelight. Most of the biggest pro boxers begin theirs through the Olympics. Here are the world’s top 17 best female boxers heading for the greatest platform of sports.
19. Laila Ali
| Laila Ali | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Middleweight Heavyweight |
| Country | United States Of America |
| Titles | WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles IWBF light heavyweight title |
| 24 Fights | 24 Win | 0 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 21 | 0 |
| By Decision | 3 | 0 |
Laila Ali is one of the greatest female boxers to grace the ring as her records speak for her. She retired in 2007 undefeated in the sport and having held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF, and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title.
For those pondering on the surname, then yes she is the daughter of the greatest boxer ever, Mohammad Ali.
18. Mia St. John
| Mia St. John | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Welterweight |
| Country | United States Of America |
| Titles Held | WBC super welterweight champion IBA lightweight champion IFBA lightweight champion |
| 65 Fights | 49 Win | 14 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 19 | 5 |
| By Decision | 30 | 9 |
Mia St. John is known as the ‘Knockout’, Mia comes from the United States Of America and used to fight in the Welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight division. She has won WBC super welterweight title, IBA, and IFBA lightweight champion. Her last bout came in 2016 but still regarded as one of the best female Boxers.
17. Marian Trimiar
Marian “Lady Tiger” Trimiar was born on August 15th, 1953, in the Bronx. She was one of the first female pro boxers to get a boxing license in New York State, which paved the way for countless female boxers after her. She competed in the lightweight division and was active from 1975 to 1985.
What separates Marian from the rest of the fighters on this list is not just her incredible fighting ability in the ring but also out of it. She had to sue New York State Athletic Commission to get her license, which was a lawsuit that lasted years before she finally got it in 1978, which changed boxing forever. When she ended her career, Trimiar went on to become an advocate for female boxers, going on a hunger strike in 1987, to protest unfair wages and working conditions. In 2024 she was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
|
Marian Trimiar |
Details |
|
Division |
Lightweight |
|
Country |
United States |
|
Titles |
Women’s World Lightweight (1979) |
|
15 Fights |
15 Win |
0 Loss |
|
By Knockout |
9 |
0 |
|
By Decision |
6 |
0 |
16. Mary Jo Sanders
Born in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on January 13th, 1974, Mary Jo Sanders is a professional female boxer who is also the daughter of NFL Hall of Famer Charlie Sanders. She won a highly anticipated fight against Holly Holm in 2008, and four months later, they had a rematch that ended in a draw.
Coincidentally, this was also the last professional match that Sanders played in her career. Mary Jo holds the record of 25 wins, out of which 8 came by knockout, with only 1 defeat and 1 draw we have just mentioned. She was a champion multiple times and had a very prosperous career as a fierce fighter in the ring.
|
Mary Jo Sanders |
Details |
|
Division |
Middleweight |
|
Country |
United States |
|
Titles |
WBC Female Light Welterweight (2005) WBC Female Welterweight (2006) WIBA Female Welterweight (2006) WIBA Light Middleweight (2006 – 2007) |
|
27 Fights |
25 Win |
1 Loss |
|
By Knockout |
8 |
0 |
|
By Decision |
17 |
1 |
15. Christy Martin
Christy Martin is an American former professional boxer who was an absolute trailblazer in this sport. She was born on June 12th, 1968, in Mullens, West Virginia, and was one of the toughest fighters the female box has ever seen. She fought in the 1990s and had one of the longest careers in the sport.
Christy fought in numerous iconic fights that were the cornerstones of female boxing and some of the biggest reasons why this sport came on the map and gained such popularity. After decades of fighting in the ring, she had an impressive score of forty-nine wins and just seven losses. Martin also deservingly holds a place in the Nevada and International Halls of Fame.
|
Christy Martin |
Details |
|
Division |
Light Middleweight, Middleweight, Super Middleweight |
|
Country |
United States |
|
Titles |
WBC Female Super Welterweight (2009) WBC – NABF Female Middleweight (2008) IBA Female Super Middleweight (2003) |
|
59 Fights |
49 Win |
7 Loss |
|
By Knockout |
32 |
2 |
|
By Decision |
17 |
5 |
14. Holly Holm
Holly Holm is a woman that is generally very famous for her accomplishments in other fight sports, as she is one of the best female boxers, but also a successful kickboxer and MMA champion who famously defeated Rhonda Rousey for the first time.
With that said, before her successful MMA career, Holly dominated the boxing ring. She competed in the women’s welterweight division and was active in the sport from 2002 until 2013. Throughout her career, Hom won 33 matches and had 2 losses and 3 draws. After her boxing career ended, she transitioned to MMA, where she became UFC bantamweight champion when she knocked out Rhonda Rousey, despite being a heavy underdog in the match.
|
Holly Holm |
Details |
|
Division |
Light Welterweight, Welterweight, Light Middleweight |
|
Country |
United States |
|
Titles |
WBA Female Welterweight (2006 – 2007) WBC Female Welterweight (2007 – 2008) |
|
38 Fights |
33 Win |
2 Loss |
|
By Knockout |
9 |
2 |
|
By Decision |
24 |
0 |
13. Ann Wolfe
Born on January 17th in Austin, Texas, Ann Wolfe had a rich and prosperous career, throughout which she was considered one of the hardest punchers and most fierce fighters in the history of women’s boxing. She was very successful and held world titles in four different weight divisions at the same time.
Her first title was the IFBA Junior Middleweight, where she managed to defeat Vienna Williams by a ten-round decision, and later on, she won the vacant WIBA Light Middleweight title, where she defeated Gina Nicholas by knockout in three. Ann officially retired in 2006 after she knocked out Cassandra Giger.
|
Ann Wolfe |
Details |
|
Division |
Middleweight, Light Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight |
|
Country |
United States |
|
Titles |
WIBA Light Middleweight (2001 – 2002) IFBA Middleweight (2002) WIBA Light Heavyweight (2004) |
|
26 Fights |
24 Win |
1 Loss |
|
By Knockout |
16 |
1 |
|
By Decision |
8 |
0 |
12. Regina Halmich
Regina Halmich is a German professional female boxer born on November 22nd, 1976. She is widely recognized as one of the most successful female boxers of all time and is one of the athletes that had a lot to do with the popularization of the female box in Europe.
Her amateur career was rather successful as she became the German kickboxing champion in 1992 and 1993. Her professional boxing debut was in her hometown of Karlsruhe on March 4th, 1994, and was a successful one as she defeated Fienie Klee from the Netherlands. She officially retired in 2007, and in a farewell fight, Regina defeated Hagar Finer.
|
Regina Halmich |
Details |
|
Division |
Flyweight/Super Flyweight |
|
Country |
Germany |
|
Titles |
WIBF World Super Lightweight (1994 – 1999) WIBF World Flyweight (1995 – 2007) WIBF World Light Flyweight (1999 – 2002/2003) |
|
56 Fights |
54 Win |
1 Loss |
|
By Knockout |
16 |
“font-weight: 400;”>1 |
|
By Decision |
38 |
0 |
11. Lucia Rijker
Lucia Rijker is one of the pioneers of the female box, as she was fighting in an era when this sport had little to no support from the community and fans. She managed to overcome these obstacles and treated the box enthusiasts with an exciting and unique fight style that brought her plenty of fame.
She was a fierce fighter who went undefeated throughout her career, even earning the nickname “The Most Dangerous Woman in the World.” Rijker also had a career as a kickboxer in which she managed to record thirty-six wins. After she retired, Lucia continued as a coach and worked with some great names, such as Ronda Rousey.
|
Lucia Rijker |
Details |
|
Division |
Light welterweight |
|
Country |
Netherlands |
|
Titles |
WIBF Superlightweight (1997) WIBO Junior Welterweight (1998) European WIBF (1997 – 1998) |
|
Fights |
17 Win |
0 Loss |
|
By Knockout |
14 |
0 |
|
By Decision |
3 |
0 |
10. Mariana Juarez
| Mariana Juarez | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Country | Mexico |
| Titles | WBC female flyweight (2011-12) WBC female bantamweight (2017- October 2024) |
| 68 Fights | 54 Win | 10 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 18 | 3 |
| By Decision | 36 | 7 |
Mariana Juarez hails from Mexico, she recently fights in the Bantamweight division. Although her first title was in WBC female flyweight from 2011-12. The 40-year old won the WBC female bantamweight in 2017 but lost to Yulihan Luna in her latest bout in October. She is one of the best female boxers in the world.
9. Yesica Bopp
| Yesica Bopp | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Junior flyweight |
| Country | Argentina |
| Titles | WBA female light-flyweight title (2008- Present) WBO female light-flyweight title (2009 -13) WBO female flyweight title (2014 – vacant) |
| 37 Fights | 36 Win | 1 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 16 | 3 |
| By Decision | 20 | 1 |
Yesica Bopp comes from Argentina and fights in the light flyweight division. She is the Current WBA female light-flyweight champion and Bopp has retained that title since 2008. She has previously won WBO female light-flyweight title and has lost just 1 match in her professional career.
8. Daniela Bermudez
| Daniela Bermudez | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Bantamweight |
| Country | Argentina |
| Titles | WBO female Bantamweight title (2017- Present) IBF female junior featherweight title (2020 – Present) WBO female super flyweight title (2014 – 2017) |
| 35 Fights | 29 Win | 1 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 10 | 0 |
| By Decision | 29 | 3 |
| 3 Draw |
Daniela Bermudez hails from Argentina and fights in the Bantamweight division. She is a 3-time World Champion and at present, she holds 2 championships which are WBO female Bantamweight title and IBF female junior featherweight title. The 31-year old previously held WBO female super flyweight title.
7. Christina Hammer
| Christina Hammer | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Middleweight |
| Country | Germany |
| Titles | WBO female middleweight title (2010- 2019) WBC female middleweight title (2016 – 2018) WBO female super-middleweight title (2013) |
| 27 Fights | 25 Win | 1 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 10 | 0 |
| By Decision | 29 | 3 |
| No Contest (1) |
Christina Hammer was born in Germany and fights in Middleweight Division. She might not be a present champion but she has previously held WBO and WBC female middleweight title and also the WBO female super-middleweight title. The 29-year-old became the youngest boxer in history to win a WBO title. She is considered as one of the best female boxers in modern times.
6. Delfine Persoon
| Delfine Persoon | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Lightweight |
| Country | Belgium |
| Titles | IBF female lightweight title (2012) WBC female lightweight title (2014 – 2019) |
| 47 Fights | 44 Win | 3 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 18 | 1 |
| By Decision | 23 | 2 |
Delfine Persoon hails from Belgium and fights in Lightweight Division. She has held the IBF female lightweight title, and WBC female lightweight title from 2014 till 2019. She has been ranked as the 6th best female boxer in 2024.
5. Cecilia Braekhus
| Cecilia Braekhus | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Welterweight |
| Country | Norway |
| Titles | WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF female welterweight champion (2014 -August 2024) |
| 37 Fights | 36 Win | 1 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 9 | 0 |
| By Decision | 27 | 1 |
Cecilia Braekhus comes from Norway and fights in the Welterweight division. She became the first woman boxer in any weight class to hold all 4 WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF titles simultaneously. She won the undisputed title in 2014 and lost all the titles in her latest fight in August against Jessica McCaskill, also resulting in the only defeat of her career.
4. Jessica Mccaskill
| Jessica Mccaskill | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Featherweight |
| Country | United States |
| Titles | WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF female welterweight champion (August 2024- Present) WBC female super lightweight title (2018- Present) WBA female super lightweight title (2019-Present) |
| 11 Fights | 9 Win | 2 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By Decision | 6 | 2 |
Jessica McCaskill was born in the United States and fights in the lightweight and welterweight division. She defeated Cecilia Braekhus in her latest bout in August to become the undisputed champion. She had played just 11 bouts but also hold the WBC and WBA female super lightweight title. The highly skilled McCaskill roaring to become the best female boxer.
3. Amanda Serrano
| Amanda Serrano | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Featherweight |
| Country | Puerto Rico |
| Titles | WBC interim featherweight title (2019- present) WBO interim featherweight title (2019- present) |
| 41 Fights | 39 Win | 1 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 29 | 0 |
| By Decision | 10 | 1 |
| Draw (1) |
Amanda Serrano hails from Puerto Rico and fights in the featherweight division. She presently holds the WBC and WBO interim featherweight title since 2019. She was awarded the female boxer of the year in 2016 and 2018. She is the first Puerto Rican and female to win world titles in more than four weight classes.
2. Katie Taylor
| Katie Taylor | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Lightweight |
| Country | Ireland |
| Titles | WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF female lightweight champion (2017- Present) WBO junior-welterweight title (2013) |
| 17 Fights | 17 Win | 0 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By Decision | 11 | 0 |
The second best female boxer, Katie Taylor comes from Ireland and she fights in the Lightweight division. She is currently the undisputed lightweight champion, which means she holds WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF female lightweight simultaneously. She previously held the WBO junior welterweight title in 2013.
1. Claressa Shields
| Claressa Shields | Details |
|---|---|
| Division | Middleweight |
| Country | United States Of America |
| Titles | WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF female middleweight champion (2019- Present) WBC and WBO female light middleweight titles (2020- Present) WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles (2017- Present ) |
| 10 Fights | 10 Win | 0 Loss |
|---|---|---|
| By Knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By Decision | 8 | 0 |
Claressa Shields was born in the United States Of America and she fights in the Middleweight division. She is voted as the best female boxer in 2024. The 25-year old is the undisputed female middleweight champion since 2019. Shields also hold the unified WBC and WBO female light middleweight title and the WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles.
History of Female Boxing
Known as the “gentleman’s sport,” boxing has had a long and storied history since its introduction to the Olympic Games in 688 BC. Over the years, women have gradually been introduced into the sport and have become an intricate part of its history.
The first reported case of women boxing in North America is believed to have occurred on an unnamed Native American reservation in Canada in 1876. At that time, female boxers were limited to exhibition bouts and not officially recognized among professional male boxers. It wasn’t until 2012 that female boxing became an official Olympic sport when the Women’s Boxing Championship was introduced at the London Games.
Since then, more and more female athletes have taken up boxing as their sport of choice and continue to strive to become some of the world’s best female boxers today. While many new names are being added to this roster every year, there are still some amazing fighters out there who have been around for a while now that deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication.
From world champions to record holders and successful entrepreneurs these seventeen women remain atop our list of the best female boxers in the world today.
It’s Impact
Female boxing has seen a recent surge in popularity which has impacted the sport in many ways. As more women enter the ring, we are beginning to see greater acceptance of female athletes and recognition for their skills and athleticism.
In just a few short years, female boxing has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. It is now more accessible to both men and women as there is an ever-growing pool of top talent that is competing at an increasingly high level.
Professionally run events such as the Women’s International Boxing Association have made it easier for promoters to market the sport which has led to greater viewership and support among fans. This increased visibility has sparked a renewed interest in female boxers, their stories and their accomplishments – impacting both mainstream media coverage and fan engagement levels across social platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
At its core however, the primary benefit of women’s boxing remains its ability to empower female athletes on a global scale – offering them opportunities otherwise not easily accessed by most people worldwide. As one of few sports that offers these possibilities in full view, female boxing can serve as an inspiration to millions of girls and young women everywhere – proving that there are no limits when it comes to championships or dreams realized.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When did female boxing become an Olympic discipline?
Modern female boxing has deep roots in history and dates back to 1904 in London, where the first exhibition bout was held at the Olympics. However, it was in 2012 when women’s boxing finally became an Olympic sport.
2. Who is considered the G.O.A.T. in female boxing?
Many fans of the sport consider Claressa Shields the greatest of all time in the female box. She is the only boxer in history, male or female, to hold all four major world titles in boxing (WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO) at the same time in two weight classes. Katie Taylor, Amanda Serano, and Lucia Rijker are all in the conversation, but for now, Shields rules supreme.
3. Who was the best female boxer in 2024?
Claressa Shields was voted the best female boxer in 2024. She has been the undisputed female middleweight champion ever since 2019 and holds all four major world titles in the sport.
Conclusion
To conclude, choosing the best female boxers in the world is challenging as there are many contenders who have shown excellence and skill in the sport. The selection for this article was made on the basis of boxing skills, successful tournaments and championships fought, and general appreciation from boxing fans.