Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses to women boxers, and most nations officially banning the sport. Reports of women entering the ring go back to the 18th century.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom.
Colin Raymond Jones is a Welsh former boxer, who became British, Commonwealth and European welterweight champion. Before turning professional, he represented Great Britain at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Colin had a trainer by the name of Gareth Bevan, who was also helped out by his son John Bevan.
The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing. The 5th Earl of Lonsdale introduced the prize on behalf of the National Sporting Club (NSC), intending it to be awarded to British boxing champions. Arthur Frederick Bettinson, manager of the NSC, introduced terms and conditions regarding the holding of the belt, which ensured its lasting prestige. Freddie Welsh earned the first Lonsdale Belt in 1909 after winning the NSC British Lightweight title. Heavyweight Henry Cooper was the first and only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts. In 1929 the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) assumed responsibility for awarding the belt, which continues to be bestowed on British champions.
Natasha Jonas is a British professional boxer is a two weight world champion who has held the unified WBC, and WBO female light-middleweight titles since 2022. As an amateur, she won a bronze medal in the light-welterweight division at the 2011 European Championships; bronze in the lightweight division at the 2012 AIBA World Championships; and silver in the light-welterweight division at the 2014 European Championships.
Nicola Virginia Adams is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2017 to 2019. She retired with an undefeated record and held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) female flyweight title in 2019. As an amateur, she became the first female boxer to become an Olympic champion after winning gold at London 2012, and the first double Olympic champion following a second gold medal at Rio 2016, both in the flyweight division. As of 27 May 2016 she was the reigning Olympic, World and European Games champion at flyweight, and won the entire set of amateur championships available to her – Olympic, Commonwealth and European Games' titles, and the World, European and European Union championships.
Freddie William Evans is a British professional boxer fighting in the 69 kg welterweight category. As an amateur, he won gold at the 2007 World Cadet Championships in Hungary and won gold for Wales at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Ankara. He was the first Welsh boxer to achieve the feat in 86 years.
Josh Taylor is a Scottish professional boxer. He is a former undisputed light-welterweight champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) titles between 2019 and 2022, the World Boxing Council (WBC) title between 2021 and 2022, the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title between 2021 and 2023 and the Ring magazine title between 2019 and 2023. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth light-welterweight title from 2016 to 2017. As an amateur, he won a lightweight silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and light-welterweight gold at the 2014 edition.
Chris Jenkins is a Welsh professional boxer who held the British and Commonwealth welterweight titles between 2019 and 2021.
Mikaela Joslin Mayer is an American professional boxer, who has held WBO welterweight title since September 2024. She is also a former unified female super-featherweight world champion, having held the WBO and the IBF titles simultaneously. She has also held the interim WBC female lightweight world title. As an amateur, she won a bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships and competed for the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics.
Wales competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Prior to the games the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales set itself a target of 27 medals, surpassing the 2010 total of 20 medals won in Delhi. After the withdrawal of World champion competitors Helen Jenkins, Non Stanford and Becky James, Chef de Mission Brian Davies conceded that the initial target was optimistic, but the target was actually attained by 30 July, the sixth day of the competition. Wales finished 13th in the overall medal table, but joint 8th, with Nigeria, in terms of the total medals won.
Joe Cordina is a Welsh-Maltese professional boxer. He is a two-time super-featherweight world champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from April 2023 until May 2024 and previously in 2022.
Pat McCormack is an English professional boxer. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics and gold at both the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2019 European Games.
Kaye Scott is an Australian boxer who as an amateur won multiple World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals across three weight divisions. She currently holds the professional Australasian and Australian female middleweight titles.
Sandy Ryan is an English professional boxer who is a former WBO female welterweight title holder.
Rosie Eccles is a Welsh amateur boxer who won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as a host of other medals at international competitions representing both Wales and Great Britain.
Jessica McCaskill is an American former professional boxer. She is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the undisputed, IBO and Ring female welterweight titles; the WBC female super-lightweight title and the WBA female super-lightweight title. She also challenged for the WBA lightweight title.
Amy Sara Broadhurst is an Irish amateur boxer. She is the 2022 IBA World Light-welterweight champion, and won the gold medal in the lightweight division at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Kandi Renae Wyatt is a Canadian professional boxer who has challenged for world championships in two weight classes on four separate occasions.
Kirstie Bavington is an English professional boxer. She is a two-time European female welterweight champion and fought in the first-ever professional women's British title contest.
