Here is a list of every current world boxing champion from Britain, plus a host of names battling to be added to the group.
British contenders and champions are at the forefront of boxing in 2026, from heavyweight down to the smaller categories, and from stadiums at home to far-flung locations.
Britain has an esteemed and historic place in boxing, and legendary fighters have held world championship belts.
But who are the current male and female world champions from Britain? And who could soon be added to the list?
– Boxing champions list
– Boxing schedule
Who are Britain’s male world champions?
Josh Kelly
IBF junior middleweight champion
18-1-1 record
Josh Kelly battled past the gritty Bakhram Murtazaliev to become Britain’s latest world champion on Jan. 31.
Kelly won the IBF world junior middleweight title the hard way — by climbing off the canvas to edge the feared puncher Murtazaliev, who was previously unbeaten.
Sunderland fighter Kelly was boxing in front of a home crowd in the North East and sent them home jubilant after emerging through a tricky period of the fight to win a majority decision.
Kelly had also floored Murtazaliev, then impressed with his punching on the back foot.
His world title win was somewhat of a redemption story after a 2021 loss against David Avanesyan.
Fabio Wardley
WBO heavyweight champion
20-0-1 record
Ipswich’s Fabio Wardley completed a fairytale rise to world champion status.
Unlike many of his peers who battled through the amateur system into professional boxing, former recruitment consultant Wardley boxed in white-collar events where it quickly became clear he was a cut above his opposition.
Wardley’s power punching has earned him an undefeated record, the only blemish being a draw against Frazer Clarke. In the rematch? Wardley knocked Clarke out and broke his jaw and cheekbone.
At Portman Road last year, the home of Ipswich Town FC, Wardley was being outboxed by Justis Huni until he found a sensational last-gasp KO shot. ESPN named it the best knockout in British boxing in 2025.
He passed his toughest test with flying colours, stopping former world champion Joseph Parker.
Wardley was elevated to the status of WBO heavyweight champion when Oleksandr Usyk, after becoming undisputed, chose to vacate his WBO belt.
Lewis Crocker
IBF welterweight champion
22-0 record
Belfast boxer Lewis Crocker became a world champion after prevailing through two thrillers against rival Paddy Donovan.
Crocker was cut and floored in their first fight but Donovan was disqualified for knocking him down after the bell.
In the rematch at Windsor Park, now with the vacant IBF belt at stake, Crocker floored Donovan twice and won a split decision.
Crocker’s rise after turning pro in 2021 also gives Northern Ireland, a famous boxing nation, a new world champion to cheer on.
Dalton Smith
WBC junior welterweight champion
19-0 record
Smith captured a world title by beating Subriel Matias in Brooklyn, New York, in January 2026. In doing so, he became a part of an elite club to win a top prize on American soil.
The build-up to Smith’s opportunity was hampered by Matias returning an adverse finding for a banned substance but the fight went ahead. Smith had a cancelled flight from the UK to contend with in the days prior.
But the Yorkshireman put on a great display to win in the fifth round. He will defend his WBC gold on home soil in Sheffield against Alberto Puello next.
Anthony Cacace
WBA junior lightweight champion
25-1 record
Cacace, from Belfast in Northern Ireland, captured his belt by winning a unanimous decision against Jazza Dickens, of Liverpool, in March.
He had previously held an IBF title.
Now 37 and reigning as a world champion for a second time, Cacace is looking for a career-defining defence of his title.
Who are Britain’s female world champions?
Lauren Price
IBF, WBA and WBC welterweight champion
9-0 record
Wales fighter Price won a gold medal for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics before turning pro.
She is unbeaten in nine fights and has collected three belts in the welterweight division already.
Most notably, she beat fellow Brit Natasha Jonas in 2025 by unanimous decision. America’s Mikaela Mayer holds the WBO welterweight title so a fight with Price would be for every belt at the weight.
Sandy Ryan
WBC junior welterweight champion
9-3-1 record
Sandy Ryan, from Derby, is a two-weight world champion. She held a welterweight title and now holds the WBC belt in the division below.
Ryan twice lost world title fights to Mikaela Mayer but rebounded to claim her WBC title by beating Karla Ramos Zamora. The other three belts in Ryan’s division are held by the mighty Katie Taylor.
Terri Harper
WBO lightweight champion
16-2-2 record
Terri Harper, from Yorkshire, was the second British woman to become a world champion. She has reigned across three weight classes.
Harper has lost fights along the way — to Alycia Baumgardner and Sandy Ryan — but rebounded to claim the WBO lightweight belt against Rhiannon Dixon. She will fight Caroline Dubois in a unification fight.
Caroline Dubois
WBC lightweight champion
12-0-1 record
Caroline Dubois was upgraded to world champion status after Katie Taylor vacated the belt.
Only four years into a pro career, she is unbeaten in 13 fights and will meet Terri Harper, the WBO champion, in his toughest fight so far.
Ellie Scotney
WBA, WBC, WBO junior featherweight champion
11-0
Ellie Scotney’s next fight is against the other belt-holder in her division, Mayelli Flores. She could become Britain’s youngest-ever undisputed champion if she wins.
Which Brits could be added to the list of world champions?
At heavyweight, former champions Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois could eye another run with a belt. Dubois will next fight for Fabio Wardley’s WBO title.
Joshua’s plans are unclear after his involvement in a car crash which claimed the lives of two of his friends.
Fury, meanwhile, has confirmed his return from retirement and will fight Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11. A win would catapult him right back into contention for a title, with Fury also calling for a fight against Wardley in recent weeks.
Hamzah Sheeraz will next fight for the WBO super-middleweight title.
Conor Benn is also eyeing world honours for the first time this year.
Jack Catterall is also in the welterweight title picture.
