Last Updated on September 18, 2024
Boxing is one of the world's oldest sports that can trace its origin to ancient Sumeria around 3,000 B.C. It has evolved over the last millennia to become one of the most watched sports on the planet.
Fortunately…
Boxing has helped several boxers gain popularity after dominating this sport for years. But have you ever wondered what country has the best boxers? Well, you're not alone; after all, some nations have produced more champions than others, so for more details on the best boxing countries in the world, please read on…
What Country Has The Best Boxers?
Most nations are proud of their boxer as they have worked hard to produce some of the best fighters on the planet who have risen through the ranks over the last few years. Therefore, to justify which nation is the best, we have used the quantity and quality of champions a nation has produced as an index of our ranking. So here is the country with the best boxers:
The United States Of America
The modern-day lineage of boxing is fundamentally associated with the United States. Without a doubt, this nation has produced some of the world's greatest boxers.
The United States has nurtured some of the world's best boxers. And while boxing can trace its roots in the United Kingdom, it found its way to the U.S., with some of the best athletes participating in this sport.
The United States practically birthed this sport and helped turn it into what it has become today.
After all, they have produced hundreds of champions over the last few centuries and dominated the Olympics. Venues like MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Madison Square Garden have become iconic with some of the world's biggest boxing fights. Many of the biggest boxing bouts occur in the U.S., and Americans go crazy for them.
Boxing began in the United States in the nineteenth century, and by the early twentieth century, it had become the center of the world's professional boxing. They owned the 4 major boxing organizations that organize professional boxing matches, including:
- World Boxing Organization
- The International Boxing Federation
- The World Boxing Council
- The World Boxing Association
The United States has over 430 world champions, and currently, it has about 18 world champions; therefore, they are ranked highly in the boxing world.
Their popularity, however, has been dropping over the last few years with nations like Mexico taking over the sport. The current world light welterweight title holder Errol Spence Jr. is an American.
Regardless of that, here are some of the best American boxers of all time:
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Floyd has won 15 major titles, including the lineal championship of 4 weight classes and the ring in 5 weight classes. He retired with an exceptional undefeated record of 50-0-0. Currently, he is ranked the first pound-for-pound boxer by BoxRec and the best welterweight boxer of his generation.
- Sugar Ray Robinson: Currently, he is regarded as the greatest of all time and the main reason for the idea of pound-for-pound ranking. Sugar Ray Robinson had 126 straight victories; he won the middleweight title 5 times and the welterweight title. He has a record of 109 KOs (172-19-6).
- Henry Armstrong: Henry is one of the few boxers to become champions in over three divisions (welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight). He managed to defend his welterweight belt nineteen times. He has a record of 101 KOs.
- Muhammad Ali: another fighter that's considered the best of all time by many people is Muhammad Ali. Ali won his first heavyweight belt at 22 years of age and a gold medal in the Olympics; plus, he is the only boxer with a 3-time lineal heavyweight champion. Ali is believed to have participated in some of the best matches in the history of boxing.
Other Boxing Countries In The World
1. Mexico
With a total of 192 world champions, Mexico is ranked top among the best boxing countries in the world. Most Mexican boxers use this sport to get themselves out of poverty, and their tough upbringing has helped them become some of the world's toughest fighters. Boxing is more than just a sport; it is a religion to most Mexicans.
Fortunately, the classic boxing style in Mexico is fearless, and boxers are known for drawing upon the Mexican Machismo. Their unique style has introduced the world to some of the best boxers, including Julio Cesar, Marco Barrera, and Erik Morales.
One of their top boxers is Salvador Sanchez, who died while young and most fans believe that if he hadn't died, he would have become the best featherweight boxer.
2. The United Kingdom
Even though they came up with the main rules of boxing, the United Kingdom ranks third in our list of the countries with the best boxers on the planet. The U.K. has a very long and rich boxing history and a unique culture; therefore, you can credit this country for creating modern boxing.
The rules of modern boxing, also known as Marquess-of-Queensberry Rules, were drafted in 1865 in London.
While boxing in the United Kingdom lacked the finesse of the U.S., there is no doubt that Britain has produced some of the best fights and fighters in the sport. After all, the British boxers can never back down from a fight and have proven formidable over the last few decades.
The Britons have won about 63 world champions over the last few years. Some of the world champions from the U.K. include Lennox Lewis, Anthony Joshua, Prince Naseem Hamed, and Joe Calzaghe, among others.
The best British boxer of all time and the last undisputed heavyweight champion is Lennox Lewis, and the present-day best boxer is Anthony Joshua.
3. Cuba
Regarding true boxing history, Cuba has trumped several nations on our list; after all, both professional and amateur, Cuban boxers are legendary and known worldwide and in Latin America. Cuba has produced some of the most skilled and talented boxers over the last few decades.
Despite being held back by the harsh political environment, their boxers have found huge success on the world's stage.
Cuba boxers have dominated the Olympic Games for years; they are used to winning many gold medals in this tournament. Two of the greatest Cuban boxers who have dominated the Olympics are Felix Savon and Teofilo Stevenson, each of whom won 3 gold medals.
The United States is the only nation that has won more medals than Cuba in the Olympic Games.
Unfortunately, their communist government doesn't support professional boxing; therefore, most fighters have defected to the U.S. to go after their dreams.
Other than Savon and Stevenson, other great champions from this island nation include Kid Chocolate, Jose Napoles, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Kid Gavilan fact. Kid Gavilan is the best boxer from this island nation.
4. The Philippines
Another nation with rich boxing history in Asia is the Philippines, and most of the best Filipino fighters use this sport to escape their financial problems. It is recognized as one of the greatest sports in the country, right next to basketball. There is a boxing gym in most of the neighborhoods in the country.
All the upcoming boxers learn this sport in the provinces using makeshift equipment while participating in underground village competitions. And if you want to know how much they love boxing, you should visit some local village competitions and find out.
The Filipino boxers hold the record for the highest number of boxers among Asian nations in the international boxing hall of fame and world boxing hall of fame. Therefore, you can find an exceptional boxing lineage throughout the nation's history.
Some of their world champions include Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia, and Gabriel Elorde. Other than Manny Pacquiao, some modern warriors that have popularized this sport in the Philipines include Nonito Donaire and Brian Viloria.
For over two decades, Manny Pacquiao, the world's only eight-division world champion, has put this country on the map and inspired several generations of talented fighters.
5. Russia
Just like Cuba, the Soviet Union didn't allow their boxers to go pro; therefore, many fighters never managed to get the accolades they deserved. But over the last few decades, Russia has produced some of the world's top boxers. Currently, things are very different as Russia allows its boxers to participate in all the boxing tournaments all over the globe.
Russia and Ukraine are showing the world what the previous Eastern Bloc nations are made of. Boxing has improved in the country, with more amateurs joining the professional ranks; therefore, you should expect to see more from these nations.
Russia's world champions include Alexander Povetkin, Artur Beterbiev, Sergey Kovalev, Murat Gassiev, Kostya Tszyu, and Dmitry Bivol.
6. Japan
Most Asian nations, including Japan, are known all over the globe as home to several martial arts. But did you know that Japan is ranked highly among the nations with the top boxers? After all, it has produced some boxing world champions over the last few decades.
One of the key reasons why Japanese boxers are not that popular is because they always defend their titles in Japan. Therefore, the outside market will never have access to these fights, so some of these talented boxers will fall under the radar. But don't let that fool you, as the country has produced some of the world's best talents for years.
Remember, the Japanese are not known for being huge individuals. Hence, they only participate in the lower-weight boxing divisions. They have managed to win about 84 world boxing titles.
Japanese world champions include Takashi Miura, Koki Kameda, Masahiko Harada, and the rising star Naoya Inoue.
Knout-Out Point: Any contact sport will have someone putting an opponent down on the canvas for the count and even a possible knockout! There is a secret, though, that pugilists use to know where to land the finishing blow. Our post will reveal this -- Knockout Pressure Points.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Thai boxing?
Thai boxing, also known as Muay Thai, is a popular combat competition that uses clinching techniques and stand-up striking; in fact, it combines shins, knees, elbows, and fists. Muay Thai may be different from boxing, but they are both effective in self-defense.
What Country Has The Most Pro Boxers?
Compared to other nations, the United States has the highest number of world boxing champions. Over the last few decades, the U.S. has had over 455 professionals who have won boxing titles. Some of the best boxers of all time, like Mohamed Ali, Mike Tyson, and Sugar Ray, are Americans.
Which Nation Invented Boxing?
Even though this sport can trace its origin to Sumeria, present-day boxing can trace its origin to the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries prizefight from Great Britain. Some current rules designed to protect the boxers, like the Marquess of Queensberry, were written in the United Kingdom.
Conclusion
The country that has produced some of the best boxers of all time is the United States. It has produced many of the best fighters to date. However, some sports like the UFC and MMA have been competing with boxing in popularity. In fact, over the last few years, we have seen boxers competing with UFC and MMA fighters.
Boxing still remains the most popular American sport, though, despite the rise in popularity of the UFC and MMA. What do you think? Will the former be outranked by the latter in terms of its followers and PPV slots? Tell us in the comments below.