1 Josh Warrington, 31-1-1 (8)
Known as “The Leeds Warrior”, Warrington has emerged as one of the world’s best featherweights in recent years, twice winning an IBF belt and beating some good names along the way. Standout wins include those against Carl Frampton, Kiko Martinez (twice) and Kid Galahad.
2 Henry Wharton, 27-3-1 (20)
Tough and physical with a wicked left hook, Wharton fought both Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn in world title fights, as well as Robin Reid, but came up short against all three. He did, however, win British, Commonwealth and European super-middleweight belts.
3 Crawford Ashley, 33-10-1 (28)
A British light-heavyweight champion, Ashley fought Michael Nunn and Virgil Hill for world titles in 1993 and 1995 respectively but lost against both. He would after those fights again win the Lonsdale belt and also beat Roberto Dominguez to grab the European title in ’97 (a belt he won a second time the following year).
4 George “Kid” Nicholson, 58-41-7 (7)
Over the course of 113 pro fights, Nicholson, a pro from 1919 to 1934, fought many of the best domestic featherweights of that era. He lost a British title fight against Alf “Kid” Pattenden in 1928, but handed Teddy Baldock his first defeat in ’26.
5 Carl Johanneson, 32-7 (20)
After spending the early part of his pro career in America, Johanneson returned to Britain in 2004 and two years later won the British super-featherweight title, a belt he defended three times. He also fought for the European title in 2007.
6 Denzil Browne, 22-8-2 (9)
Browne, a cruiserweight throughout his career, was stopped in 11 rounds by Dennis Andries in a British title fight in 1995. He later went on to win the Central Area title twice.
7 Nicola Adams, 5-0-1 (3)
Revered more for her amateur exploits than what she achieved in the pro game, Adams did nevertheless win five of six fights as a pro and outpointed Isabel Millan in 2018 to claim a fringe WBO flyweight belt.
8 Jack Bateson 17-1 (4)
A new inclusion to the list, Bateson won 17 pro fights in a row before being stopped by Shabaz Masoud in the final round of his last fight. Previously he beat Ramez Mahmood to win the English super-bantamweight title in 2021.
9 Nick Manners, 11-5-1 (10)
Heavy-handed light-heavyweight Manners ended 10 of his 11 pro wins inside the distance. He won the Central Area title in 1997, when beating Paul Mason inside four rounds, then stopped Kevin Burton inside a round in his first defence.
10 Johnny McGowan, 21-11-1 (13)
McGowan turned pro back in 1946 and won the Central Area light-heavyweight title in 1951 with a seventh-round retirement stoppage of Jimmy Carroll.
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