Some of the best Irish boxers of all time can widely be regarded as being among some of the best boxers in the world as they have achieved so much success in the sport.
There are many contenders to choose from when trying to compile a list of the ten best Irish boxers of all time.
Ireland has regularly punched above its weight (pun intended) in the sport and truly produced some talented individuals who have etched their names in the hallowed boxing hall of fame.
In this article, we will list the top ten best Irish boxers of all time.
5. Rinty Monaghan – a legendary fighter
John ‘Rinty’ Monaghan was a flyweight world champion who had an incredible career that saw him dominate at a time when there was only one champion for each division, which is a testament to just how great of a fighter he was.
He became famous during the post-war period, and as he rose to the rank of undisputed world champion, he also became a hero to many people in his home city.
Such is his renown that he has been forever immortalised in his home city of Belfast with a statue. A sure fit on our list of best Irish boxers of all time.
4. Carl Frampton – a two-weight world champion
Another great boxer and Belfast native to make our list is Carl Frampton. Frampton has experienced a huge amount of success since first bursting onto the professional boxing scene in 2009.
Frampton is a former two-weight world champion and also held the European and Commonwealth super-bantamweight titles between 2011 and 2014.
When he won the featherweight world title in 2016, he became the first boxer from Northern Ireland to have held world titles in two weight classes.
He was also once ranked as the world’s fourth-best active super-featherweight and fifth-best active featherweight at the time.
3. Barry McGuigan – a hugely popular figure
The third boxer on our list of the best Irish boxers of all time is the famous ‘Clones Cyclone’ and boxing hero Barry McGuigan.
Barry McGuigan achieved a huge amount of success in his career as he became a featherweight world champion.
He achieved this boxing success during the height of ‘the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland.
Still, despite the divide that was present there between people, all communities came together to support one of their own in an example of sport transcending politics.
2. Steve Collins – never lost a world title in the ring
Another all-time boxing great to come from Ireland was the legendary Steve Collins.
Nicknamed ‘the Celtic Warrior’, Collins earned many huge victories, with the most famous of them being his defeat of the two great British boxers, Chris Eubank Snr and Nigel Benn.
Collins’ fighting career was so prolific in fact that he never once lost a world title in the ring.
He is still to this day widely recognised as being one of the most successful Irish fighters in history as he reigned supreme in both the middleweight and super-middleweight divisions.
1. Katie Taylor – one of Ireland’s greatest ever athletes
In first place on our list of the best Irish boxers of all time is Katie Taylor.
Traditionally boxing has always been a very male-dominated sport. However, the emergence of Katie Taylor has seen this change remarkably as women’s boxing has surged in popularity.
The Bray-born fighter has become known worldwide and enjoyed a hugely successful career.
She has won an Olympic Gold, five World Championships, six European Championships, and five European Union Championships.
She has also become a professional world champion in the lightweight division.
With all of these accolades, Katie Taylor is unquestionably not only the best Irish boxer of all time but also one of Ireland’s greatest ever athletes.
We wouldn’t put it past her to rack up a few more titles before she retires.
That concludes our list of the top ten best Irish boxers of all time. Do you agree with the list, or do you think we overlooked some boxers who were deserving of a place?
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