Many different countries around the world have a rich boxing history. Below, is a list of the top 14 boxing countries where boxing is most popular.
- USA
- United Kingdom
- Mexico
- Russia
- Japan
- The Philippines
- Ukraine
- Germany
- Thailand
- Ireland
- Cuba
- Argentina
- Puerto Rico
- Kazakhstan
The countries are in an order that is based off market size and popularity. In the rest of the article, I will go over what makes each country boxing unique as well as name some of the best boxers from the listed countries.
#14 Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has a grand tradition of amateur boxing that started during the Soviet era. There are more than 30,000 athletes engaged in the sport in Kazakhstan according to the Kazakh Boxing Federation (KFB).
The country’s boxers have been awarded at least one gold medal in every single Olympics since 1996. The rise of Kazakhstan’s professional boxing scene is connected to the success of amateur boxing in the independent nation of Kazakhstan.
The foundation for Kazakh boxing was created in 1933. This is when classes opened in sports schools across the nation. The nation’s first major boxing Olympic success happened in 1980 when Serik Konakbayev and Victor Demyanenko became silver medalists during the Moscow Games.
The best boxer to come out of Kazakhstan is arguably Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin. He goes by the nickname “GGG” or “Triple G”. He was a unified middleweight world champion that held the WBC, WBA (Super), and IBF titles between the years of 2010 and 2018.
Also, The Ring magazine named him the number one pound for pound fighter in the world between September 2017 and September 2018. He is ranked the world’s second-best active middleweight (as of August 2019) by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB), The Ring, and BoxRec.
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#13 Puerto Rico
The island of Puerto Rico has a population that is below 4 million, however, Puerto Ricans around the world have a population that is around 12 million. Although Puerto Rico cannot match the production of elite boxers produced by the United States or Mexico, the country can make up for it in with the quality of boxers that it produces.
Esteban De Jesus is the only boxer that was able to beat Roberto Duran in his prime. Benitez was the youngest Puerto Rican boxing champion at 17, and he became a three-time champion at 21. Daniel Jimenez has the record for the fastest knockout in championship history at 17 seconds. Puerto Rico is arguably the only and first boxing nation to have a title in every single division. Not bad for a population that is around 15 million worldwide. In summary, Puerto Rico has a total of 59 world champions.
Their greatest boxer of all time is difficult to gauge. However, in my opinion, is the incredibly underrated Carlos Ortiz is the best Puerto Rican boxer of all time. Now, young boxers like Jose Pedraza, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Alberto Machado, Felix Verdejo, and Jason Velez are very good, young fighters.
However, the best boxer from Puerto Rico today is hard to pin down. In a matter of years, the boxing future of Puerto Rico will likely become healthy again. Especially when you consider the population to world championship ratio of Puerto Rico and the passion for the sport that Puerto Ricans have.
#12 Argentina
The only country in South America to be listed in Argentina. This country is the eighth largest in the world in terms of size and has a population of 44 million. It has produced a list of elite boxers. Nicolino Locche is the so-called “Defensive Wizard”, and he held the World Light welterweight title from 1968 to 1972.
The Middleweight great Carlos Monzon is from Argentina as well as other recent astounding fighters like Sergio Martinez who is the former lineal middleweight champion. Today, Argentina has 2 world champions. Brian Castano is a super welterweight world champion and Lucas Matthysse is a welterweight world champion.
Their best fighter today is arguably Marcos Maidana. The legendary Middleweight boxer Carlos Monzon is considered to be the greatest Argentine to fight in the ring. Argentina does not have a clear star prospect currently, however, I believe Hugo Santillan is the one to watch.
#11 Cuba
There is another island nation on this list. Cuba is a unique boxing country. The powerful communist regime has banned professional boxing. However, Cubans can box at the Olympic games and escaped Cuban boxers will of course box in free countries. Cuba has produced amateurs like the three-time gold medalist Teofilo Stevenson, and the highly skilled Guillermo Rigondeaux.
Cuba has a long list of professionals (that fled Cuba) and amateurs. Cuba’s fighters easily rivals of any other smaller nation. You could make the case that Cuba is one of the best boxing countries of all time. In Cuba’s history, Cuba has been awarded around 73 medals at the Olympics. Around 40 of them are gold. In the professional scene, they have been awarded around 20 world championships. Today, there are 6 Cuban champions.
The greatest fighter in Cuban history is difficult to judge since there are amateur and professional fighters that only compete with certain fighters. You could make the case that Teofilo Stevenson is the best because of his 3 gold medals. However, you could say that the accomplishments of Jose Napoles at the professional scene are more impressive.
Currently, the top Cuban boxer is unquestionably Guillermo Rigondeaux. The Cuban boxing scene’s future is uncertain since it depends on those who escape from the communist regime. Cuba’s dominance in the amateur scene is certainly being rivaled by nations like Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Cuba still has the second most boxing gold medals behind the United States.
#10 Ireland
The nation of Ireland is known for boxing as well as MMA. Similar to the malty red ale, Tolkien-esque landscape, and the rich Irish folk music, boxing is also a staple of the nation. Irish people enjoy watching big prize fights as well as participating in the sport. Ireland has won 2 gold medals at the Olympic games overall which is decent for a small nation.
The Emerald Isle has a long relationship with the great sport of boxing. It has produced heavyweight fighters like Steve Collins and Jimmy McLarnin. However, it was actually Irish-American boxers who popularized boxing when they carried it back with them to Ireland. The modern form of prizefighting boxing that we enjoy watching today was originally created in the U.K. Ireland did not really go into the ring until Irish immigrants began boxing stateside. However, Ireland has a long history with bare-knuckle boxing.
#9 Thailand
Thailand is the country that is home to boxers with names that we westerners always copy-paste because of the complex spelling. Names like Teerachai Kratingdaenggym do not exactly roll off of your tongue, right?
The birthplace of Muay Thai seems to have great boxers as well. They have recorded around 50 world champions. Currently, there are 2 World Champions from the great country of Thailand. Their best boxer today is considered by most to be Amnat Ruenroeng. The best Thai boxer of all time is arguably Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
#8 Germany
Boxing in Germany is a big sport. Germany has a very exciting domestic scene because Sauerlands and K2 are based over there. Historically, there has been a decent amount of great fighters from Germany from one time to another.
Germany has its own sanctioning bodies called the G.B.U. At many German boxing events, floor seats (which are actually tables and chairs) are available for people that want to drink or dine while watching a fight.
Many foreign fighters spend most of their career in Germany because of the big market in Germany. Wladimir Klitschko is big in Germany because most of his career took place in Germany.
Arthur Abraham is one of the best boxers currently fighting in Germany. His wins over 18-1 Ian Gardner, 36-1 Nader Hamdan, and 40-2 Howard Eastman paved the way to a world-title contention. He beat Kingsley Ikeke in 5 rounds to acquire the IBF Middleweight Title in 2005.
#7 Ukraine
Ukraine barely made it onto this list. However, I decided to include Ukraine since the country’s boxing future is incredibly bright. Ever since the Soviet Union fell apart, boxers from all around the U.S.S.R. started to compete in professional boxing. Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk recently defeated Russia’s Gassiev in a Moscow bout which unified the cruiserweight division’s four titles.
Usyk was born in Crimea. He was forced to escape the peninsula after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Usyk’s record is 15-0 with 11 knockouts and is a gold medalist. Ukrainian boxing is filled with incredible amateurs, and claim to have one of the best heavyweights in the world. In the recent past, Ukraine was non-existent. Currently, Ukraine is amazing, and the country’s future will probably be even better.
The country has recorded a total of 6 boxing world champions. The best Ukrainian fighter of all time is arguably Wladimir Klitschko. A bright future for Ukraine in boxing lays in Vasyl Lomachenko who may be the greatest technical boxer who ever competed.
#6 The Philippines
Presently, the home to some of the best boxers on Earth is the Philippines. The nation is a strong boxing nation with a very interesting present and future. The great Manny Pacquiao has supported the island nation’s boxing growth. Fighters like Brian Vilora and Nonito Donaire dominate at times in many different boxing divisions. The Philippines’ boxing past is stacked with a long list of strong champions like Flash Erode.
The Philippines has a recorded total of 43 world champions. They also currently have 4 world champion titles. The greatest fighter to come out of the Philippines is easily Manny Pacquiao. The future of the Philippines boxing is comprised of various prospects such as Genesis Servania who is a great choice to watch.
#5 Japan
Japan is one of the most elite, yet underrated boxing countries on earth. They have an interesting All-Japan-Rookie King tournament. Two boxers from the exact same gym may not fight each other in Japan. The Japanese professional scene is packed tightly and has fighters of high skill levels. The Japanese Boxing Commission makes it likely that Japanese boxing will continue to do well.
The lower weight classes are where Japan dominates. Japan has the third most champions in the world. Their greatest boxer of all time is arguably a fighter that goes by Fighting Harada. Japan has amazing fighters to the point where it is hard to pick a top Japanese boxer. I would say Naoya Inoue and Ryoichi Taguchi are two of the most impressive boxers from Japan. Ryota Murata is certainly a Middleweight to keep your eye on.
#4 Russia
Imagine a scenario where Cuba and the Soviet Union allowed its boxers to fight professionally. The boxing landscape would be very different. It has been nearly 30 years since the Soviet Union fell, and now we are finally seeing a steadily increasing flow of top-notch boxers from Russia.
Sergey Kovalev is leading the charge being, and he might just be the best light heavyweight boxer in the world. This momentum will increase over time. 2019 will be an exciting year for Russian boxing. Russian boxers will likely acquire many world boxing championships.
#3 Mexico
Mexico is a boxing gargantuan. Mexico is the only country that can outdo a soccer a match in terms of viewers. Tens of millions watch boxing fights in Mexico. Mexican boxing history is rich. A list of Mexican boxing greats consists of Ricardo Lopez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Erik Morales and many more. However, another big factor in Mexican boxing is that people love watching boxing in Mexico.
While in the U.S.A., many local boxers might be well-known in their areas and gain media attention. However, in Mexico, the top boxers will always get their deserved attention. There are great quality and quantity of boxers in Mexico.
You can certainly contend that Mexico is what keeps boxing going in the Americas besides the U.S.A. Mexico is the only country that can rival the United States when it comes to being the greatest boxing country of all time. Mexico has produced more than 200 champions in its boxing history. Currently, there is a total of nine boxing champions from the country of Mexico.
The best Mexican boxer is assuredly a great title. Ricardo Lopez is a phenomenal boxer as well as the great Canelo Alvarez. Currently, in the Mexican boxing world, I would say Canelo Alvarez is the best Mexican in boxing. His future is very bright.
#2 United Kingdom
Most people separate the countries between Wales, Scotland, and England, but I will group them all together. The U.K is an interesting pick for many reasons. Fighters from the U.K. are high in terms of quality and quantity. Just watch Frank Warren fight on TV or YouTube. The U.K. has an interesting boxing history that is similar to the boxing history of the U.S.A.
Both countries went through periods where bare-knuckle boxing was the norm. The most famous boxer from the United Kingdom is nothing to smirk at. The U.K. most famous boxer is arguably the Heavyweight great Lennox Lewis. The best U.K. boxer that is still boxing professionally is arguably Anthony Joshua.
#1 United States of America
America is referred to as the home of boxing. It is undoubtedly the best boxing nation of all time. Their list of legends is much more legendary than the list of legends of other countries. America’s stars, as well as their large amount of boxers, are top-notch. Let’s begin with names. Top boxers of all time such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Harry Garb, Muhammad Ali, Henry Armstrong and more.
The United States of America has the most world champions in the history of boxing. In fact, they have a total of 431 world champions which nearly three times more than Mexico which has the second-most world champions. There are 18 living world champions born in the United States of America today. The greatest boxer of all time is an incredibly hard pick. My pick is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He is arguably the greatest boxer of all time. Many people from older generations believe Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest boxer of all time. Even though the popularity of boxing may be relatively low when compared to other countries like Mexico, the U.K., and others, the United States is the king of modern boxing The United States has had a tendency to have the best P4P boxer of any era. The United States is easily the best boxing country of all time.
Final Words
The earliest evidence of the sport of boxing dates back to around 3000 B.C. in Egypt. Boxing was a part of the ancient Greek Olympic Games in the late 7th century B.C. when thongs made out of soft leather were used to bind boxers’ forearms and hands for protection. Nowadays, Greece and Egypt are places where boxing is not very popular relative to the 14 countries that I listed in this post. The United States of America is arguably where boxing is the most popular.