Top 10 European boxers for 2023

In terms of size, Europe is the second smallest continent on Earth. Regarding historical contributions to the world, good and bad, it is probably the continental front-runner. Boxing can be traced back to Ancient Greece, and the modern rules are attributed to the United Kingdom. So, who are the best European male boxers currently operating in the sport?

With many to pick from, deciding a top 10 was not easy. Fighters from the countries of the United Kingdom and Eastern Europe dominate the list below. Read on to see if you agree…

Writer’s Note: Enough of the country of Kazakhstan is on the European side of the Europe/Asia divide to be considered Europe. Artur Beterbiev, Russian-born but now a Canadian citizen, was not considered for this list. All Russian-born boxers who still fight under the Russian flag were. Boxers born in African countries but who are now French citizens were considered for this list.

Tyson Fury (England)

Are there nine better boxers than Tyson Fury in Europe? Probably not, but the heavyweight does most of his work outside the ring these days in the form of verbal jousting. It’s a shame, as when he is motivated, the big man can really move and box. Facing opponents of the quality of Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora does his legacy no favors, either.

Leigh Wood (England)

A fire-cracker of a fighter. This man is never in a dull fight. Wins over Michael Conlan, Xu Can, and Mauricio Lara mean Wood has earned his place on this list the hard way. With plenty of worthy opponents in a packed featherweight division, expect the 34-year-old to be involved in a few more action-packed bouts before he hangs up his gloves.

Joe Cordina (Wales)

A standout amateur talent, Cordina has had no problem adjusting to professional boxing since turning over in 2017. Winning a world super featherweight title in his 15th fight, Cordina had bagged a few regional titles at lightweight prior to that June 2022 glory night. Eye-catching wins over Kenichi Ogawa and Shavkat Rakhimov have been the 32-year-old’s most notable wins.

Janibek Alimkhanuly (Kazakhstan)

Southpaw Janibek could be the man to put it back on the map in a middleweight division currently lacking a bit of star quality. Bringing a wealth of amateur experience to the table, Janibek is defensively sound and possesses a very powerful left. The main problem for Janibek may be finding suitable opponents in the coming year.

Artem Dalakian (Ukraine)

Flyweight Dalakian may be regarded as a surprise inclusion this high up the European rankings. He deserves his spot. The veteran has an unblemished record and has made six defenses of the flyweight title he won in February 2018. During his campaign, Dalakian has defeated quality opposition like Brian Viloria, Josber Perez, and David Jimenez. He could cap off his career by fighting a unification bout or two against his fellow flyweight title holders. We can but hope.

Callum Smith (England)

Tall and rangy, Liverpool’s former super middleweight champion is now campaigning at light heavyweight. With solid fundamentals and the experience of winning the super middleweight World Boxing Super Series tournament in 2018 by defeating George Groves in the final, Smith boxes confidently whenever he gloves up. How well he does at light heavyweight will determine whether or not Callum Smith can rise any higher up the European list.

Vasiliy Lomachenko (Ukraine)

Even at 35 years old, Lomachenko is still one of Europe’s finest boxers. The three-weight world champion continued challenging himself and ran undisputed 135-pound champion Devin Haney very close in a May 2023 Las Vegas thriller. The southpaw, with the sublime footwork, finds himself in a red-hot lightweight division packed full of brilliant American fighters. He won’t run from facing any of them as he looks to return to world champion status.

Sunny Edwards (England)

A flyweight world champion in his 16th professional fight, Edwards is currently the top boxer pound-for-pound in the UK. He finds himself at number 3 on this European countdown and has time on his side to rise higher. The London-born fighter is just 28 years old and approaching his prime. His hit and don’t get hit style isn’t to everyone’s liking, but it is mightily impressive watching Edwards take highly experienced opponents to school.

Dmitry Bivol (Russia)

Another exponent of the sweet science, Bivol’s jab, and footwork are a thing of beauty. He uses both in tandem to control the distance and keep his opponents at bay. With such a command of boxing fundamentals, it will take an excellent fighter having an exceptional night to beat the light heavyweight great.

Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine)

The best in Europe. Usyk laid waste to the cruiserweight division in a rampaging 15 fights and looks similarly formidable at heavyweight. The southpaw moves like a welterweight and is a joy to watch in the ring. At 36-years-old he perhaps won’t be in the sport much longer. We should appreciate him while he’s here.

Notable Mentions

With so much talent to select from, many other great European boxers missed this top 10. Perhaps some will have a good year and box their way onto the main list in 2024.

In no particular order:

Christian Mbilli (France), Joe Joyce (England), Azat Hovhannisyan (Armenia), Adam Azim (England), Josh Taylor (Scotland), Michael Conlan (Ireland), Arsen Goulamirian (France), Pavel Silyagin (Russia), Liam Davies (England), Caoimhin Agyarko (Ireland), Eimanas Stanionis (Lithuania), Vladimir Shishkin (Russia), Gennady Golovkin (Kazakhstan), Felix Cash (England), Fiodor Czerkaszyn (Poland), Bakhram Murtazaliev (Russia), Souleymane Cissokho (France), Jack Catterall (England), Josh Warrington (England).

Colin Morrison

A boxing fan since his teenage years, Morrison began writing about the sport in July 2016. He appreciates all styles of boxing and has nothing but respect for those who get in the ring for our entertainment. Morrison is from Scotland and can be found on Twitter @Morrie1981.

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