Do you agree with the former cruiserweight world champion’s choices?
Plenty of boxing’s biggest stars hail from Britain’s shores, which makes selecting a top 10 even harder.
During a recent appearance on The Hook, Johnny Nelson has done exactly that.
You can read who he included, and why, below:
10. Duke McKenzie (39-7, 20 KOs)
While Duke McKenzie enjoyed a successful career across four weight divisions, Nelson believes he is still too often overlooked in discussions of British boxing greats.
He explained: “We don’t give honour and props to this man enough. And that’s Duke Mackenzie.
“Duke McKenzie, look at his record. Look at what he did, three-time world champion.
“This guy is so matter-of-fact about it. And the general public, when they see Duke, when he talks about boxing, they don’t understand the knowledge that he had.
“They don’t understand the accolades he did for British boxing, and he never gets the props for it.
“So I’d say Duke McKenzie, number 10.”
9. Randolph Turpin (66-8-1, 45 KOs)
Randolph Turpin, from Leamington Spa, was one of the early stars of the modern era of the sport as we know it today.
Nelson said: “I’m going for Randolph Turpin [at number nine].
“Randolph Turpin, he was the first Black British fighter to get a British title and box for a British title as well, and he could fight.
“Unfortunately, he couldn’t deal with the fame and the glory. So they call him the 64-day champion.
“They demanded a rematch straight away, and they couldn’t believe what he’d done to [Sugar Ray] Robinson.
“And he was living the life, you know, he made a mistake. Well, many fighters do; they reach the top, and they think, ‘I’ve done it now’.
“And so, unfortunately, the fame and glory got to him.”
8. John Conteh (34-4-1, 24 KOs)
John Conteh’s rise in the ring was matched by his struggles away from it, a contrast that defined much of his career.
Those issues ultimately led to his early retirement in 1980, aged just 29, but Nelson recognises him as one of the best Britain has had.
He said: “Who have I got an eight? I’ve got John Conteh.
“John Conteh, good-looking, and he could fight for fun.
“This John Conteh, you know, on this circuit, who does talks and everything, completely different from the fighter he was back in the day.
“He was tough. He could fight for fun, light heavyweight. The kid could fight for fun. And he was one of those guys you couldn’t sleep on.
“I really respect him because he’s the kind of guy. If Brendan [Ingle] said you’re fighting him, he’s tough; that’s one thing you don’t understand, and he can fight, and he likes to have a scrap.
“John was mean. John was vicious, and John, again, another fighter that we, we can easily switch off from.”
7. Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs)
Carl Froch was known for his aggressive style in the ring and his willingness to take on any opponent put in front of him.
Which is why his name often comes up in conversation regarding Britain’s best.
Nelson said: “He’s gonna hate this because I’ve put him at number seven, Carl Froch.
“You look at the live opponents he fought, and the heart, and the cohonas that he’s got when he gets into a fight.
“Carl Froch to this day is a fighting man through and through.
“Remember, we missed most of the great fights they had, the Super 6, because it wasn’t on our TV screens.
“Carl went and travelled the world. And to me, if you’re gonna be world champion, and you can travel abroad and win and come back, that’s what a world champion is.
“A world champion isn’t just staying on his own patch, and always winning if you come to my house. Carl did it everywhere.
“Carl would grab victory out of the jaws of defeat…
“I remember when he fought [Lucian] Bute, Bute had been knocking everybody out.
“I think the fight was in Nottingham, and Carl went and took it to him. You know, if you’re getting in there with a guy that can punch, you’re gonna be smart, you’re gonna be a bit cute.
“Carl was boom, head on, straight, took it to him. And I sat there, I thought, ‘Wow, you are just tough’.
“And he might not look elegant, smooth, but he was just tough. He’s a hard man to this day, even though he doesn’t fight.
“He has that fighter’s ego, that fighter’s pride. When you talk to him, I tell everybody, don’t take him seriously. He’s got a very, very dry sense of humour, and he’s a funny guy, a funny, funny family man.”
6. Jimmy Wilde (132-4-1, 98 KOs)
Jimmy Wilde is regarded by many as Britain’s greatest-ever boxer, having gone unbeaten for 94 fights before the tide eventually turned.
For Nelson, that record leaves him just short of a place in his top five.
He explained: “At number six we’re gonna go back in history a little bit. The atomic atom, Jimmy Wilde.
“His hands were light. You talk about the hands of soul, this guy could blow you away with either hand, the ferocity that he brought to a fight. There was nothing like it.
“The Americans were terrified of this man. And so for the way he fought, the pace he set, was second to none. There was nobody like that. There was nobody that did what he did.
“And so I think, rightfully so, he’s there close to that top five.”
5. Bob Fitzsimmons (64-12-14, 56 KOs)
Bob Fitzsimmons achieved a feat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that no man before him had managed.
Nelson said: “Number five, Bob Fitzsimmons, three-weight world champion.
“The first one to do that. And you thought, is this guy stoppable? How is that possible?
“He set a precedent to say it can be done. That was old school, proper old school.
“Look at it, you look at the pictures, and he’s old school. And so you can’t miss [him out], you can’t ignore him. You can’t dismiss him.
“You’ve got to pull him there in the top five.”
4. Prince Naseem (36-1, 31 KOs)
Prince Naseem quickly became known for his memorable ring entrances, while his fan-friendly style inside the ring also earned him global adoration.
Nelson said: “At four, I’m going to have to go with what I’ve seen, live under the lights, and in the gym, and that’s Prince Naseem Hamed.
“This guy, again, the smaller guys, if they’re in this, they deserve to be there. The talent I saw [from him] was second to none. The power, second to none. The guts, the cohones, second to none.
“There’s nothing I could say that I doubt about him. I can remember Nigel Benn saying about Nas, ‘You know what? I don’t believe all these stories about him beating heavyweights up in the gym’.
“And Nigel was scathing about him, because Nigel just couldn’t believe it. Unless you saw it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t believe it…
“[But] Nas could fight. New York, anywhere, he could fight. And you knew he was a big deal where the Americans were talking about him.
“I thought he did British fighters proud in regards to performances when he was under the cosh.”
3. Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis (189-32-14, 77 KOs)
Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis won nine titles during an extensive career, triumphing from the featherweight to middleweight divisions.
Though his name is not spoken in the same breath as the television-era stars who defined boxing’s golden spotlight, he remains a respected figure among purists of the sport.
Many still rank the East Londoner among the greatest fighters Britain has ever produced, including Nelson.
He said: “Third place, Ted Kid Lewis. Two-time world welterweight champion.
“ESPN had him number 41 in regards to the all-time greatest fighters in the world ever.
“Ted Kid Lewis well deserved. Again, his style, his pace, his genius, and he was a fighter. He could have a scrap.
“You’ve got two kinds of fighters. The ones that want to get in and have a scrap, and you’ve got the ones that want to box. He could have a scrap and box; he chose to have a scrap.
“And so, if you’ve got the mindset to think, ‘I’ll have that, I want a piece of this action’. Then you’ve got the ultimate fighter.”
2. Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KOs)
Joe Calzaghe retired from the sport in 2009, after outclassing every opponent put in front of him.
Having been named the best British boxer of all time by the British Boxing Hall of Fame this year, it’s no surprise Nelson is also giving him his flowers.
Nelson said: “Number 2 is Joe Calzaghe. Joe Calzaghe, unbeaten.
“Regardless of where you say Roy Jones was in his career, ? Hopkin was in his career, Joe Calzaghe could fight. That’s what he did.
“He stayed in that little shed in Wales, and they wanted him to come and move down to London. He said, ‘No, I’m doing it our way’. Him and his dad, and Joe unbeaten, and Joe’s pace was mad.
“Joe knocked out my friend in his second professional fight, Paul ‘Stinger’ Mason had gone in there, and he was a lamb to the slaughter. [Calzaghe] he beat him up, Paul was tough but Joe’s pace, his engine, was mad.
“I can remember when I think they brought over the mini Mike Tyson over [to box Calzaghe] and all the American media came, they thought, ‘This is the guy that’s gonna beat the Brit’.
“Joe absolutely mauled him, ruined him. The Americans were just like, ‘What can we do here? You know, the way they pushed Jeff Lacy to say, ‘This is the future king’. Joe was having none of it.
“He just kept it simple, he kept it ground, he kept it down to earth…
“Joe’s still got that nonsense in him. And that’s what made him special.”
1. Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs)
Lennox Lewis may have missed out on the title of best-ever from the BBHoF to Calzaghe, but he’s got it from Nelson.
Lewis was backed by the nation after becoming the heavyweight champion on three separate occasions during his career.
Nelson said: “Number one, has got to be Lennox Lewis. It’s got to be Lenis Lewis because, as a heavyweight, what he achieved as a heavyweight and some of the fights he had, you know, he brought it to the surface.
“No, he didn’t box Mike Tyson at the pomp of his career, or Evander Holyfield. But what he did was, every dangerous fighter that he was in front of him, he got rid of him.
“And when he got knocked out, he’s in the ring saying, I want a rematch. He’d come back and fix it, right or wrong.
“Lennox Lewis is so calm, he’s so placid, he’s so down to earth. He just says how it is.
“If you look at the size of him, then you realise the athleticism he had, you think, ‘How did you do that?’.
“So Lennox, I have to put him at number one, because there’s nobody that rivals him at heavyweight. That’s the richest prize in sport.
“For him to dominate that, for him to be in that position, we can all argue about his losses, but he came back and fixed them. And when he retired, he walked away from boxing; boxing didn’t walk away from him.
“So when he bought Vitali Klitschko, and that was a tough fight, he knew I’m half out here. So now it’s time to walk away. And no matter how much money they offered him to come back, he said, no.
“He actually was my inspiration when I retired. He was actually my inspiration to say, I’m done. It means I’m done. I’m out.
“Because I thought, if he’s done it, you know, then you want to be the guy that walks away from our sport, not where the sport cuts you off, because you’ve got to live with that.”
Do you agree with Johnny Nelson’s top 1o?
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