The FightPost Top Ten British Female Fighters

The FightPost Top Ten British Female Fighters

There is now real depth and competition at the top of the list. But the top four fighters are pulling away quite significantly from the rest of the chasing pack, with little prospect of anyone else gatecrashing that particular party anytime soon, certainly if the expected career trajectory is followed. While there is some dispute over who should be ranked number one and two, the coming months should see Lauren Price and Caroline Dubois pressing their claims for the top spot.

But there is plenty of real quality outside of the top four, and the likes of Karriss Artingstall and Emma Dolan could make significant moves in the next year if the right fights come their way.

The FightPost Top Ten British Female Fighters

1: Ellie Scotney (11-0)

For the first time since the inception of this list, Ellie Scotney hits the top spot. Scotney is just one belt short of undisputed in the super-bantamweight division. Only the WBA bauble is missing from her collection. A little fact that seems only a matter of time before that is rectified. Now aligned with Jake Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions, Scotney should see her career move to another trajectory. Seemingly untouchable at super-bantamweight, Scotney has expressed her intention to move up to featherweight once she has gone undisputed at her current weight. At 27, the best days of Ellie Scotney are still ahead of her. A truly sublime boxer who is only going to get better.

2: Chantelle Cameron (21-1)

It seems a little harsh on Chantelle Cameron that, for the first time, Cameron isn’t the number one fighter on this list. The former undisputed world super-lightweight champion has, by some distance, the best win of any currently active British fighter. That pivotal victory over Katie Taylor in 2023 got somewhat lost and wasn’t given anywhere near the credit or attention it deserved.

The trilogy with Taylor hasn’t yet materialised, and the signs are not good that it ever will. But Cameron will get a chance to win the back the WBC bauble in her next fight, and with her also joining the MVP revolution, the big fights should come her way in 2026. Cameron has talked about potential fights with Holly Holm and Mikaela Mayer. Cameron seems the happiest she has been in years. The hook-up with Stephen Smith has reignited the old fire. At 34, Cameron is far from done yet.

3: Lauren Price (9-0)

Lauren Price recorded the biggest win of her career in March when she comprehensively outpointed Natasha Jonas to become the unified world welterweight champion. Price is an incredibly hard puzzle to solve, but a fight with the WBO champion Mikaela Mayer still offers a lot of intrigue. In the short term, Mayer has other plans, but that long-awaited undisputed showdown at 147 should finally see the light of day in 2026.

4: Caroline Dubois (11-0-1)

The WBC world lightweight champion is only 24, but Caroline Dubois has come of age of late. Incredibly confident, but Dubois knows she is now entering the critical stage of her career. The defining fights are now imminent. A unification fight with the WBO lightweight champion Terri Harper should be next, with the winner possibly moving on to a fight with the fearsome Brazilian Beatriz Ferreira, who holds the IBF title.

Dubois passed a real gut check in March when she survived the late onslaught from the tough South Korean Bo Mi Re Shin. It was the first little crisis of her career so far. The experience will serve her well as she heads into the career-changing phase of her world title run. Dubois could be a future superstar, but the next few fights are likely to tell us just how good she really is.

5: Natasha Jonas (16-3-1)

Natasha Jonas hasn’t yet announced her retirement. The former two-weight world champion is keeping her options open after losing her unified world welterweight titles to Lauren Price at the Royal Albert Hall in March. Jonas has kept the door open on continuing her career, but her options seem limited. ‘Miss GB’ has stated that she is only interested in the big fights, mentioning names like Katie Taylor, Mikaela Mayer, and Chantelle Cameron.

A fight with Taylor seems remote at best, and Mayer has her next bout already locked in, so Cameron might be her best option. Even Cameron has more immediate plans, so nothing is apparently on the horizon until next year, and will Jonas wait around that long? I have my doubts.

MVP might come calling, of course, and they could provide several options for her. They are seemingly signing every available fighter, and Jonas is a promotional free agent. It would certainly make the Cameron fight far more realistic. If Natasha Jonas never fights again, she can look back with immense pride on a career that will pivot her into the boxing Hall of Fame in the coming years.

6: Sandy Ryan (7-3-1)

Sandy Ryan suffered her second straight reversal at the hands of Mikaela Mayer in March. A defeat that left her questioning many things. Ryan launches her comeback in September against Jade Grierson. At just 31, Ryan still can force her way back into the world title picture, especially if she settles at 154, where she will find a lot more opportunities.

7: Terri Harper (16-2-2)

Terri Harper was facing possible retirement last September. But her victory over Rhiannon Dixon not only made her a three-division world champion, it gave her career new life. It almost certainly saved it. The WBO world lightweight champion has now signed with MVP, and a big domestic unification showdown with Caroline Dubois is a natural next step for both. Harper would probably start that fight as the betting underdog, but she has upset the odds previously, and her experience could be key.

Harper seems settled at lightweight after trying her hand at 147 and 154, with varying degrees of success. Harper is only 28, and from the brink of walking away from the sport not so long ago, her career looks very different now.

8: Karriss Artingstall (7-0)

After a difficult 2024, Karriss Artingstall gave everyone a little reminder of her talent in March, when she dropped and outpointed Raven Chapman on that all-female card in March. The manner of that performance was beyond impressive, and she looks like a world champion in waiting.

Skye Nicolson was ringside at the Royal Albert Hall, and a fight with Artingstall looked a distinct possibility. But Nicolson lost her WBC title to Tiara Brown a few weeks later and has now dropped down a division. I’d favour Artingstall over Brown, if that fight eventually materialises. But either way, hopefully, Artingstall gets the opportunity to build on that impressive victory over Chapman.

9: Savannah Marshall (13-2)

Savannah Marshall ended her two-year ring hiatus last month, but her points defeat to Shadasia Green ruined her comeback. I never really understood the subsequent controversy over the scoring of the fight. I thought Green edged the fight. But at 34, Marshall can come again. Being part of that ever-increasing MVP family will obviously help her cause. A rematch with Green seems the logical way forward.

10: Emma Dolan (8-0)

Emma Dolan could be the real sleeper on this list. The British and Commonwealth super-flyweight champion is highly ranked on the world stage, and a world title opportunity seems imminent. Dolan has beaten the likes of Nicola Hopewell, Shannon Ryan, and Lauren Parker in recent times. Those wins show her pedigree, and don’t be surprised if Emma Dolan is a world champion within the next twelve months.

The Comtenders:

If any fighters can force their way into the top ten in the coming months, Rhiannon Dixon and Tysie Gallagher would appear to be those fighters.

11: Rhiannon Dixon (10-1)

Rhiannon Dixon has been a constant in that top ten, but the emergence of Emma Dolan and Karriss Artingstall has dropped the former world lightweight champion to the outskirts of the list.

Dixon has done remarkably well in her career. Without any amateur career whatsoever, and only a handful of white-collar fights to her name, Dixon winning that WBO bauble after only ten professional fights is some achievement. In truth, an underrated one. The loss to Harper last September could be attributed to a lack of experience, but Dixon was far from disgraced.

The Warrington fighter hasn’t fought since. Foot surgery has delayed her return. Dixon announced her intention to drop down to super-featherweight and has hopes of becoming a two-division world champion. Don’t rule it out.

12: Tysie Gallagher (9-2)

Tysie Gallagher slips under the radar in many ways. Gallagher hasn’t fought since defending her British and Commonwealth super-bantamweight titles last September against Tori-Ellis Willets. A recent scheduled fight with Ebonie Jones fell away in fight week, but Gallagher will return next month when she defends her titles against Ellie Hellewell.

Gallagher hasn’t lost since a close majority points defeat in a world title fight against Segolene Lefebvre in 2023. If she beats Hellewell in September, the hope is that Gallagher can find regular activity and potentially, another opportunity at a world title.

Outside of Dixon and Gallagher, maybe the lower weights could find a real contender for the top ten. The flyweight and super-flyweight ranks could see someone emerge from the pack.

Chloe Watson returns from losing her European title to Jasmina Zapotoczna in March to fight Shannon Ryan at super-flyweight in October in a really good match-up. Maiseyrose Courtney could be about to land a big fight of her own. Nicola Hopewell is also in the mix, and it will be interesting to see which of the above fighters can break through from the pack. Watson fighting Ryan is the way to go. Taking fights that actually elevate your standing. Courtney is of a similar thinking. With her domestic rivals seemingly going in a different direction, Hopewell could, and probably should, fight Jasmina Zapotoczna, who holds wins over Courtney and Watson.

If I were to extend this list, Watson, Ryan, Courtney, and Hopewell would fill the spots between thirteen and sixteen. In what order, others can debate among themselves. Hopefully, in the coming months, that particular picture will become a little clearer.

Going forward, the likes of Harli Whitwell, Gemma Richardson, Hannah Robinson, Jade Pearce, Lillie Winch, and Tiah-Mai Ayton are all worth keeping an eye on as their progress in the sport continues. Most, if not all, have the potential to lead the next generation of talent.

Overall, the depth in the domestic ranks on the female side of the sport is extremely encouraging. And it is improving all the time. With the right promotion, women’s boxing can grow even further.

Photo Credit: MVP, Boxxer, Matchroom Boxing & DAZN.