Well Known Scouse Boxers

Mention Scouse Boxers to some people and they will wonder what underwear you’re putting on.

Most people, though, will know only too well that the city of Liverpool has a long history of seeing people climb into the ring and be able to punch someone else really hard.

Nowadays, the city’s reputation in the world of boxing is as strong as it’s ever been, whilst the likes of Paddy the Baddy have also been able to dominate in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

This is look at those Scouse boxers who have made a name for themselves, considering names from both the past and present.

John Conteh

If you’re looking for some information about a new boxer then you might want to keep scrolling, given the fact that John Conteh stopped fighting several decades ago. In spite of that, he remains the most successful boxer to emerge from Merseyside, becoming the first man from the region to win a world title fight.

He defeated the Argentinian fighter Jorge Ahumada in the WBC light-heavyweight title bout in the October of 1974, also going on to defend his title on three occasions. His final fight took place at Anfield in the May of 1980, resulting in him being awarded an MBE in 2017.

The Smith Family

It would be somewhat unfair to only mention one member of the Smith family, given the manner in which they have dominated boxing in recent years. Paul Smith is the oldest of the group, fighting between 2003 and 2017 and winning titles across numerous divisions. His younger brother, Stephen Smith, fought between 2008 and 2019 and held numerous titles at the regional level.

Liam Smith, meanwhile, began fighting professionally in 2008 and held the World Boxing Organisation light-middleweight belt between 2015 ands 2016. Finally, Callum Smith has won numerous titles across his career.

Tony Bellew

Perhaps better-known nowadays as being a professional mouth in defence of anything and everything that Everton Football Club do, Tony Bellew was a brilliant fighter during his time. He won both British and Commonwealth titles as a light-heavyweight, challenging for versions of the world title but failing to win.

At cruiserweight, however, he won the WBC belt in 2016 when he knocked out Ilunga Makabu in the third round. Any list of the best boxers from Liverpool has to have Bellew on it, even if his eating performance in the film Balboa can barely be forgiven.

Natasha Jonas

Natasha Jonas first began boxing in 2005, working her way up through the divisions as a successful fighter. She competed for GB Boxing in 2009, becoming the first female boxer to do so, winning silver and gold medals. Between 2022 and 2025, Jonas held the unified WBC and WBO light-middleweight world titles, having made her professional debut in the sport in the June of 2017.

Six years later and she became the first black woman to get a manager’s licence from the British Boxing Board of Control, which is some achievement for someone who wanted to be a footballer.

David Price

David Price fought for Long Lane ANC during the early part of his career, turning professional in 2009. He won numerous heavyweight titles at the regional level, which included being the British and Commonwealth champion between 2012 and 2013.

He also did well as an amateur, winning bronze as a super-heavyweight at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. His professional debut came, fittingly enough, in Liverpool when he took on David Ingleby at what was then known as the Liverpool Echo Arena, winning thanks to a third-round knockout against him.

Nel Tarleton

Another one whose best days were some time ago, Nel Tarleton was born in 1906 and won his first British Championship 25 years later. There were 30,000 people inside Anfield to watch that fight, which was the first bout ever to take place inside the famous football ground.

He was forced away from the sport after being in a car crash and getting pneumonia in 1936, but returned four years later and regained the British title. His final fight came after the end of the Second World War, when the 39-year-old beat Al Phillips, seeing him win for the 118th time in his career, 41 through knockout.

Joey Selkirk

If you’d like someone who fits into the bracket of ‘one to watch out for’, how about a fighter that has been described as having ‘more natural ability than any other boxer to come out of Liverpool over the past 20 years’? Those were the words of Danny Vaughan speaking about Joey Selkirk, a boxer who is certainly not shy when it comes to self-belief.

In 2007 he was a quadruple national junior champion, winning the ABA welterweight title before enjoying 13 wins in succession after turning professional. In fact, it is really only a series of hand injuries that have seen his career stall at times.