British fighters have always operated at the top level of world boxing, but only two of them make the cut when it comes to a report on the \u2018Top 25 Best Of The Century.\u2019<\/p>\n
The first-ever British world champion<\/a> was a Cornish professional, Robert \u2018Bob\u2019 Fitzsimmons, who lived from 1863 to 1917. He was also the sport\u2019s first three-division world champion, which he achieved aged 40, and is in the record books as the lightest ever heavyweight champion.<\/p>\n Since then, there have been many great British divisional rulers up and down the weights from undisputed heavyweight ruler Lennox Lewis<\/a> to the popular Londoner Frank Bruno via Nottingham\u2019s super-middleweight star Carl Froch<\/a>.<\/p>\n There is also Scotland\u2019s undisputed stars Ken Buchanan and Josh Taylor, two-weight champion Ricky Hatton, flashy showman Prince Naseem Hamed and middleweights like Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn and Alan Minter as well plenty fighters in the smaller weights such as Charlie and Sunny Edwards and Duke McKenzie.<\/p>\n In terms of British representation in the new list compiled by ESPN<\/a>, in 12th place is Joe Calzaghe<\/a>, who won all 46 fights and successfully defended his WBO super middleweight title a record 21 times before beating Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr up at light heavyweight.<\/p>\n