Best European Boxers
Europe is the birthplace of the modern sport of boxing. From there, the sport grew and many legendary boxers came from the nations of Europe.
Here is a short list of five of the best European boxers ever. Check out the list of legendary European fighters below and next time one of these legends enters the ring you know you can find the best odds at Betway.
Joe Calzaghe (Wales)
We’re starting off our list of the best European boxers with the legend Joe Calzaghe. The all-time great from Wales, who had an incredible career as an undefeated boxing champion.
The pride of Wales had a 15-year career, where he won numerous world titles in two-divisions. This includes being both the reigning unified and lineal super-middleweight champion.
Calzaghe then moved up to light-heavyweight and beat the legend Bernard Hopkins for the Ring light-heavyweight title. Joe defended the title one time against another legend in Roy Jones Jr before retiring with a perfect 46-0 record.
Nino Benvenuti (Italy)
Giovanni “Nino” Benvenuti is an Italian legend, who is easily one of the best European boxers ever. During the 1960s, Nino was one of the sport’s top boxers, who was an undisputed champion in two divisions.
After Benvenuti won Olympic gold in 1960, he went on to dominate the super-welterweight and middleweight divisions. For a year, Nino held the undisputed super-welterweight championship from 1965 to 1966 before moving up to middleweight.
At middleweight, Nino held the undisputed middleweight title twice from 1967 to 1970. After his 90 fight pro career, Benvenuti then went on to be a successful businessman and Italian TV personality. He was enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.
Georges Carpentier (France)
The French legend Georges Carpentier was not only one of the best European boxers, but also a war hero. As a pugilist, Carpentier was as tough as they come and fought in four weight classes during his 18-year boxing career.
Georges won titles in all four divisions multiple times during his career and fought the best boxers of the era. In between his legendary boxing career, Carpentier was a pilot during WWI and then became a world-class rugby player.
Carpentier is truly a legendary French sportsman, who lived an incredible life.
Max Schmeling (Germany)
The German legend Max Schmeling was one of the best European boxers of the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first German heavyweight champion in history, who held the title from 1930 to 1932.
His most notable win came against the icon Joe Louis, who he knocked out in Yankee Stadium. Louis knocked Schmeling out in their rematch and they later became life-long friends.
What was more amazing about Max’s life was he survived Nazi Germany and had a moderately successful comeback. Schmeling then found wealth after boxing by becoming the face of Coca-Cola in Germany during its re-entry into the country.
Benny Lynch (Scotland)
The last fighter we’ll spotlight on our list of the best European boxers is the Scottish icon Benny Lynch. Benny is considered one of the all-time best flyweight fighters in boxing history.
During his successful career, Lynch won multiple flyweight titles and recorded 88 professional wins in his 100+ professional bouts. Lynch was able to achieve incredible success despise suffering from severe alcoholism, which cut his life short.
