Women's Boxing — From Underground to Undisputed

Women have boxed for almost as long as men. The first recorded women's boxing match in England was reported in the London Journal of 1722 — bare-knuckle, bare-armed, with a coin held in each fist that the loser would drop when knocked down. By the 1880s women's exhibitions were a fixture of American variety shows. But women's boxing was banned by most jurisdictions through the 20th century: the British Boxing Board of Control did not sanction a women's licence until 1998; New York State did not until 1996. The IBF, WBC, WBA, and WBO each launched women's championships in the early-mid 1990s. The modern era begins with Christy Martin's March 1996 fight with Deirdre Gogarty on the undercard of Mike Tyson vs. Frank Bruno II. The fight was such a hit that Time magazine put Martin on its cover the following week — the first time women's boxing had been treated as a mainstream sport in America. Don King had signed Martin in 1993 (the first woman signed by a top promoter). The momentum was real but slow. Laila Ali's June 2001 fight with Jacqui Frazier-Lyde — daughters of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, on the 30th anniversary of their fathers' first fight — was the first women's boxing PPV. Ali won by majority decision; both women retired with strong records. The Olympic Games admitted women's boxing in 2012 — Katie Taylor won lightweight gold for Ireland, Claressa Shields won middleweight gold for the U.S. as a 17-year-old. Both turned pro within the decade and have since headlined major events: Shields became the only fighter in history to be undisputed four-belt champion in three different weight classes (middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight). Taylor's April 2022 fight with Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden was the first women's boxing event to headline MSG and one of the best fights of the 21st century in any gender division. As of 2026, Cecilia Brækhus (Norway), Katie Taylor (Ireland), Claressa Shields (USA), Amanda Serrano (Puerto Rico), and Savannah Marshall (UK) have all been recognised as undisputed champions in their primary divisions. Women's bouts now headline cards on DAZN, ESPN, and Sky Sports. The pay gap remains — top women earn roughly 1/10 of top men — but the four-belt era of women's boxing has begun.