Since women’s boxing was added to the Olympic Games in 2012, a lot has changed.
Women’s boxing has gone from hidden on undercards to main eventing big events, producing pioneers and generational greats along the way. A few women are even the biggest draws for companies like Most Valuable Promotions and Salita Promotions.
This Thursday will see yet another significant women’s fight, in which WBA junior middleweight titleholder Mary Spencer will face Mikaela Mayer in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Mayer is attempting to be a three-division titleholder. (The vacant WBC and WBO belts are also on the line.)
BoxingScene consulted women’s boxing historian Malissa Smith to come up with a list of the most impactful women boxers since their inclusion in the Olympics.
Here is our list:
15. Alycia Baumgardner
Record: 16-1 (7 KOs)
Baumgardner rose like a phoenix out of the ashes. She knocked out Terri Harper to become a titleholder, then she called her shot against Mikaela Mayer. Baumgardner won a close fight and became a star. She soon became an undisputed champion at junior lightweight, but inactivity has plagued her career since that win. She returns on November 14 against Leila Beaudoin. Baumgardner has excelled at cultivating a fan base using social media. She could become even more impactful as the decade closes. It is worth noting that she didn’t look great against Jennifer Miranda in July.
14. Lauren Price
Record: 9-0 (2 KOs)
Price stood out at the 2020 Olympics for Team Great Britain en route to winning the gold medal. Price has since gone on to win the IBF, WBA and WBC welterweight titles. She holds victories over Jessica McCaskill and Natasha Jonas. Price has the makings of a future legend, but she hasn’t fought since her wide unanimous decision win over Jonas in March.
13. Yesica Bopp
Record: 39-3 (17 KOs)
Bopp was a brilliant two-division titleholder who held belts at junior flyweight and flyweight. She held the WBA junior flyweight title from 2009 to 2022 (and the WBO title for part of that reign), and she also briefly had the WBO flyweight belt before relinquishing it in 2014. According to Smith, Bopp was an impactful champion who carried the torch for women’s boxing in the same way Jackie Nava and Mariana Juarez did. Perhaps she is an overlooked legend.
12. Chantelle Cameron
Record: 21-1 (8 KOs)
Cameron has a strange tale. She was the undisputed junior welterweight champion when she defeated Katie Taylor. Then she lost a close rematch and hasn’t been seen in a big fight since. Cameron is a brilliant pressure fighter able to set up her shots. Yet since beating Taylor, it has felt like she has endured the B-Hop Curse: Opponents who beat Hopkins would go on to have a rough next chapter in their career, like how Chad Dawson, Sergey Kovalev, and Jermain Taylor all saw dips in their careers after besting Hopkins. Cameron got the victory she coveted, but now, at 34, is in relative limbo. Cameron could become even more impactful as time goes on, but holding a win over Taylor is massive.
11. Ellie Scotney
Record: 11-0 (0 KOs)
The next mega-fight in women’s boxing could be Scotney and Gabriela Fundora. Scotney is a special talent who is a rare blend of athleticism, boxing intelligence, and ability. Scotney might just be boxing’s best-kept secret and is up there with Fundora as the most interesting fighter in women’s boxing. Already a unified titleholder, the junior featherweight Scotney aims to become undisputed in her next bout. Wins over Yamileth Mercado and Cherneka Johnson make Scotney stand out amongst her peers.
10. Mikaela Mayer
Record: 21-2 (5 KOs)
One of the major driving forces of this generation of women’s boxers, Mayer was a part of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team. Mayer was featured on ESPN telecasts and has been a major force in women’s boxing in the United States as both a commentator and a fighter. She is on course to become a Hall of Famer and has actively sought challenges since becoming a titleholder. After a debatable loss to Baumgardner, Mayer voyaged up in weight from junior lightweight to lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight, where she won a title against Sandy Ryan. Now, she will look to become a three-division titleholder against Mary Spencer on Thursday.
9. Natasha Jonas
Record: 16-3-1 (9 KOs)
A true British boxing pioneer who followed in the footsteps of Jane Couch. Jonas was the 2022 U.K. Fighter of the Year. She fought Terri Harper to a draw at junior lightweight, lost to Katie Taylor at lightweight, and moved up to junior middleweight, where she would capture three titles. Jonas also won a belt at welterweight and outpointed Mayer. She lost to Price in her last fight.
8. Mariana Juarez
Record: 58-13-4 (20 KOs)
Juarez’s career is not just about her in-ring accomplishments, but also her ability to outlast many of her peers. She turned professional in 1998 and is still fighting in 2025 at the age of 45. A multi-division titleholder at flyweight and bantamweight, Juarez is an aggressive, busy fighter in the ring, and she is one of the pillars of modern Mexican boxing.
7. Gabriela Fundora
Record: 17-0 (9 KOs)
Fundora is the modern legend of women’s boxing: a destructive puncher who could finish her career as the greatest women’s boxer ever. No one has challenged her yet, and she is the undisputed flyweight champion. She has devastating power, similar to Ann Wolfe, and an ability to use her 5ft 9ins frame from distance with David Benavidez-like joy in dishing out punishment to opponents. The next question is: How great can Fundora become?
6. Seniesa Estrada
Record: 26-0 (9 KOs)
In Estrada’s prime, you could make the case that no one was better. Estrada was a blend of timing, skill and charisma. Not unlike Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, or possibly Roy Jones Jr – someone Estrada cited as an inspiration – she fought whoever was in front of her, and she didn’t have many fights that were competitive. Estrada retired as the undisputed strawweight champion. She was a blaze of lightning in the sport who left on her own terms with a Hall of Fame legacy as one of the modern pioneers.
5. Jackie Nava
Record: 40-4-4 (16 KOs)
Not as known to U.S. fight fans, Nava held the throne in a previous era, going unbeaten from 2011 to 2022, when she stopped competing. Nava’s victories include wins over Edith Soledad Matthysse, Mariana Juarez and Alicia Ashley. Nava did it all while winning titles at bantamweight and junior featherweight. She could box and brawl, and she mostly fought without proper exposure in an era in which women’s boxing received little coverage.
4. Amanda Serrano
Record: 47-4-1 (31 KOs)
Serrano was the hidden gem of boxing who never could break into the mainstream until she found an unlikely ally in Jake Paul. With the help of Paul and Most Valuable Promotions, Serrano’s talent has been seen on big stages for the past couple of years. Serrano is a multi-division titleholder from junior bantamweight all the way up to junior welterweight. She has been instrumental in pushing for women to compete in three-minute rounds as opposed to two-minute rounds, traditionally the standard in women’s boxing. Serrano is a first-ballot Hall of Famer who has had a fantastic final act to one of the best careers in women’s boxing. Though she never won against Katie Taylor, their trilogy will go down as the best in women’s boxing history.
3. Cecilia Braekhus
Record: 39-2-1 (9 KOs)
Braekhus’ career, not unlike many legends, shouldn’t just be defined by her skill and craft, but also by her longevity. Braekhus was the best women’s boxer in the dark ages after Laila Ali and Christy Martin left the sport, holding the undisputed welterweight championship for several years. Braekhus was the first woman to headline an HBO Boxing card, and she was also the reason boxing was legalized in Norway. For her final act, Braekhus won two world titles at junior middleweight days after turning 44.
2. Katie Taylor
Record: 25-1 (6 KOs)
Taylor’s greatest ability is to win. She didn’t fully convert to a pro style, but she could gut out a tough fight. When she faced Amanda Serrano for their trilogy, in which Taylor won each fight, she never looked for “A-side” advantages. She just showed up and fought. Taylor defined a generation of women who boxed, looking to be taken seriously with dignity and respect. Taylor is an all-time great, winning undisputed championships at lightweight and junior welterweight. Even in a loss to Chantelle Cameron, Taylor never skipped a beat, avenging it with a close victory in their rematch.
1. Claressa Shields
Record: 17-0 (3 KOs)
The most accomplished women’s boxer ever is Claressa Shields. Two gold medals, a multi-division titleholder at junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, The “GWOAT” has been so good that high-level opponents look pedestrian in comparison. Shields’ signature win came against Savannah Marshall in the United Kingdom, but she also defeated Christina Hammer, perceived as the best available opposition when she fought her. Shields consistently beat the best. Shields will be remembered fondly once her career is over for all that she contributed.
Honorable Mentions: Cherneka Johnson, Savannah Marshall, Dina Thorslund, Jessica McCaskill, Caroline Dubois, Nicola Adams, Marlen Esparza, Delfine Persoon, Skye Nicolson and Queen Underwood.
