After Nick Ball defeated TJ Doheny in Liverpool on Saturday, he again staked a claim for being Britain’s finest active male fighter. 

It was after the close of 2024 that it was debated whether he or IBF heavyweight Daniel Dubois was Britain’s Fighter of the Year, after Ball had drawn with Rey Vargas, beaten Raymond Ford and also Ronnie Rios, but now Ball’s supporters – the ranks of which are starting to swell – believe he may be Britain’s finest active male boxer.

Here, the BoxingScene UK team discusses who might be the best UK fighter at present.

Declan Warrington
Tyson Fury. He's only ever lost two fights — narrowly, to an all-time great in Oleksandr Usyk. You can also be certain that he isn't retired and will fight on — in all probability, he'll fight again before the end of 2025. Even before the first fight with Usyk he was showing signs of decline, but there isn't another British fighter at the level he's likely still at today.

Tris Dixon
I think the heavyweight division has been the flagship class for the UK for a while, and so it’s hard to look beyond Fury – if he’s not really retired – Daniel Dubois and, still Anthony Joshua. Ball has a claim, no doubt, but I question whether his resume is as strong as Callum Smith’s and I think his ceiling might be beneath that of Galal Yafai, who is an excellent talent. I’d agree with Dec in saying Fury, but I’d also say it’s tough to separate those on the rung beneath, and Ball is definitely one of them.

Elliot Worsell
If we choose to believe Tyson Fury and consider him retired, I would probably say Daniel Dubois. His stoppage win over Anthony Joshua trumps anything on Nick Ball’s record at the moment and his form is as good as anyone’s in Britain right now. Beyond that, Callum Smith and Jack Catterall are in with a shout, but it’s a fairly shallow talent pool these days, particularly if we’re talking about achievements at the top level.

Matt Christie
It would be astonishing if Tyson Fury’s latest ‘retirement’ sticks but, without a fight in his calendar nor concrete negotiations in place to arrange one, for now we take him at his word. Callum Smith is in with a shout of being Britain’s best active fighter, so too Daniel Dubois at heavyweight considering his recent run of form. Yet there’s an argument that featherweight Nick Ball, who gets my vote, is currently the world’s best in his division – no other British male can claim the same.

Tom Ivers
I’m not considering Tyson Fury because you can’t say you’re retired and expect to be considered in active fighter lists. I think it’s between Daniel Dubois, Callum Smith, and Nick Ball. Smith has probably got the best accolades of the three, but, like Dubois, he cannot call himself the best in his division. Nick Ball can and that is why he gets my pick.