1. Carl Froch
Nottingham’s most famous fighter, Froch became WBC super-middleweight belt-holder in 2008, defeating Jean Pascal at home. He won and lost the title before knocking out George Groves at Wembley.
2. Herol Graham
Though synonymous with Sheffield’s Wincobank gym, Graham was born in Nottingham in 1959. A British, Commonwealth and European champion, he challenged three times for world titles but never won one.
3. Jason Booth
‘2 Smooth’ Booth won the British flyweight title in 1999 and the Commonwealth title in 2000, beating Ian Napa. Successful at bantamweight and super-bantamweight, he won domestic honours and challenged for a world belt in 2010.
4. Delroy Bryan
Bryan conquered Kirkland Laing in 1991 to become British welterweight champion. That was a belt he then won a second time when beating Pat Barrett in ’93.
5. Wally Swift
Swift won the British welterweight title in 1960, beating Tommy Moy on points over 15 rounds. He tried to add more titles, but came up short in bids for British, Commonwealth and European titles at 154 and 160lbs.
6. Leigh Wood
After an unsuccessful British super-bantamweight title challenge in 2014, Wood won the featherweight version of the belt in 2021, stopping Reece Mould in nine rounds. He then beat Can Xu to claim a title.
7. Jawaid Khaliq
‘Too Sleek’ Khaliq was a fixture of Sky Sports’ Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre shows in the early noughties and made his name as an IBO bauble-holder via a series of fights too good for the title at stake.
8. Nicky Booth
Nicky Booth lifted British and Commonwealth belts in 2000 when outpointing Tommy Waite. He would successfully defend his Lonsdale title five times.
9. Johnny Pritchett
Pritchett won the British middleweight title in 1965, against Wally Swift, then the Commonwealth belt in ’67 against Milo Calhoun. His last fight, in ’69, was an unsuccessful European title challenge against Juan Carlos Durán.
10. Dave Needham
A gold medallist at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, Needham turned pro in ’71, and became British bantamweight champion in ’74, outpointing Paddy Maguire. By ’78 he had both won the British featherweight title and lost a European title challenge.
