Britain's worst boxers – UK's hardest journeymen with 688 defeats between them

While Floyd Mayweather managed a stellar 50-0 record, these boxers have wrote their names into the annals of history for the wrong reason – each losing more than 100 bouts in the ring

People worldwide will have heard the names Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather Jr at some point or another.

After all, you don't even have to be a fan of boxing to know what the prize-fighters have achieved both inside and outside of the squared circle. Mayweather etched his name into the history books by crafting a flawless 50-0 record, while Mike Tyson was a boxing prodigy from a very young age, known for his ruthless aggression and knockout power.

Ali, meanwhile, dazzled the world with his speed and footwork in the ring, as well as his intelligence and activism outside of it. And while these men have reaped the financial successes of one of the world's leading sports over the years, and lavished in the fame which is a part and parcel of being a champion, there are many other who have had their dreams of ever securing such prestige crushed through tarnished records from the off.

Nobody wants to be beaten in a fight, and many seasoned boxers will hang up their gloves when they skid onto a losing streak. But the following boxers have chosen to continue fighting as journeymen – something that takes real heart and dedication.

In essence, journeymen like the following names have a key part to play in the world of professional boxing. They help introduce new boxers to the ranks, make fights incredibly exciting when there is little hype surrounding them, and fill in on short notice when another fighter pulls out.

While embracing the highs that championship level boxing has to offer can be incredibly tough and taxing to achieve, there's no doubt that a journeyman's career is far tougher mentally and physically. Without further ado, Mirror Fighting breaks down some of the most one-sided records in British boxing history...

MJ Hall - Record of 3-122-3

Super-welterweight scrapper MJ Hall has only tasted success on three occasions throughout his lengthy boxing career. With a record of 0-18-1 at the time, he beat Terry Maughan in October 2019 on points, before besting Carl Chadwick the very same month by the same method.

And while fans may have assumed that Hall was about to miraculously turn around his career thanks to his two fight winning streak, Hall ultimately didn't taste victory for another three years, beating Declan Cairns in October 2022 thanks to the judges' nod.

Fast forward to 2024, Hall is still an incredibly active fighter at the age of 32 – despite currently going 34 fights without seeing a victory. His most recent loss came at the hands of Jake Goodwin on points in July. Despite holding an overall record of 3-122-3, Hall has only been knocked out eight times – showing that he has a chin on him.

Speaking to Boxing News Online about the part he plays in the world of combat sports, Hall said: "There are some lads who are 6-0, 7-0, 8-0 who shouldn’t be fighting me. I get that. They shouldn’t be pumped up like that. On the other hand, there are lads who are 1-0, 2-0 or who need to get back on track. They need me."

Naeem Ali - Record of 3-131-1

Blackburn's Nayeem Ali may share the same surname as legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, but his record couldn't be further away from the boxing king's. The 29-year-old welterweight has had 135 bouts in the squared circle, only winning on three occasions over Leo Fanthome, Darren Townley and Lee Williams.

Credit where credit is due though, Ali achieved TKO victories over Fanthome and Townley, before only managing to beat Williams on points. The scrapper is currently on a seven-fight skid with a record of 3-131-1, and has two scheduled bouts for the forthcoming winter. He will face 1-0 Josh Paladino in November, before taking on 3-0 Dylan Clift in December.

Speaking to Punchout Boxing about his career, Ali said: "Someone messaged me one day on Facebook saying 'why don't you just be a journeyman' and 'don't let go of boxing because you're quite good... you can make good money out of it'. So I had a look into it and looked at all of the other journeyman boxers and thought, 'well, I can do this'."

He also explained that he got his licence approved on a Thursday, and was already fighting just two days later.

Darryl Sharp - Record of 8-123-1

While Manchester's Darryl Sharp has eight wins to his name in his pro boxing career, one coming by way of knockout, it's hard not to be distracted by the 32-year-old's 123 losses to date. The light-heavyweight's last victory came in the form of a points win over Ben Thomas last September, and he is currently eight fights deep without a win to his name – including a knockout loss to Callum Johnson last December.

Sharp hasn't fought since his points loss to Marvin Tomlinson back in February, and he has no future bouts scheduled according to BoxRec. Speaking about his career to Pro Boxing Fans back in 2020, Sharp said: "It’s a really good experience to be a journeyman, I think it’s one of the best jobs you can do really. I don’t really look into it but if the phone rang I’ll be there if anyone needs me really."

When asked if his record affects him, he added: "No, no, it did at the beginning because I didn’t really understand it, but now I understand it, if it makes money it makes sense doesn’t it. If I can come home to my kids it makes sense to me. I’ve got two kids, but the main reason I do it is obviously for the money, but I’ve got a big love for fighting anyway."

Jordan Grannum - Record of 11-145-5

Unlike many of the others on this list, Islington super-middleweight Jordan Grannum actually kicked off his career with a win. The 31-year-old bested William Warburton on points in his debut fight back in October 2015, before going 2-0 with a win over Ali Wyatt the next April.

However, his career trajectory made a U-turn shortly afterwards, racking up 26 losses before he next tasted the sweetness of victory. Fast forward to 2024, and Grannum has an overall record of 11-145-5, losing three of his fights by knockout.

His most recent defeat came at the hands of Owen Anderton, but seemingly undeterred by his record, Grannum has three fights scheduled over the coming months. He will face 1-0 Ted Jackson and 3-0 Leon Musson this month, before duking it out with 0-0-1 Meshack Quailey in December.

Speaking to Boxing Now about his career last year, Grannum said: "A good journeyman comes up against a good prospect, and the prospect's really sharp, journeyman's probably gonna go in his shell and make sure he survives. He's fighting next week, you know how it is. But I think there'll be a lot more tests along the way, so these prospects, they gotta stay ready."

Fonz Alexander - Record of 9-167-1

Similarly to the aforementioned Grannum, Fonz Alexander also kicked off his boxing career with a win. The future looked bright for the 36-year-old Newark native when he bested Harjinder Gill back in March 2014, but the highs of his victory didn't stick around for long.

That's because Alexander was bested by also 1-0 at the time Fion O'Meara later that very same month. Undeterred, Alexander bounced back with determination by beating Marvin Greaves in May 2014 to bolster his record to 2-1, but an eight-fight skid thereafter spelled disaster for his hopes of becoming Britain's next big thing at welterweight.

With a record of 9-167-1 in 2024, Alexander's last win came over Declan Cairns in April this year, and he is currently on a six-fight losing streak. He hasn't fought since his knockout loss to Giorgio Isaila last month, and has no scheduled bouts on his BoxRec page. Speaking to Punchout Boxing last year, Alexander said: "My goal is probably to get to about 200 fights and then see how I end up around that area - see if I want to retire or not.

"If not I'll keep going - see if I can beat the 300 record. I enjoy boxing mate, I love fighting. I'm quite old now so I can't go like I used to, but just being able to get in the ring and give the kid a good go and some experience is worth it. A bit of pocket money as well."

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