The Most Famous
BOXERS from Ireland
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Irish Boxers of all time. This list of famous Irish Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Kevin McBride (b. 1973)
With an HPI of 45.74, Kevin McBride is the most famous Irish Boxer. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages on wikipedia.
Kevin Martin McBride (born 10 May 1973) is an Irish former professional boxer who is best known for defeating Mike Tyson. As an amateur, McBride competed for Ireland at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
2. Katie Taylor (b. 1986)
With an HPI of 38.58, Katie Taylor is the 2nd most famous Irish Boxer. Her biography has been translated into 31 different languages.
Katie Taylor (born 2 July 1986) is an Irish professional boxer and former footballer. She was the undisputed and undefeated lineal world lightweight champion from 2019 to 2024, and has held the unified and lineal world super lightweight championship since 2023. Hugely popular in Ireland, she is credited with raising the profile of women's boxing at home and abroad, and is regarded as the outstanding Irish athlete of her generation. She is considered by many to be the greatest female boxer of all time. In her amateur boxing career, Taylor won five consecutive gold medals at the Women's World Championships, gold six times at the European Championships, and gold five times at the European Union Championships. She was the flag bearer for Ireland at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony before going on to win the gold medal in the lightweight division. Taylor turned professional in 2016 under Matchroom Boxing. After winning the WBA lightweight title in 2017 and the IBF title the following year, her unification victory over Delfine Persoon in Madison Square Garden made her the eighth boxer in history (female or male) to hold all four major world titles in boxing—IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO—simultaneously. In November 2023 she repeated the feat at super lightweight when she beat Chantelle Cameron in Dublin for the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC, and WBO titles, regaining the latter she initially won from Christina Linardatou in 2019. As of September 2025, Taylor is ranked as the world's best active female super lightweight by BoxRec and the best active female boxer, pound-for-pound, by The Ring and BoxRec. She is known for her fast-paced, aggressive boxing style.
3. Kellie Harrington (b. 1989)
With an HPI of 37.78, Kellie Harrington is the 3rd most famous Irish Boxer. Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.
Kellie Anne Harrington (born 11 December 1989) is an Irish amateur boxer. During her career she was double Olympic gold medalist, winning at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and 2018 World champion. Harrington also won gold medals at the 2023 European Games and European Championship.
4. Darren Sutherland (1982 - 2009)
With an HPI of 34.98, Darren Sutherland is the 4th most famous Irish Boxer. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Darren John Sutherland (18 April 1982 – 14 September 2009) was an Irish professional boxer from Mulhuddart, Dublin. His amateur career was crowned by a 2008 Olympic bronze medal.
5. John Joe Nevin (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 34.68, John Joe Nevin is the 5th most famous Irish Boxer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
John Joseph Nevin (born 7 June 1989) is an Irish professional boxer. He is a two-time Olympian, and a London 2012 silver medalist.
6. Kenny Egan (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 33.04, Kenny Egan is the 6th most famous Irish Boxer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Kenneth Egan (born 7 January 1982) is an Irish politician and boxer from Clondalkin, Dublin best known for winning a silver medal in the final of the 81 kg, Light-Heavyweight boxing final at the 2008 Olympics. He won the European Gold Medal in the 2008 Athens Olympic Qualifiers and a European Bronze Medal in 2006 and 2010 at Light-heavyweight. He was elected to South Dublin County Council for Fine Gael in the 2014 local elections.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Irish boxers born between 1973 and 1989. Of these 6, 5 (83.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Irish boxers include Kevin McBride, Katie Taylor, and Kellie Harrington. The most famous deceased Irish boxers include Darren Sutherland. As of April 2024, 1 new Irish boxers have been added to Pantheon including Kevin McBride.
Living Irish Boxers
Go to all Rankings
Kevin McBride
1973 - Present
HPI: 45.74
Katie Taylor
1986 - Present
HPI: 38.58
Kellie Harrington
1989 - Present
HPI: 37.78
John Joe Nevin
1988 - Present
HPI: 34.68
Kenny Egan
1982 - Present
HPI: 33.04
