Lonsdale Belt

The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing.^[1] The 5th Earl of Lonsdale introduced the prize on behalf of the National Sporting Club (NSC), intending it to be awarded to British boxing champions. Arthur Frederick Bettinson, manager of the NSC, introduced terms and conditions regarding the holding of the belt, which ensured its lasting prestige. Freddie Welsh earned the first Lonsdale Belt in 1909 after winning the NSC British Lightweight title. Heavyweight Henry Cooper was the first and only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts. In 1929 the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) assumed responsibility for awarding the belt, which continues to be bestowed on British champions.

Lonsdale Belt
Awarded for	British Boxing Champion
Sponsored by	National Sporting Club, British Boxing Board of Control
Country	United Kingdom
Presented by	National Sporting Club (1909–1929) BBBofC (1929–present)
First award	8 November 1909
Website	www.bbbofc.com

Only six boxers have won two Lonsdale belts each outright since 1934, which led to the BBBofC introducing more stringent rules of attainment in the 1980s and 1990s. The last winner of two belts was Clinton McKenzie in 1987. The Lonsdale belt is a coveted prize with great monetary and sentimental value, finding homes in private collections and museums, and has been auctioned for large sums of money. Belts have been stolen on numerous occasions, none of which have ever been found. Since 1909, only 161 boxers have won a Lonsdale belt outright across all weights. In 2013 the BBBofC in a move to acknowledge further the esteem held for outright Lonsdale belt winners introduced the Lonsdale Badge. Outright winners of the belt are now entitled to display this badge on their boxing shorts during bouts. In May 2023, Welsh boxer Lauren Price became the first female holder of the belt.

History

The original Challenge Belt design presented by the National Sporting Club 1909–1929

1909–1936: National Sporting Club

Lord Lonsdale was the first president of the National Sporting Club (NSC).^[2] In 1909, he introduced the Lonsdale Belt—originally the Challenge Belt—as a new trophy for British boxing champions in each weight division.^[3] A 9-carat or 22-carat gold belt composed of two heavy chains with a central enamel medallion depicting a boxing match, the centrepiece is flanked by enamel medallions showing single boxers and gold medallions with a scroll on which is inscribed the names of belt winners. The medallions are interspersed with smaller gold medallions depicting the Union Rose. The belts are backed with a red, white and blue ribbon.^[4] The first belts were made in the Birmingham workshop of jewellers Mappin & Webb^[5] The silversmiths and trophy makers Thomas Fattorini Ltd, were commissioned to make the belts in sterling silver in the early 1970s and have been making them since. The manufacturer and the date a belt was manufactured can be identified by the hallmark on the parts. Each portrait of Lord Lonsdale is uniquely hand painted in vitreous enamel.^[6] A total of 22 Lonsdale belts were issued by the NSC; 20 were won outright.^[3]

The manager of the NSC Arthur Frederick Bettinson published details about the terms and conditions of holding the belt agreed by the NSC in Sporting Life on 22 December 1909. The main rules were:

• The holder was required to defend his title within six months of a challenge. Minimum stake of £100 a side (£200 for heavyweights, £50 for flyweights)
• The belt became the holder's property after three successful bouts held under the auspices of the NSC, consecutive or otherwise, or after it was held for three consecutive years. Outright winners would also receive an NSC pension of £50 a year from the age of 50.
• The holder was required to pay a deposit and insurance for the belt.^[7]

The first recipient of this belt was Freddie Welsh, who defeated Johnny Summers on 8 November 1909 for the NSC British Lightweight title.^[8]

First holders of NSC Challenge belts

Champion	Reign began	Defeated	Weight class
Freddie Welsh	8 November 1909	Johnny Summers[9]	Lightweight
Tom Thomas	20 December 1909	Charlie Wilson[10]	Middleweight
Young Joseph	21 March 1910	Jack Goldswain[11]	Welterweight
Jim Driscoll	18 April 1910	Spike Robson[12]	Featherweight
Digger Stanley	17 October 1910	Joe Bowker[13]	Bantamweight
Billy Wells	24 April 1911	Iron Hague[14]	Heavyweight
Sid Smith	4 December 1911	Joe Wilson[15]	Flyweight
Dick Smith	9 March 1914	Dennis Haugh[16]	Light-heavyweight

1936–present: British Boxing Board of Control

George Groves displays the Lonsdale belt presented by the BBBofC. Picture is changed to a portrait of Lord Lonsdale, replacing the two boxers in the original version.

The NSC became virtually defunct in 1929 and lost control of the sport to the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC), which started to issue the Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt in 1936.^[17] Lonsdale consented to the use of his name and image on the belt in perpetuity; an image of his face remains on it. In 1939 the last 9-carat gold belt was launched by the BBBofC^[17] and won by the lightweight Eric Boon that year.^[18] The last 9-carat gold belt was won outright by Henry Cooper in 1959. Belts made from 1945 are composed of hallmarked silver and the laurel-leaf border has the thistle, daffodil and shamrock added to the extant rose to represent the four national flowers of the UK.^[17] The belt was machine-made for a short time in the 1970s before the BBBofC decided to have it hand-made again, passing the contract to Thomas Fattorini Ltd, who continue to make the belts as of 2019^[update]. Each belt costs £14,000.^[17]

First holders of the BBBofC Lonsdale Belt

Champion	Reign Began	Defeated	Weight class
Benny Lynch	16 September 1936	Pat Palmer[19]	Flyweight
Johnny McGrory	24 September 1936	Nel Tarleton[20]	Featherweight
Jimmy Walsh	19 October 1936	Harry Mizler[21]	Lightweight
Jock McAvoy	27 April 1937	Eddie Phillips[22]	Light-heavyweight
Johnny King	31 May 1937	Jackie Brown[23]	Bantamweight
Tommy Farr	15 March 1937	Ben Foord[9]	Heavyweight
Jock McAvoy	25 October 1937	Jack Hyams[22]	Middleweight
Jake Kilrain	21 February 1938	Jack Lord[24]	Welterweight

Female champion

On 6 May 2023, Welsh boxer Lauren Price won the first British women's title fight in boxing history, becoming the first female British welterweight champion and the first woman to receive a Lonsdale belt, by defeating Kirstie Bavington by unanimous points victory.^[25][26][27]

Changes

In 1987, the BBBofC decided to award only one belt to any boxer in each division. A boxer can, however, win belts outright in different weight classes.^[28]

On 1 September 1999 the BBBofC changed the criteria for winning a belt outright; boxers must now win four—rather than three—championship contests in the same weight division. The rule also stipulates that one of the four wins must be a mandatory contest. The BBBofC general secretary John Morris cited the rising costs of making the belts as the chief reason for the rule change.^[29]

The BBBofC introduced the Lonsdale Badge in 2013; it is worn by outright winners. According to a Eurosport report:^[30]

Donations and auctions

The Lonsdale belt won by Bombardier Billy Wells in 1911 is now kept at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, London, and is not on display to the general public.^[31] Johnny Brown's Lonsdale Belt was donated to the Museum of London in 2010.^[32] In November 2000 the belt awarded to Randy Turpin in 1956 was auctioned for £23,000 while in September 2011, the belt won by the welterweight Jack Hood in 1926 fetched £36,000. Hood, who died in 1992, had displayed his belt above the bar at the Bell public house, of which he was the licensee, in Tanworth-in-Arden .^[33]

In 1993, Henry Cooper sold all three of his belts for £42,000 after losing heavily on the Lloyd's insurance market.^[34] One of the belts—the last one made of gold—was sold for £22,000. The others sold for £10,000 each. Cooper was expecting £70,000 for the sale but was content they were all sold together.^[34]

Theft

The belts have attracted targeted theft over the years. The first recorded in the media was Don Cockell's Lonsdale belt, which was stolen in 1952 from a glass cabinet at his home in London while he was out dancing. He did not own the £15,000 belt at the time, needing one more victory.^[35] In 2007, after attending a training camp, Bobby Vanzie returned to his home to Bradford and discovered his belt had been stolen. Tara promoter Jack Doughty said in the Manchester Evening News: "This is the best belt a boxer can win. It is better than those for world title fights, gold plated with a portrait of Lord Lonsdale in the middle."^[36]

Pat McAteer's belt was stolen from his son's home at Annapolis, Maryland, in 2012.^[37] The boxer's son, also named Pat, told the Liverpool Echo that since his father's death he has only had the belt out once to show his nine-year-old nephew Will. "Will was like ‘wow’ when he saw ‘Pop Pop's’ belt. He was going to inherit the belt from me and he was to pass it to his son and so on, so it would stay in the McAteer family."^[37] Jack Petersen's Lonsdale belt was stolen from his son's home in Burnham, Buckinghamshire in 2013. His son Robert, managing director of Cardiff PR firm Petersens, told Wales Online: "It's the family's crown jewels, a magnificent looking piece of art. It would be a terrible shame if it was melted down."^[38]

Current holders of the BBBofC Lonsdale Belt

Champion	Reign began	Defeated	Weight class
Jay Harris	5 May 2023	Tommy Frank	Flyweight
Brandon Daord	8 February 2025	Matty McHale	Super flyweight
Andrew Cain	20 July 2024	Ashley Lane	Bantamweight
Dennis McCann	16 March 2024	Brad Strand	Super bantamweight
Zak Miller	8 February 2025	Masood Abdulah	Featherweight
Reece Bellotti	10 February 2024	Liam Dillon	Super featherweight
Sam Noakes	10 February 2024	Lewis Sylvester	Lightweight
Jack Rafferty	5 October 2024	Henry Turner	Super lightweight
Conah Walker	25 January 2025	Harry Scarff	Welterweight
Samuel Antwi	1 September 2023	Mason Cartwright	Super welterweight
Denzel Bentley	7 December 2024	Brad Pauls	Middleweight
Callum Simpson	3 August 2024	Zak Chelli	Super middleweight
Lewis Edmondson	19 October 2024	Dan Azeez	Light heavyweight
Viddal Riley	26 April 2025	Cheavon Clarke	Cruiserweight
David Adeleye	5 April 2025	Jaemie Tshikeva	Heavyweight

Outright winners of Lonsdale belt

Key

A statue of Jim Driscoll, first ever winner of the Lonsdale Belt, in Cardiff

Pat O'Keeffe was the first middleweight to win the Lonsdale Belt, in 1918.

***	Outright winner of 3 belts
**	Outright winner of 2 belts

Henry Cooper is the only man to have ever won three Lonsdale Belts outright.

Lloyd Honeyghan went on to reign as the undisputed welterweight champion from 1986 to 1987 and held the WBC, Ring magazine and lineal welterweight titles twice between 1986 and 1989.

Lennox Lewis went on to become a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and remains the last heavyweight to hold the undisputed title.

Michael Gomez competed from 1995 to 2009. He was born to an Irish Traveller family in Longford, County Longford, Ireland

Jamie Moore survived a murder attempt in Spain in 2014^[39]

Carl Froch competed from 2002 to 2014, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator for Sky Sports.

As of February 2019, Lee Selby was ranked as the world's fourth best active lightweight by BoxRec.^[40]

Champion	Weight class	Year achieved
Jim Driscoll	Featherweight	1910[41]
Digger Stanley	Bantamweight	1912[42]
Freddie Welsh	Lightweight	1912[43]
Bombardier Billy Wells	Heavyweight	1913[44]
Johnny Basham	Welterweight	1915[45]
Joe Fox	Bantamweight	1917[46]
Jimmy Wilde	Flyweight	1917[47]
Tancy Lee	Featherweight	1917[48]
Dick Smith	Light-heavyweight	1918[49]
Pat O'Keeffe	Middleweight	1918[50]
Jim Higgins	Bantamweight	1921[51]
Johnny Brown	Bantamweight	1925[52]
Jack Hood	Welterweight	1926[53]
Len Harvey	Middleweight	1930[54]
Johnny Cuthbert	Featherweight	1930[55]
Jackie Brown	Flyweight	1932[55]
Dick Corbett	Bantamweight	1934[56]
Nel Tarleton**	Featherweight	1934[57]
Jock McAvoy	Middleweight	1935[55]
Jack Petersen	Heavyweight	1935[58]
Johnny King	Bantamweight	1937[55]
Eric Boon	Lightweight	1939[59]
Ernie Roderick	Welterweight	1941[60]
Jackie Paterson	Flyweight	1943[61]
Nel Tarleton**	Featherweight	1945[62]
Billy Thompson	Lightweight	1950[63]
Ronnie Clayton**	Featherweight	1950[64]
Peter Keenan**	Bantamweight	1951[65]
Ronnie Clayton**	Featherweight	1953[66]
Terry Allen	Flyweight	1953[67]
Wally Thom	Welterweight	1954[68]
Randolph Turpin	Light-heavyweight	1956[69]
Joe Lucy	Lightweight	1956[70]
Peter Keenan**	Bantamweight	1957[71]
Pat McAteer	Middleweight	1957[72]
Charlie Hill	Featherweight	1958[73]
Terry Downes	Middleweight	1960[74]
Brian Curvis**	Welterweight	1961[75]
Henry Cooper ***	Heavyweight	1961[76]
Freddie Gilroy	Bantamweight	1962[77]
Howard Winstone**	Featherweight	1962[78]
Howard Winstone**	Featherweight	1963[79]
Chic Calderwood	Light-heavyweight	1963[80]
Brian Curvis**	Welterweight	1964[81]
Henry Cooper ***	Heavyweight	1964[82]
Walter McGowan	Flyweight	1966[83]
Maurice Cullen	Lightweight	1966[84]
Henry Cooper ***	Heavyweight	1967[31]
Johnny Pritchett	Middleweight	1967[85]
Alan Rudkin	Bantamweight	1969[86]
Jimmy Anderson	Super-featherweight	1969[87]
Ralph Charles	Welterweight	1971[88]
Ken Buchanan	Lightweight	1973[89]
John McCluskey	Flyweight	1974[90]
Evan Armstrong	Featherweight	1974[91]
Chris Finnegan	Light-heavyweight	1975[92]
Joey Singleton	Super-lightweight	1975[93]
Alan Minter	Middleweight	1976[94]
Maurice Hope	Super-welterweight	1976[95]
Jim Watt	Lightweight	1977[96]
Jimmy Batten	Super-welterweight	1978[97]
Bunny Johnson	Light-heavyweight	1979[98]
Colin Powers	Super-lightweight	1979[99]
Johnny Owen	Bantamweight	1979[100]
Pat Thomas	Super-welterweight	1979[101]
Kevin Finnegan	Middleweight	1979[102]
Clinton McKenzie**	Light-welterweight	1979[103]
Pat Cowdell	Featherweight	1980[104]
Roy Gumbs	Middleweight	1982[105]
Tom Collins	Light-heavyweight	1983[106]
Dennis Andries	Light-heavyweight	1984[107]
George Feeney	Lightweight	1984[108]
Hugh Russell	Bantamweight	1985[109]
Cohn Jones	Welterweight	1985[110]
Lloyd Honeyghan	Welterweight	1985[111]
Prince Rodney	Super-welterweight	1985[112]
Tony Willis	Lightweight	1986[113]
Robert Dickie	Featherweight	1986[114]
Clinton McKenzie**	Light-welterweight	1987[115]
Kirkland Laing	Welterweight	1987[116]
Lloyd Christie	Super-lightweight	1987[117]
Charlie Magri	Flyweight	1987[118]
Tony Sibson	Middleweight	1987[119]
Horace Notice	Heavyweight	1987[120]
Herol Graham	Middleweight	1988[121]
Tony Wilson	Light-heavyweight	1989[122]
Pat Clinton	Flyweight	1989[123]
Billy Hardy	Bantamweight	1989[124]
Paul Hodkinson	Featherweight	1989[125]
Johnny Nelson	Cruiserweight	1990[126]
Colin McMillan	Featherweight	1991[127]
John Doherty	Super-featherweight	1991[128]
Carl Crook	Lightweight	1991[129]
Andy Holligan	Super-lightweight	1992[117]
Robbie Regan	Flyweight	1992[130]
Lennox Lewis	Heavyweight	1992[131]
Andy Till	Super-welterweight	1993[132]
Crawford Ashley	Light-heavyweight	1994[133]
Sean Murphy	Featherweight	1993[134]
Neville Brown	Middleweight	1994[135]
Drew Docherty	Bantamweight	1994[136]
Francis Ampofo	Flyweight	1994[137]
Billy Schwer	Lightweight	1994[138]
Robert McCracken	Super-welterweight	1995[139]
Ross Hale	Super-lightweight	1995[140]
Sam Storey	Super-middleweight	1995[141]
Delroy Bryan	Welterweight	1995[142]
Michael Ayers	Lightweight	1995[143]
Floyd Hazard	Super-featherweight	1995[144]
Terry Dunstan	Cruiserweight	1996[145]
Richie Wenton	Super-bantamweight	1996[146]
Ryan Rhodes	Super-welterweight	1997[147]
Paul Ingle	Featherweight	1997[148]
Ady Lewis	Flyweight	1997[149]
Ryan Rhodes	Welterweight	1997[150]
Geoff McCreesh	Welterweight	1998[151]
Jon Jo Irwin	Featherweight	1998[152]
Charles Shepherd	Super-featherweight	1998[153]
Michael Brodie	Super-bantamweight	1998[154]
David Starie	Super-middleweight	1999[155]
Ensley Bingham	Super-welterweight	1999[156]
Derek Roche	Welterweight	1999[157]
Julius Francis	Heavyweight	1999[158]
Michael Gomez	Super-featherweight	2000[159]
Bobby Vanzie	Lightweight	2000[160]
Bruce Scott	Cruiserweight	2001[161]
Nicky Booth	Bantamweight	2001[162]
Michael Alldis	Super-bantamweight	2002[163]
Danny Williams	Heavyweight	2002[164]
Howard Eastman	Middleweight	2003[165]
Neil Sinclair	Welterweight	2003[166]
Mark Hobson	Cruiserweight	2004[167]
David Barnes	Welterweight	2004[168]
Dazzo Williams	Featherweight	2004[169]
Jamie Moore	Super-welterweight	2005[170]
Junior Witter	Super-lightweight	2005[171]
Michael Hunter	Super-bantamweight	2005[172]
Matt Skelton	Heavyweight	2005[173]
Scott Dann	Middleweight	2005[174]
Alex Arthur	Super-featherweight	2005[175]
Graham Earl	Lightweight	2005[176]
Carl Froch	Super-middleweight	2006[177]
Carl Johanneson	Super-featherweight	2007[178]
Ian Napa	Bantamweight	2008[179]
Kell Brook	Welterweight	2009[180]
Jason Booth	Super-bantamweight	2009[181]
John Murray	Lightweight	2010[182]
John Simpson	Featherweight	2010[183]
Stuart Hall	Bantamweight	2011[184]
Brian Rose	Super-welterweight	2012[185]
Lee Selby	Featherweight	2013[186]
Frankie Gavin	Welterweight	2013[187]
Billy Joe Saunders	Middleweight	2013[188]
Jon-Lewis Dickinson	Cruiserweight	2014[189]
Bradley Skeete	Welterweight	2016[190]
Martin J. Ward	Super-featherweight	2017[191]
Ryan Walsh	Featherweight	2017[192]
Lewis Ritson	Lightweight	2018[193]
Kash Farooq	Bantamweight	2019[194]
Brad Foster	Super-bantamweight	2020[195]
Ekow Essuman	Welterweight	2022[196]
Dalton Smith	Super-lightweight	2023[197]

See also

• Evolution of professional boxing

Bibliography

• Harding, John (1994). Lonsdale's Belt: The Story of Boxing's Greatest Prize. London: Robson Books. ISBN 978-0-86051-846-4.
• Golesworthy, Maurice (1988). Encyclopaedia of Boxing (Eighth Edition), Robert Hale Limited, ISBN 0-7090-3323-0