Hannah Rankin

British boxer
  • Light-middleweight
  • Middleweight
  • Super-middleweight
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)StanceOrthodox Boxing record[1]Total fights18Wins12Wins by KO3Losses6

Hannah Rankin (born 21 July 1990) is a British professional boxer and bassoonist.[2] She has held the WBA female super-welterweight title since November 2021. She has also held the IBO title in 2019 and challenged for the WBA female super-middleweight title in 2018; the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF female middleweight titles in 2018; and the WBO female middleweight title in 2020. As of October 2020, she is ranked as the fifth best active female middleweight by The Ring[3] and sixth by BoxRec.[4]

She also supports BoxWise, a UK-based non-profit social enterprise focused on boxing.[5]

Early life

Hannah Rankin was born on 21 July 1990 and grew up on her family's Edentaggart farm in Luss, Argyll and Bute.[6] As a child, she attended Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire,[7] and gained an interest in contact sports at aged nine after enrolling in taekwondo classes with her younger sister.[8] Aside from sports she also had an interest in music, learning to play the flute at school and eventually switching to the bassoon. As an accomplished bassoonist, she attended the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, and later the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she earned a master's degree in 2016.[9] She continues her musical career alongside boxing, teaching music to children and performing in her quintet "Coriolis" at care homes and schools.[10]

Professional career

Rankin made her professional debut on 21 May 2017, against Ester Konecna at the SkyLark Hotel in Essex, England, winning via points decision (PTS) over six rounds.[11] She fought a further three times in 2017; a points decision win over Borislava Goranova in September;[12] a split decision (SD) loss to Joanna Ekedahl in October;[13] and a points decision win in a rematch with Ester Konecna in November.[14]

She started 2018 with a first-round technical knockout (TKO) win over Klaudia Vigh in January,[15] before facing Sarah Turunen for her first professional title on 16 June 2018, at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley, Scotland. Rankin won via unanimous decision (100–90, 100–91, 99–91) over ten rounds to capture the vacant WBC Silver female middleweight title.[16]

Two months later, she made her first attempt at a world title on 4 August 2018, challenging reigning world champion Alicia Napoleon for the WBA female super-middleweight title at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Rankin lost by unanimous decision with one judge scoring the bout 99–91, and the other two scoring it 98–92, all in favour of Napoleon.[17]

In her next fight, Rankin made a second attempt at world honours on 17 November 2018, against two-time Olympic gold medalist and reigning unified WBA and IBF female middleweight champion, Claressa Shields, with the vacant WBC title also up for grabs. The bout took place at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. Shields was originally scheduled to face undefeated WBO middleweight champion Christina Hammer, who pulled out due to illness.[18] Rankin suffered the third loss of her professional career via unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 100–90 in a contest that many outlets described as a dominant performance by Shields.[19][20][21][22]

Following a points decision win over Eva Bajic in January 2019,[23] Rankin made a third attempt for a world title against Sarah Curran on 15 June 2019, for the vacant IBO super-welterweight title. The bout took place at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley, Scotland. Rankin scored a ten-round unanimous decision victory, with all three judges scoring the bout 96–94, to become Scotland's first female world champion.[24] After a six-round unanimous decision win over Erin Toughill in a non-title bout in October, Rankin made the first defence of her title against undefeated WBC interim champion Patricia Berghult on 27 November 2019, at the Hotel Intercontinental in St. Julian's, Malta. In a fight that saw Rankin dropped in the first-round by a left hook, she lost her IBO title by unanimous decision over ten rounds. Two judges scored the bout 96–93 while the third scored it 95–94, all in favour of Berghult.[25]

Professional boxing record

18 fights 12 wins 6 losses
By knockout 3 1
By decision 9 5
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
18 Loss 12–6 Terri Harper UD 10 25 Sept 2022 Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, England Lost WBA and IBO super-welterweight titles
17 Win 12–5 Alejandra Ayala TKO 10 (10) 1:15 13 May 2022 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBA and IBO super-welterweight titles
16 Win 11–5 Maria Lindberg UD 10 5 Nov 2021 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England Won vacant WBA and IBO super-welterweight titles
15 Win 10–5

Kholosa Ndobayini

PTS 8 12 Mar 2021

Pollsmoor Prison Hall, Cape Town, South Africa

14 Loss 9–5 Savannah Marshall TKO 7 (10), 1:59 31 Oct 2020 The SSE Arena, London, England For vacant WBO female middleweight title
13 Win 9–4 Eva Bajic TKO 3 (8), 1:51 8 Feb 2020 Lagoon Leisure Center, Paisley, Scotland
12 Loss 8–4 Patricia Berghult UD 10 27 Nov 2019 Hotel Intercontinental, St. Julian's, Malta Lost IBO female super-welterweight title;
For WBC interim female super-welterweight title
11 Win 8–3 Erin Toughill UD 6 5 Oct 2019 Dort Federal Event Center, Flint, Michigan, US
10 Win 7–3 Sarah Curran UD 10 15 Jun 2019 Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, Scotland Won vacant IBO female super-welterweight title
9 Win 6–3 Eva Bajic PTS 8 25 Jan 2019 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
8 Loss 5–3 Claressa Shields UD 10 17 Nov 2018 Kansas Star Arena, Mulvane, Kansas, US For WBA, IBF, and vacant WBC female middleweight titles
7 Loss 5–2 Alicia Napoleon UD 10 4 Aug 2018 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, US For WBA female super-middleweight title
6 Win 5–1 Sanna Turunen UD 10 16 Jun 2018 Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, Scotland Won vacant WBC Silver female middleweight title
5 Win 4–1 Klaudia Vigh TKO 1 (8), 0:59 26 Jan 2018 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
4 Win 3–1 Ester Konecna PTS 8 10 Nov 2017 York Hall, London, England
3 Loss 2–1 Joanna Ekedahl SD 4 21 Oct 2017 Oslofjord Convention Center, Stokke, Norway
2 Win 2–0 Borislava Goranova PTS 6 22 Sep 2017 Westcroft Leisure Centre, London, England
1 Win 1–0 Ester Konecna PTS 6 21 May 2017 SkyLark Hotel, Southend, England

References

  1. ^ "Boxing record for Hannah Rankin". BoxRec.
  2. ^ "Career as a classical musician prepared Hannah Rankin for the boxing ring". The Ring. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  3. ^ "The Ring Women's Ratings". The Ring. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  4. ^ "BoxRec: Female middleweight ratings". boxrec.com. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  5. ^ Dennen, John (28 December 2021). "Boxwise - 'This is about helping the most vulnerable'". Boxing News. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  6. ^ McNair, Andrew (1 December 2017). "Loch Lomond woman hitting the right notes in dual classical music and boxing career". dailyrecord. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Boxer Hannah Rankin launches crowdfunding world champion bid". Helensburgh Advertiser. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Career as a classical musician prepared Hannah Rankin for the boxing ring". The Ring. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Hannah Rankin – alumna profile – Royal Academy of Music". ram.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Hannah Rankin: The classical musician who is a boxing world champion". 5 July 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  11. ^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  12. ^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  13. ^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  14. ^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Hannah Rankin Makes Quick and Impressive Work of Klaudia Vigh in her Scotland Homecoming". 27 January 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Hannah Rankin Claims the WBC Silver Middleweight Championship Over a Tough Sanna Turunen". 17 June 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Alicia Napoleon Retains her WBA Super Middleweight Championship with Unanimous Decision Victory over Hannah Rankin". 5 August 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  18. ^ News, Boxing (27 October 2018). "Claressa Shields faces Hannah Rankin on DAZN on November 17 ⋆ Boxing News 24". Boxing News 24. Retrieved 9 December 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ "Claressa Shields outclasses determined Hannah Rankin to remain unbeaten". The Ring. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Shields adds third belt, Rios returns with TKO". ESPN. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Scottish boxer Hannah Rankin loses to Claressa Shields by unanimous decision". britishboxingnews.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Claressa Shields Dominates Hannah Rankin, Wins Decision". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  23. ^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Hannah Rankin wins IBO super-welterweight title". 15 June 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Hannah Rankin loses world title to Patricia Berghult on points". 27 November 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.

External links

Sporting positions
Minor world boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Kelly Morgan 		WBC Silver female middleweight champion
16 June 2018 – November 2018
Fought for full title 		Vacant
Vacant
Title last held by
Mikaela Laurén 		IBO female super-welterweight champion
15 June 2019 – 27 November 2019 		Succeeded by