Hannah Rankin


Hannah Rankin is a Scottish professional boxer and bare-knuckle boxer. In boxing she has held the WBA and IBO female super-welterweight World titles.

Early life

Hannah Rankin was born on 21 July 1990 and grew up on her family's Edentaggart farm in Luss, Argyll and Bute. As a child, she attended Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, and gained an interest in contact sports at aged nine after enrolling in taekwondo classes with her younger sister. 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. She continues her musical career alongside boxing, teaching music to children and performing in her quintet "Coriolis" at care homes and schools.

Professional boxing career

Rankin made her professional debut on 21 May 2017, against Ester Konecna at the SkyLark Hotel in Essex, England, winning via points decision over six rounds. She fought a further three times in 2017; a points decision win over Borislava Goranova in September; a split decision loss to Joanna Ekedahl in October; and a points decision win in a rematch with Ester Konecna in November.
She started 2018 with a first-round technical knockout win over Klaudia Vigh in January, 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 over ten rounds to capture the vacant WBC Silver female middleweight title.
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.
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. 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.
Following a points decision win over Eva Bajic in January 2019, 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. 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.
Rankin regained the vacant IBO title and claimed the vacant WBA female super-welterweight World belt with a unanimous decision win over Maria Lindberg in London on 5 November 2021.
In her second defense of the titles, Rankin suffered a unanimous decision loss to England's Terri Harper in Nottingham on 24 September 2022.
Rankin attempted to become a three-time world champion when she took on Slovenia's Ema Kozin for the vacant WBC and WBO female super-welterweight titles in Manchester on 18 November 2023 but lost by split decision.

Bare-knuckle boxing career

In October 2024, it was announced that Rankin had signed for the Conor McGregor supported Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. She made her debut for the promotion at BKFC on DAZN: Tenaglia vs. Soto in Marbella, Spain, on 12 October 2024, with a five-round split decision win over Deborah Melhorn. Two ringside judges gave Rankin the fight 49-46 while the third scored it for Melhorn 48-47.
Rankin faced Jessica Borga for the inaugural BKFC Women's Featherweight Championship at BKFC 72 Dubai: Day 2 on April 5, 2025 at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in Dubai, UAE. She lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
21Loss13–8Naomi MannesSD826 April 2024Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park, Huyton, England
20Loss13–7Ema KozinSD1018 November 2023Manchester Arena, Manchester, EnglandLost challenge for the vacant WBC and WBO female super-welterweight titles
19Win13–6Logan HollerPTS1010 March 2023 The Hangar Events Venue, Wolverhampton, England
18Loss12–6Terri HarperUD1025 Sept 2022Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, EnglandLost WBA and IBO super-welterweight titles
17Win12–5Alejandra AyalaTKO10 1:1513 May 2022The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, ScotlandRetained WBA and IBO super-welterweight titles
16Win11–5Maria LindbergUD105 Nov 2021Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, EnglandWon vacant WBA and IBO super-welterweight titles
15Win10–5
Kholosa Ndobayini		PTS812 Mar 2021
Pollsmoor Prison Hall, Cape Town, South Africa
14Loss9–5Savannah MarshallTKO7, 1:5931 Oct 2020The SSE Arena, London, EnglandFor vacant WBO female middleweight title
13Win9–4Eva BajicTKO3, 1:518 Feb 2020Lagoon Leisure Center, Paisley, Scotland
12Loss8–4Patricia BerghultUD1027 Nov 2019Hotel Intercontinental, St. Julian's, MaltaLost IBO female super-welterweight title;
For WBC interim female super-welterweight title
11Win8–3Erin ToughillUD65 Oct 2019Dort Federal Event Center, Flint, Michigan, US
10Win7–3Sarah CurranUD1015 Jun 2019Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, ScotlandWon vacant IBO female super-welterweight title
9Win6–3Eva BajicPTS825 Jan 2019Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
8Loss5–3Claressa ShieldsUD1017 Nov 2018Kansas Star Arena, Mulvane, Kansas, USFor WBA, IBF, and vacant WBC female middleweight titles
7Loss5–2Alicia NapoleonUD104 Aug 2018Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, USFor WBA female super-middleweight title
6Win5–1Sanna TurunenUD1016 Jun 2018Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, ScotlandWon vacant WBC Silver female middleweight title
5Win4–1Klaudia VighTKO1, 0:5926 Jan 2018Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland
4Win3–1Ester KonecnaPTS810 Nov 2017York Hall, London, England
3Loss2–1Joanna EkedahlSD421 Oct 2017Oslofjord Convention Center, Stokke, Norway
2Win2–0Borislava GoranovaPTS622 Sep 2017Westcroft Leisure Centre, London, England
1Win1–0Ester KonecnaPTS621 May 2017SkyLark Hotel, Southend, England

Bare-knuckle boxing record