Linus Udofia (born 28 June 1993) is a Nigerian-born English

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

. He is a two-time English

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

champion and has also challenged for the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

title in the same weight division.

Career

Born in

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state takes its name from the Qua ...

in Nigeria, Udofia moved to England with his family when he was aged eight. After an amateur career boxing out of Hockwell Ring ABC in

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

, he made his professional debut at

York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure centre in Bethnal Green, London. The building opened in 1929 and it is most famous as an international boxing venue with the first nights o ...

in London on 19 March 2016, defeating Sonny Whiting on points in a four-round contest. Unbeaten in his first 14 pro-fights, Udofia faced

Tyler Denny Tyler Denny (born 2 July 1991) is an English professional boxer who is a former European middleweight champion. He has also held the English middleweight title and challenged for the Commonwealth championship in the same weight division. Career ...

for the vacant English

title, again at York Hall, on 30 November 2019, winning the fight by majority decision with two of the ringside judges scoring the bout 97–94 and 96–94 respectively in his favour, while the third had it a 95–95 draw. He successfully defended the title by stopping John Harding Jr in the ninth round at

Marshall Arena The Marshall Arena (formerly known as Arena MK, also Milton Keynes Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, located beside Stadium MK. The multi-use event space is positioned over three floors and antic ...

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...

on 4 October 2020. Udofia vacated the title to pursue the

middleweight crown. He took on

Denzel Bentley Denzel Bentley Ntim-Mensah (born 29 January 1995), is an English professional boxer who has held the British middleweight title three times. He is the current champion and also holds the European and WBO International middleweight titles. Profe ...

for the vacant championship at

Indigo at The O2 The O2 (formerly known as the Millennium Dome) is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, resta ...

in London on 13 May 2022, losing by split decision. One judge awarded the contest to Udofia by 115–114, but was overruled by his two colleagues who gave it to Bentley 115–113 and 116–112 respectively. Having got back to winning ways with a six-round points victory over Robbie Chapman at York Hall on 25 March 2023, Udofia fought

Kieron Conway Kieron Conway (born 2 May 1996) is an English professional boxer who has held the Commonwealth middleweight since November 2024 and the British middleweight title since May 2025. Professional career Conway made his professional debut on 25 Feb ...

for the vacant WBA Intercontinental title at

Sheffield Arena Sheffield Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Utilita Arena Sheffield, is a multi-purpose arena located in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Meadowhall Centre, Meadowhall and lies between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centr ...

on 7 October 2023. He lost when the referee halted the bout at the start of the sixth round on the advice of the ringside doctor due to one of his eyes being swollen shut. Udofia became a two-time English middleweight champion thanks to a final round stoppage win over Dan Catlin in a contest for the vacant title at York Hall on 14 September 2024. He successfully defended his title with a unanimous decision win over Constantine Williams at York Hall on 15 March 2025.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Udofia, Linus Living people 1993 births English male boxers British male boxers Middleweight boxers 21st-century English sportsmen English people of Nigerian descent