British success at 140 pounds can be traced all the way back to the early 1930s when London’s Jack "Kid" Berg won The Ring title but, over the past 25 years particularly, Britain has maintained a constant divisional presence.

Terry Marsh won the IBF belt in 1987 but Ricky Hatton famously laid a path for the likes of Junior Witter, Amir Khan, Gavin Rees, Ricky Burns and Josh Taylor to follow.

Dalton Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) is the latest British fighter to hold a 140-pound world title. The Ring's No. 1 junior welterweight faces a tricky first WBC defense against mandatory challenger Alberto Puello (25-1, 11 KOs) at Sheffield's Utilita Arena. Here's a look back at five memorable nights for British junior welterweights.

Much of Junior Witter’s career was unfairly played out in the shadows. With that in mind, the switch-hitting Bradford southpaw was an underrated fighter with an awkward, unique style and under-rated power.

After losing an ugly, safety-first challenge for Zab Judah’s IBF belt in June 2000, Witter found it all but impossible to secure a big fight. He eventually worked his way into position and, in September 2006, he beat DeMarcus Corley to win the WBC title.

In 2007, the dangerous Vivian Harris traveled to England to challenge Witter for the belt.

Witter produced arguably the best performance of his career. He tightened his grip on the fight as the rounds passed and although Harris never gave up, found himself being picked apart.

In the seventh round, it seemed like Harris had finally made a breakthrough but over committed and Witter knocked him out with a beautiful counter left hook.

It is the type of result that gets lost and forgotten in the constant churn of boxing but deserves to be remembered.

Amir Khan is one of British boxing’s true action heroes. His WBA title defense against Marcos Maidana showcased everything that made him such an exciting fighter.

It was a thrilling, brutal fight. Khan dropped Maidana in the opening round with a sickening body shot but the tough Argentine roared back, dragging Khan into a war.

Khan somehow survived a brutal 10th round and made it to the final bell, where the judges rewarded him with a close but deserved unanimous decision victory.

Throughout the course of his rollercoaster career, Khan was criticised for his ability to take a punch. The man from Bolton could appear alarmingly fragile but was only ever knocked out by the type of shots finding their way on a fighter's highlight reel.

Maidana provided him an opportunity to show the hand speed and attacking flair that made him appointment viewing. He also displayed the bravery and toughness that his critics had always questioned.

Josh Taylor attacked his professional career head on. Rather than feeling his way into the sport, the Scotsman set his sights on reaching the top as quickly as possible.

The "Tartan Tornado" fought in the same way. A tall southpaw with wildly underrated technical skills, Taylor was tough, uncompromising and dared his opponents to match his workrate.

WBA and IBF champion Taylor traveled to Las Vegas in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to fight WBC/WBO beltholder Jose Ramirez for The Ring and undisputed 140-pound crowns.

Taylor was brilliant. He dropped the previously undefeated Ramirez twice en route to a thoroughly deserved decision victory. Outside of the boxing bubble, Taylor has never been afforded the respect and attention his achievements truly deserved but this proved the crowning moment in an impressive career he ended last year.

Dalton Smith always had the appearance of a fighter destined for the top.

Smith bided his time and welcomed an away day, crossing the Atlantic to prove his world level credentials against heavy-handed Subriel Matias at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

On his rise through the levels, Smith displayed elite level counterpunching ability and rock solid fundamentals. Yet at the championship level, boxers are forced to show qualities they never have had to previously.

Matias is a tough, aggressive fighter and managed to drag Smith into a give-and-take battle. Smith matched Matias blow for blow before again finding the right shot at the right time in the midst of a shootout. He put Matias away, timing him with a right hand midway through the fifth round.

It was a stunning way to win the WBC world title, guaranteeing the rest of Smith's career will be played out at the highest level.

Ricky Hatton’s victory over Kostya Tszyu is one of the greatest ever recorded by a British fighter.

Written off by many beforehand, Hatton fought like a man possessed. Working to the adage that being close is being safe, Hatton took away Tszyu’s dangerous right hand by getting inside and gluing himself to his chest.

Manchester’s M.E.N Arena was packed with 20,000 fans. Each of them had a connection to, or a personal story about "The Hitman" and they roared their local hero on. After 11 rough, tough rounds, Tszyu returned to his corner where he was retired by his friend and trainer Johnny Lewis.

The result earned Hatton the IBF title but also catapulted him to superstardom, leading to his famous Las Vegas residency as well as mega fights with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.