Monday 12 October 2015 16:08, UK
There are now NINE world champions from Britain and Ireland and Johnny Nelson says although things have never been this good, they will get even better...
I have never known our boxing do as well as it right now. We are showing the world how good we are and times are changing.
The rest of the world will be looking at Great Britain and Ireland and will now try and match us. We have NINE world champions, we could easily have 12 before the year is out and by this time next year, we could have another half-a-dozen. Can any other country or area of the world say that with the same conviction?
Scott Quigg, Kell Brook, Carl Frampton and Jamie McDonnell are the established ones, but the likes of James DeGale, Andy Lee, Lee Selby, Terry Flanaghan and now Liam Smith are now following suit.
Plenty of fighters in Britain and Ireland know a world champion or two and they think: 'Well if he can do it, I can do it too - and give it a real good go'.
Look at DeGale and Selby; both are going over to America to make their first defences. Years ago, it was a rarity for a Brit to go there and even if they did, the Americans were expecting someone stood straight up, doing what we've always done.
But Britain and Ireland's attitude has changed. Now we have all sorts of styles, and certainly the sort of attitude that will put respect and fear into America's minds - and that has never happened before.
The attitude is the big one for me. Back in the day when, say, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn were at the very top, we all saw the knock-on effect. Then we had Steve Collins, then we had Joe Calzaghe, then Carl Froch. Success breeds success - and that will happen more and more over here.
It even goes deeper than that. Plenty of fighters in Britain and Ireland know a world champion or two and they think: 'Well if he can do it, I can do it too - and give it a real good go'.
I remember walking into the Olympic training facilities ahead of London 2012 and being so impressed with the infrastructure, the facilities and the training that was going on. I felt Great Britain would win more medals than ever before. And we did.
That will really come to fruition down the line, I have no doubt about that.
America no longer produces the same amount of Olympic success and top-class fighters, simply because the best opportunities young American athletes receive aren't necessarily in boxing.
America needs a heavyweight world champion like Deontay Wilder to get things going again, because unlike us and unlike eastern European fighters, their hunger isn't that strong any more.
The eastern European fighters are even hungrier than our own. Like us, they had a traditional boxing style that they have adapted and opened up. All of a sudden, not only are they hungrier than the Americans, but they are better than them when it comes to skill.
And with that comes belief. You could probably look through the world rankings and see who owns a world title and I bet you there is only a handful of fighters from across the world who actually think they are the best out there.
Here and now, I could think of at least four of our nine who honestly think - and more importantly believe - they are the best. Selby and DeGale are showing that heading out to America for their first defences.
Jamie McDonnell has not only done that but should have also been a unified world champion. He will probably go up to super-bantamweight for meaningful and big-money fights. At that weight, Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton want to find who is the best out there.
Kell Brook has always thought he could beat anyone at welterweight and knowing him personally, it is not him hoping. It's not just the things you see him do in the gym, it is the things he says to you.
All of these world champions we've produced want the big fights, they want to show the rest of the world - not just their division - that there are the best around.
The current crop will do just that but give it even more time and people will see just how good British and Irish boxing can be.
The sport has never been as good as it is right now and I know it will only improve.
