| 100% | NICOLA | 6 | ___ Adams, former British professional boxer who won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the flyweight category |
| 94% | GRAHAM | 6 | Herol —, British boxer defeated by Julian Jackson in a 1990 WBC Middleweight title fight |
| 94% | FURY | 4 | Professional boxer Tyson ___ |
| 93% | TONYA | 5 | Harding who made headlines in 1994 |
| 91% | EXIT | 4 | Word combined with "British" in 2016 headlines |
| 91% | RASSLES | 7 | Fights with, in the hills |
| 85% | CREDIT | 6 | ___-default swap (type of financial agreement that made headlines in 2008) |
| 83% | PONTIAC | 7 | Ottawa leader who fought British advances in the Great Lakes area during the 1700s and whose name was a car brand |
| 83% | PURPOSEBUILT | 12 | Made with one thing in mind |
| 81% | FOULED | 6 | Made illegal contact with, in some sports |
| 81% | TYSON | 5 | Boxer with a cameo in "The Hangover" |
| 81% | SECONDCOMINGLED | 15 | Boxer's assistant blending in with others? |
| 81% | ECONOMISTS | 10 | Professionals whose expertise may be in demand? |
| 81% | DENT | 4 | Make a ___ in (make some progress with) |
| 81% | DENTING | 7 | Making hollows in metal with a hammer |
| 81% | FIREFIGHTER | 11 | Extinguisher in sack with boxer |
| 81% | DUNN | 4 | Richard —, British boxer who fought Muhammad Ali for the World Heavyweight title in 1976 |
| 81% | THEQUEUE | 8 | Nickname for a 10-mile line of people that made headlines in Sept. 2022 |
| 80% | TECUMSEH | 8 | Shawnee leader who fought against William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe and sided with the British against the US in the War of 1812 |
| 80% | LAILAALI | 8 | Boxer whose full name is made up of only three different letters |
| 80% | JOEFRAZIER | 10 | American professional boxer who defeated Muhammad Ali in what is famously called the "Fight of the Century": 2 wds. |
| 80% | GROG | 4 | British naval drink made with rum and water |
| 79% | DENT | 4 | Make a ___ in (start to make progress with) |
| 79% | DENT | 4 | Make a ___ in (make a little progress with) |
| 79% | CRIMPING | 8 | Making wavy patterns in hair with an iron |
| 79% | DENT | 4 | Make a ___ in (show a little progress with) |
| 79% | ADENT | 5 | Make ___ in (show slight progress with): 2 wds. |
| 79% | GIMLETING | 9 | Making small holes in wood with a tool |
| 79% | LOOTS | 5 | Makes off with the goods, in a way |