1:05 AM ET Steve KimESPN Vergil Ortiz Jr. put together a dominating performance and stopped Samuel Vargas in the seventh round in the main event of a DAZN card Friday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. With the victory, Ortiz (16-0, 16 KO), 22, took another step toward becoming a welterweight
Boxing
12:33 PM ET Steve KimESPN Noted trainer Naazim Richardson has died after a long illness. “The boxing community mourns the death of the great Nazim Richardson. RIP Brother Nazim, a class man, a great trainer, a tremendous father’,” the Boxing Writers Association of America tweeted out on Friday morning. Richardson was a respected figure in
1:22 PM ET Steve KimESPN Canelo Alvarez’s plans to fight on Sept. 12 could be scuttled if he and DAZN do not come to terms on their next fight, according to his lawyer. Promoter Eddie Hearn has said WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith is the leading contender to face Alvarez in the fall. However,
7:51 AM ET Steve KimESPN On June 15, Oscar De La Hoya tweeted Golden Boy Promotions’ plans for its first card since the coronavirus pandemic shut down boxing cards in mid-March, and in it he defined the hierarchy of his prospects. Due to Ryan Garcia not accepting a July 4 bout, we will return in
Jul 24, 2020 Steve KimESPN I have covered hundreds of boxing events in my life, but none quite like Tuesday’s Top Rank card at the MGM Grand Convention Center. I hadn’t seen a live fight since late February, when I went to Frisco, Texas, for the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas card, and I was anxious to
4:42 PM ET The year 2020 continues to surprise. On Thursday, it was announced that Mike Tyson, 54, will face 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition in California on Sept. 12. Tyson hasn’t stepped foot in the ring since 2005. Jones Jr. last fought professionally in 2018. “It’s because I can do it.
12:14 PM ET Steve KimESPN Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is making a comeback. Tyson will fight Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition on Sept. 12. The bout will be broadcast on pay-per-view as well as multimedia platform Triller. According to a news release, there will also be a 10-part docuseries on Triller
9:14 AM ET Steve Kim Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Vergil Ortiz Jr., the 2019 prospect of the year, returns to the ring on Friday for his first fight of 2020. Ortiz
2:43 PM ET Associated Press Boxing and mixed martial arts competition may resume in California after the state athletic commission approved new safety regulations for the coronavirus pandemic. The commission will require a “quarantine bubble” around participants in every event, including referees and judges. The events also must be held without fans. Golden Boy Promotions
12:42 PM ET Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions announced a stacked boxing schedule on Wednesday with nine cards that will run from August through December. The slate will feature two pay-per-view cards. The first will be headlined by Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz for the WBA junior lightweight and lightweight titles on October
8:00 AM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn wants to stage the UK’s first professional boxing show with fans for six months on Sept. 12. Hearn is planning
5:51 PM ET Steve KimESPN Former WBO featherweight world titleholder Oscar Valdez defeated Jayson Velez by 10th-round TKO in the main event of a Top Rank card Tuesday at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. It was Valdez’s first time in the ring since November, when he defeated late replacement opponent Adam Lopez
10:09 PM ET Steve KimESPN As the first set of fight cards concluded Tuesday night inside the bubble at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the next round of Top Rank bouts inside that venue were announced for late August. On Aug. 22, there will be a WBO light heavyweight title eliminator bout between Joe
8:52 AM ET Steve KimESPN The initial run of shows inside of Top Rank’s “bubble” inside of the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas culminates Tuesday with two former world titleholders returning to the ring as headliners. Former featherweight titlist Oscar Valdez will face Jayson Velez in a 10-round junior featherweight main event, and
9:26 AM ET Steve KimESPN There’s something that has not been seen in any of Edgar Berlanga’s 13 professional fights: Round 2. Thirteen fights. Thirteen knockouts within the first three minutes of action. Berlanga, who faces Eric Moon on Tuesday inside “The Bubble” at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas (ESPN and ESPN
3:30 PM ET Mexico’s first super middleweight boxing champion Gilberto Ramirez has been notified that Top Rank will not renew his contract and is therefore a free agent, the boxer’s manager, David Suh, confirmed to ESPN. “His contract with Top Rank is up, so as of today he’s free to negotiate with anyone,” Suh said
9:17 PM ET Steve KimESPN Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been suspended indefinitely by both the Nevada Athletic Commission and the Arizona Boxing and MMA Commission due to his refusal to take a drug test prior to his Dec. 20 bout against Daniel Jacobs. Chavez was temporarily suspended in Nevada after not submitting to a
10:21 PM ET Steve KimESPN Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo delivered a message to the 135-pound division by stopping Will Madera in the first round of Thursday’s Top Rank on ESPN main event at the MGM Grand Conference Center. It was an explosive performance that reminded everybody in boxing of why Verdejo was such a highly