Boxing

5:09 PM ET Steve KimESPN After months of uncertainty and two previous postponements, WBC and WBO junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) will defend his belts against Viktor Postol (31-2, 12 KOs) in the main event of a Top Rank card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas on Saturday. Ramirez

8:23 AM ET Steve KimESPN Three televised shows, highlighted by unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez taking on Viktor Postol, will take place on Saturday — and all three main events carry title implications. First scheduled for China on Feb. 1, then in Fresno, California, on May 9, Ramirez-Postol will finally take place at the

1:48 PM ET Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will return to the ring on Sept. 25 to face Mario Cazares in an event to take place in Tijuana, Mexico, that includes his legendary father, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., in an exhibition bout against Jorge “Travieso” Arce, fight organizers announced on Wednesday. Chavez Jr. (51-4-1, 33 KOs)

2:04 PM 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 Lee Selby and George Kambosos Jr’s world-title eliminator, scheduled for Oct. 3, has been cancelled and a new date is yet to be scheduled.

8:46 AM ET Steve KimESPN Even though he hasn’t been in the classroom for the past several months, the summer has been anything but a vacation for bantamweight hopeful Gabriel Muratalla (4-0, 3 KOs). The preschool teacher has found a moment in the spotlight, capturing the sport’s attention with his past two performances inside the

5:55 AM ET Tim Tszyu has announced himself to the boxing world with a stunning performance in Townsville, dominating Aussie icon Jeff Horn to remain undefeated. The 25-year-old, son of Kostya, put on an absolute masterclass, bossing Horn for eight rounds before the former welterweight world champion threw in the towel. The win sees Tszyu

5:31 PM ET Steve KimESPN AFTER ARRIVING IN Haikou, China, in the early hours of the morning of Thursday, Jan. 23, Viktor Postol and his team, who had just flown in for their Feb. 1 bout with WBC/WBO junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez, woke up to some bad news. Because of the coronavirus outbreak that

May 1, 2020 Mark KriegelESPN A FEW WEEKS ago Paul Armendariz, an air conditioning mechanic from California’s Central Valley, was talking to his aunt Yolanda, who had just received her $1,200 federal stimulus check. Aunt Yolanda, now 74, was the 11th of 12 children from Fresno by way of Mexico, part of an immigrant generation

5:15 PM ET Steve KimESPN Discussions are underway for WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford to face former IBF welterweight titlist Kell Brook on Nov. 14, according to Top Rank’s Bob Arum. ”Kell Brook is a free agent, and we’re discussing a Crawford fight with the Kell Brook people,” Arum told ESPN on Tuesday. “That’s on

Aug 24, 2020 WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has said champion Tyson Fury has “no restrictions” ahead of his undisputed bout against Anthony Joshua next year after Dillian Whyte’s stunning defeat to Alexander Povetkin. Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) was due to face Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs) in a mandatory defense early in 2021 but the latter’s

Aug 24, 2020 Jeff Horn’s suggestion that he’ll “rag doll” Tim Tszyu in their super welterweight battle in Townsville, Australia, has been shrugged off by the younger fighter, who says he’s happy to “bang it out” and win ugly on Wednesday. Former WBO welterweight champion Horn meets unbeaten world-ranked super welterweight Tszyu at Queensland Country

2:03 PM ET Steve KimESPN Josh Taylor, the WBA/IBF junior welterweight champion, will defend both belts on Sept. 26 against Apinun Khongsong at the BT Sports Studio from London, in a fight that will air on ESPN+. It will be Taylor’s first outing since his victory over Regis Prograis last October in the World Boxing

12:54 PM ET Steve KimESPN WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev will now defend both of his titles against Adam Deines on Sept. 25 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Top Rank officials confirmed on Monday. Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs), who was born in Russia but lives in Germany, steps in for original opponent Meng Fanlong, who is

9:06 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 After two cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic, WBC/WBO junior welterweight unified titlist Jose Ramirez will finally meet Viktor Postol on Saturday

12:00 AM ET Steve KimESPN Former two-time welterweight titlist Shawn Porter dominated Sebastian Formella to win a one-sided unanimous decision Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. All three judges saw it as a clean sweep for Porter, 120-108. Formella (22-1, 10 KOs), of Germany, did his best to box and stave off the

Aug 22, 2020 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 Alexander Povetkin knocked out Dillian Whyte with a stunning uppercut in the fifth round Saturday to shatter Whyte’s hopes of fighting for the WBC

12:40 AM ET A busy Saturday of boxing all over the world didn’t go according to expectations, at least when it involved the heavyweight division. Alexander Povetkin recovered enough from a two-knockdown round to knock Dillian Whyte out cold a few minutes later. Shawn Porter took care of business and lined himself up for another

Aug 21, 2020 Steve KimESPN Joe Smith took a significant step towards a light heavyweight title shot by stopping former titleholder Eleider Alvarez by ninth-round TKO Saturday night in the main event of a Top Rank card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. After chopping away for eight rounds, it was a