Boxing

8:59 AM ET Steve KimESPN Boxing was one of the first sports to return to action as the world continued its battle with COVID-19. Starting in early June, Top Rank created a bubble inside the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and put on fights multiple times a week for fans of the sweet science to

4:14 PM ET Steve KimESPN Top Rank CEO Bob Arum would like to make a fight between WBO welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford and WBA titlist Manny Pacquiao in the fall. But Arum said it’s far from a done deal — despite some reports saying it’s close. “Right now, all we’ve done is we’ve contacted Crawford

8:57 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 1½ months inside the Top Rank bubble at the MGM Grand Convention Center in Las Vegas, more boxing promotions are ready

9:27 PM ET While not signed, sealed and delivered just yet, the welterweight contest between Errol Spence Jr. and Danny Garcia is expected to take place this fall. Originally scheduled for late January, those plans were derailed when Spence got into a one-car accident in October, just weeks after his split-decision victory over Shawn Porter.

9:25 PM ET Steve KimESPN Unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and former junior welterweight and welterweight titlist Danny Garcia have agreed to meet in a fall pay-per-view event, a source confirmed to ESPN. The fight — which needs a negotiation of final contract numbers — is expected to take place in November at the

2:17 PM ET Steve KimESPN Roy Jones Jr. believes it’s hard to pick a favorite for his eight-round exhibition bout against Mike Tyson on Sept. 12 in Carson, California. “It’s hard to say. Boxing is a strange sport,” Jones Jr. told ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday. “A lot of times people say the legs are

7:00 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 Fireworks, light shows and a view of London will form the backdrop to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn’s return to boxing — all from a

12:10 PM ET Steve KimESPN Golden Boy Promotions rolled out the full card for its Aug. 28 show at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, headlined by three-division champion Jorge Linares facing Javier Fortuna in a 12-round lightweight bout. In the semi-main event, Rashidi Ellis (22-0, 14 KOs) will face Brad Solomon (28-3,

2:26 PM ET Steve KimESPN Boxing trainer and manager Willie Savannah has died, his wife, Clara, confirmed Sunday morning. She wrote on her Facebook page: “It is with great sadness that I inform you all that my husband, Willie Savannah has passed away peacefully at home. At this time, we ask for no phone calls,

6:17 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 Joe Joyce ended a year out of the ring with a third-round TKO win over Michael Wallisch in the second professional boxing show in

8:18 PM ET Steve KimESPN The anticipated bantamweight unification fight between Naoya “Monster” Inoue and John Riel Casimero might not happen if Casimero doesn’t take a reduction of his original purse, according to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum. Inoue and Casimero were scheduled to meet April 25, but the fight was canceled because of the

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

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