Boxing

11:44 AM ET LAUSANNE, Switzerland — — The president of the International Boxing Association is offering financial support to boxers who defy a U.S.-initiated boycott of the upcoming world championships, which he said was decided by people “worse than hyenas and jackals.” USA Boxing and the Irish Boxing Association said this week they will not

12:16 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Top Rank is planning a Josh Taylor-Teofimo Lopez junior welterweight title fight this summer in the U.K., sources told ESPN, but no deal has been struck yet. The 140-pound fight, if it’s finalized, is expected to take place in May or June, sources said, and there do not appear to

4:20 PM ET Cecilia Braekhus is once again trying to become a two-division world champion. The former world pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter will face WBA junior middleweight champion Terri Harper in April in Sheffield, England, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn announced Thursday in Harper’s first defense of her belt. Harper, 26, won the title last year

Feb 9, 2023 Connor O’Halloran LONDON, England — Anthony Joshua said he has removed “distractions” from his life as he plans to rebuild his boxing career ahead of an April bout against Jermaine Franklin. Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) is looking to rebound from back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk — the second of which was a

7:48 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 After the multiple disappointments of fights failing to materialize last year, 2023 is already shaping up to be an improvement for boxing, with some

Feb 9, 2023 Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk urged the International Olympic Committee to ban Russia from the Olympic Games, saying any medals it wins in Paris next year would be tainted by the blood of his countrymen who have died in Russia’s war with his country. Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Games over the

2:52 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Gennadiy Golovkin informed the IBF on Monday that he has relinquished the organization’s middleweight title, according to an email obtained by ESPN. Golovkin, 40, moved up to 168 pounds for an undisputed super middleweight championship bout against Canelo Alvarez but was defeated in the trilogy via unanimous decision. However, Golovkin

4:21 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Rolando Romero will challenge Alberto Puello for the WBA junior lightweight title in the spring in a PBC bout, sources told ESPN. Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) will move up to 140 pounds for his first career title shot. In his most recent fight, Romero was stopped by Gervonta Davis in

7:47 AM ET After another impressive victory to become the undisputed featherweight champion, Amanda Serrano, who has won titles in seven different weight classes, solidified her No. 3 ranking behind Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor in ESPN’s latest pound-for-pound rankings. The victory also sets up the much-anticipated rematch between Serrano and Taylor that will take

5:57 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN The deal for the planned April 15 superfight between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia hasn’t yet been completed because of a dispute over the rematch clause, sources told ESPN. All other terms have been agreed to and are reflected in the contract that Garcia and his promoter, Oscar De La

12:27 PM ET Associated Press Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will launch his comeback with a fight against American boxer Jermaine Franklin in London on April 1. Last month, sources told ESPN’s Mike Coppinger that both boxers were in the process of finalizing a deal for the bout. Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought since

Feb 4, 2023 NEW YORK — Alycia Baumgardner was throwing slower punches toward the end, looking like she’d thrown every punch she had. And in some ways, perhaps she had. The three-belt junior lightweight titlist already had knocked down Elhem Mekhaled two times and come close to a third, and now, all Baumgardner needed to

2:25 AM ET Michael Rothstein Close Michael Rothstein ESPN Staff Writer Previously covered University of Michigan for ESPN.com and AnnArbor.com Also covered Notre Dame for Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Mike Coppinger NEW YORK — Amanda Serrano could only enjoy her decision victory over Erika Cruz for the undisputed featherweight title for about 30 seconds on

12:51 AM ET NEW YORK — The rematch is set, and Katie Taylor will finally get her first professional fight in her country. Taylor will fight undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano on May 20 in a rematch of their epic fight last April at Madison Square Garden. Taylor won that bout by split decision to

12:07 AM ET NEW YORK — The blood seemed to be everywhere, consistently coming out of the top of Erika Cruz’s forehead, on her arm and getting on Amanda Serrano, too. Defense was almost non-existent Saturday night in this undisputed featherweight title fight at Hulu Theater, punches thrown for 10 rounds at a near constant

Feb 3, 2023 Amanda Serrano puts her three featherweight world titles on the line against fellow champion Erika Cruz in a fight for the undisputed championship at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Serrano (43-2-1, 30 KOs) has won world titles in seven different weight classes, but has never been undisputed.

9:34 PM ET NEW YORK — Promoter Eddie Hearn’s attempt to get Ireland’s Katie Taylor her homecoming fight to take place at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, might be getting some extra help from another Irish fighting legend. From Conor McGregor. McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, who along with Taylor are the

12:49 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Emanuel Navarrete outlasted Liam Wilson in a back-and-forth slugfest on Friday night in Glendale, Arizona, to claim the vacant WBO junior lightweight title with a ninth-round TKO. Navarrete, who is from Mexico, was floored by the 8-1 underdog in Round 4 — the first knockdown of his career — but