Boxing

9:47 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Oleksandr Usyk proved once again that he’s arguably one of the best fighters in the world with a gutsy victory over Anthony Joshua on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to retain his three heavyweight titles. Now, he’s only one belt short of being called the undisputed heavyweight champion — a

Aug 20, 2022 Mike CoppingerESPN Oleksandr Usyk retained his three heavyweight titles with a split-decision victory over Anthony Joshua in a rematch on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. One judge scored the bout for Joshua, 115-113, but was overruled by tallies of 115-113 and 116-112 in favor of Usyk, who defeated Joshua for a second

8:06 PM ET ESPN staff Oleksandr Usyk put his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight world titles on the line in a rematch against former champion Anthony Joshua on Saturday. They first met in September 2021, when Usyk captured the titles in a unanimous decision victory over the former champion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

12:44 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Oleksandr Usyk defends his three heavyweight world titles in a rematch against former champion Anthony Joshua on Saturday at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (DAZN, 1 p.m. ET, with main event expected to start at 5:30 p.m. ET). Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), 35, of Ukraine, overcame a cut

8:58 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Challenger Anthony Joshua on Friday weighed in at 244.5 pounds — the heaviest he’s been for a fight since June 2019 — ahead of his unified heavyweight championship rematch Saturday against Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) tipped the scales at 221.5 pounds, a quarter-pound heavier

8:04 AM ET Timothy Bradley Jr. After 12 rounds that saw Oleksandr Usyk skillfully outbox Anthony Joshua in September 2021, the two will meet once again for three of the four major heavyweight titles on Saturday in Saudi Arabia. The rematch (DAZN, main event expected at 5:30 p.m. ET), has the potential to be a

7:51 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN Athletes are often asked — indeed, they ask themselves — “How bad do you want it?” It’s as if desire could be quantified. Truth is, that’s an empty question that elicits mostly vacant responses. The athlete usually understands his or her role in this exchange: To make it pass as

5:51 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Artur Beterbiev is injured, a source told ESPN, and the planned Oct. 29 defense of his three light heavyweight titles against Anthony Yarde has been postponed. The nature of the injury wasn’t disclosed. The matchup was slated to take place at London’s O2 Arena after a deal was agreed to,

7:48 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN ANTHONY JOSHUA STOOD in the center of the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, and soaked in the moment as confetti rained down on him. He dealt with doubt, disappointment and uncertainty in the aftermath of his upset defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019, but six months later,

1:11 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jamaine Ortiz have agreed to a deal for a lightweight fight that’s targeted for late October, sources told ESPN. No site has been finalized for the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN main event, sources said. Lomachenko, formerly ESPN’s pound-for-pound No. 1 boxer, last competed in December, recording

1:18 AM ET Tim Tszyu’s undisputed world title fight in January will also serve as a reunion with father Kostya. The Australian boxer, set to clash with champion Jermell Charlo for all four super-welterweight belts in Las Vegas, hasn’t seen the former undisputed super-lightweight champion for almost three years. Russia-based Kostya has watched from afar

12:25 PM ET WBC and WBO featherweight champion Amanda Serrano will return to the ring on Sept. 24, facing IBF titlist Sarah Mahfoud in a unification bout as the co-main event of the Joe Joyce-Joseph Parker card at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, it was announced Tuesday. It’s the first fight at featherweight for

8:00 AM ET RAMLA ALI’S FISTS were up as she stared at the sparring dummy in front of her. Next to her was a small girl with long brown hair in a brown sweatshirt with “LOVE” printed across the front. Ali was teaching Shaah how to throw a punch — a right hand to the

11:35 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Adrien Broner withdrew from his junior welterweight fight Saturday vs. Omar Figueroa because of the need to address his mental health, he announced on Instagram. Sergey Lipinets will replace Broner in the PBC on Showtime main event in Hollywood, Florida, sources told ESPN. This is the second time a fight

9:56 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 If you want some insight into how Saturday’s world heavyweight title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua will go, Joe Joyce is a

9:07 AM ET Tyson Fury has vacated his Ring heavyweight title after he announced his retirement from boxing on Friday, Fury told The Ring Magazine. Fury, 34, tempted a comeback on Tuesday, saying he’d return from retirement to fight Derek Chisora. However, three days later, Fury announced in a social media post that he had

12:14 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Former champion Teofimo Lopez rebounded from his first pro defeat with a seventh-round TKO of Mexican journeyman Pedro Campa on Saturday in Las Vegas. Lopez, 25, floored Campa with an up jab in Round 7 before he pinned his foe on the ropes and unloaded with a flurry of overhand

12:00 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN When Teofimo Lopez walked through the ropes back in November he was the ruler of the lightweights and one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world following an upset victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko. Nine months later, Lopez entered the ring with uncertainty swirling around him. After the shocking defeat