Boxing

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

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

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

12:00 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

8:34 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — Tyson Fury has decided to “walk away” from boxing, only three days after saying he was returning to the sport. Fury turned 34 on Friday and posted a message on social media saying: “Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years &

8:48 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN RINGOES, N.J. — The last time Teofimo Lopez fought it was with a condition later diagnosed as pneumomediastinum, a balloon-like intrusion of air in his thoracic cavity, the likely result of a tiny tear in his esophagus that developed as he rehydrated after the weigh-in. “How he breathed, I can’t

5:13 AM ET British boxers Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn will square off in a highly-anticipated bout at London’s O2 Arena on Oct. 8, three decades after their fathers fought each other. Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn were bitter rivals in the 1990s and the two former super-middleweight world champions fought twice — Eubank

8:52 AM ET Katie Taylor has said that Jake Paul’s suggestion that her rematch with Amanda Serrano should take place at a catchweight is “nonsense.” Taylor, 36, beat Serrano, 33, via a split decision at their highly anticipated fight at Madison Square Garden in April, with the Irish boxer keeping her lightweight title. 1 Related

8:19 PM ET Dmitry Bivol will have a tough test on his hands if he wants to remain a champion. Bivol must face top contender Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in a mandatory defense, the World Boxing Association announced Wednesday. Ramirez is the No. 1 contender in the WBA’s 175-pound ranking. Bivol had requested to face London’s

10:15 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius are in the process of finalizing a deal for a PBC pay-per-view fight on Oct. 15, sources confirmed to ESPN. Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) contemplated retirement following a brutal 11th-round KO loss to Tyson Fury in their bout in October 2021 that