Boxing

10:38 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN David Benavidez and David Lemieux have signed contracts for a 168-pound bout slated for springtime on Showtime, a source told ESPN, an event that likely will land in Benavidez’s native Phoenix. The battle of former champions could move Benavidez one step closer to a shot at Canelo Alvarez. The volume-punching

Dec 14, 2021 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 Joseph Parker said he is grateful to have enlisted the help of Tyson Fury in preparing for Saturday’s heavyweight rematch against Dereck Chisora at

8:15 AM ET Vasiliy Lomachenko needed a statement victory against Richard Commey on Dec. 11 to show he is the best lightweight fighter in the world. After Teofimo Lopez was upset by George Kambosos Jr., and Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney struggled a little in their victories the week before, Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) dominated

9:00 AM ET After it was all over on Saturday in Liverpool, England, Katie Taylor let out a sigh of relief. Firuza Sharipova had not been the biggest or most difficult boxing fight of her career, but she presented a different sort of problem. Firuza was the last person Taylor needed to get past before

6:52 AM ET Associated Press LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Boxing will reform a judging system tainted by manipulation to regain its place on the program for the 2028 Olympics, the president of the newly renamed International Boxing Association said Monday. Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were all left off the initial list of sports for the

Dec 11, 2021 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 Conor Benn is doing a good job of keeping up the family tradition after knocking out former world champion Chris Algieri in the fourth

2:13 AM ET Nonito Donaire showed boxing can still be an old man’s game. Donaire, 39, successfully defended his WBC bantamweight belt with a fourth-round knockout win over Reymart Gaballo on Saturday night in the sparsely filled Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. In an all-Filipino clash, Donaire scored a victory with a second

Find out why professionals are using BoxBandz 12:01 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Vasiliy Lomachenko floored Richard Commey hard in Round 7, leaving his opponent on wobbly legs and in big trouble. He pleaded with Commey’s corner to stop the contest, but it allowed the marquee fight to continue. The stoppage never materialized for Lomachenko after that,

1:40 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Vasiliy Lomachenko was on the verge of the statement win he was searching for Saturday, the kind of performance that could land him a shot at the undisputed lightweight championship. After he floored Richard Commey in the seventh round of their lightweight bout at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Lomachenko

5:23 PM ET Tim Fiorvanti Close ESPN.com WWE on ESPN Editor Michael Rothstein Close ESPN Staff Writer Previously covered University of Michigan for ESPN.com and AnnArbor.com Also covered Notre Dame for Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Vasiliy Lomachenko is healthy and ready to earn his way back into a lightweight championship fight, but first he needs

8:03 PM ET Champion boxer George Kambosos is vowing to reign for years to come after arriving home to a hero’s reception in Sydney. More than 200 fans mostly from the Greek community chanted “Georgie, Georgie, Georgie” when Australia’s newly crowned world lightweight champion paraded his IBF, WBO and WBA belts through the Sydney International

8:04 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN Former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko steps back into the ring Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to face Richard Commey (9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+). It will be Lomachenko’s second fight since a shocking loss to Teofimo Lopez that stripped Lomachenko of his three lightweight titles. In his first fight

1:43 PM ET Associated Press GENEVA — Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were set a target of about 18 months on Thursday to make changes in order to keep their status as Olympic sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The governing bodies of boxing and weightlifting were described as problems by International Olympic Committee

4:31 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN At long last, Keith Thurman is set for his ring return. Thurman and Mario Barrios have struck a deal for a welterweight fight that will headline a PBC on Fox PPV on Jan. 29, sources told ESPN. A location has not been finalized. Thurman, 33, will end a careerlong 30-month

2:40 PM ET Gervonta Davis didn’t look dominant in a decision victory over Isaac Cruz on Sunday, Dec. 5, but the win did earn him a spot on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings for the very first time. Davis (26-0, 24 KOs), 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, also benefited from Teofimo Lopez’s upset loss to George Kambosos Jr.

8:31 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Yordenis Ugas hoped to unify 147-pound titles with Errol Spence Jr. in his next fight, but he’s getting another tough challenge instead. Ugas, who’s coming off a victory over Manny Pacquiao, and Eimantas Stanionis agreed to a deal Wednesday to avoid a scheduled purse bid the following day in which

10:03 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Gary Russell Jr. is ready to end another layoff. The featherweight champion and Mark Magsayo have struck a deal for a Jan. 22 title fight that will headline a PBC on Showtime event, a source confirmed to ESPN. Since Russell (31-1, 18 KOs) captured a 126-pound title in March 2015,

7:25 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Former lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko returns to the ring for his second fight of 2021, as he faces Richard Commey in the main event of a Top Rank boxing card at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+). Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs), of Ukraine, hoped to