Boxing

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jake Paul’s inexplicable boxing résumé now includes a win over one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. Paul, the YouTube-star-turned-prizefighter, beat former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva by unanimous decision (77-74, 78-73, 78-73) Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena. The bout was very competitive, but Paul pulled away late

2:15 AM ET On a wild night for boxing, fans were treated to a little bit of everything. From big returns to the ring to rising prospects and celebrity bouts, there was plenty to choose from. Former unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) earned a big unanimous-decision win over Jamaine Ortiz (16-1-1, 8

7:17 PM ET Mike Coppinger Marc Raimondi Vasiliy Lomachenko returns to the ring for the first time since his December victory over Richard Commey, facing Jamaine Ortiz in the main event of a Top Rank boxing card at the Hulu Theater inside New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday (ESPN+, 6:25 p.m. ET). Lomachenko (16-2,

Oct 27, 2022 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jake Paul and Anderson Silva agreed to an unorthodox bet two days before they are set to meet in a boxing match. Paul proposed to Silva on Thursday at the prefight news conference that if Silva wins, Paul will do a rematch with the UFC legend in a kickboxing

6:15 AM ET Welterweight contender Conor Benn has revealed he failed two voluntary drug tests ahead of his 157-pound catchweight bout with Chris Eubank Jr earlier this month. Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) had been due to fight Eubank Jr. in a highly anticipated extension of their fathers’ infamous 1990s rivalry, but Benn tested positive by

7:50 AM ET Timothy Bradley Jr. YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul will be back in the ring Saturday for his sixth professional fight. And while he’s not fighting a “real boxer,” he will face former UFC champion Anderson Silva, who owns a victory over former middleweight champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) has

10:09 PM ET PHOENIX — Anderson Silva has been cleared to compete in a boxing match Saturday against Jake Paul after his comments from an interview nearly upended the bout. The Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission agreed to let Silva fight during a special meeting Thursday night, after requiring the MMA legend to take extra

9:05 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez are in the process of finalizing a deal for a fight in the first quarter of 2023, sources tell ESPN. It’s expected one of the two 130-pound titles vacated by Shakur Stevenson will be on the line in the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN main

9:21 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN CAMARILLO, Calif. — Fights are often compared to wars, though it’s no longer a metaphor Vasiliy Lomachenko cares to indulge. Not anymore. Not after seeing the real thing. With respect to war, Ukraine’s two-time gold medalist, considered for several consecutive years to be the greatest fighter in the world, has

1:12 AM ET GLENDALE, Ariz. — Uriah Hall opened up Wednesday about falling into a “deep depression” following his abrupt retirement from the UFC this past summer. Hall said at the Jake Paul–Anderson Silva open workouts that he felt a loss of identity after stepping away from MMA and that at one point he had

2:33 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN The British Boxing Board of Control announced on Wednesday that “allegations of misconduct” against welterweight contender Conor Benn were upheld at a Friday hearing. Benn was slated to fight Chris Eubank Jr. earlier this month, but the event was scrapped after The BBBoC refused to sanction the 157-pound catchweight bout

8:30 AM ET LOS ANGELES – Le’Veon Bell sat on the ring apron inside Mayweather Boxing and Fitness in Hollywood, wiped the sweat from his forehead and narrowed his eyes. Just a few weeks earlier, Bell connected on punches that dropped — and ultimately knocked out — fellow former NFL running back Adrian Peterson in

Oct 24, 2022 Undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields has her plan for the immediate future set, and it still includes both boxing and mixed martial arts. Shields, who became the undisputed middleweight champion for the second time on Oct. 15 in a unanimous decision win over Savannah Marshall, told ESPN on Monday that she plans

7:46 AM ET Timothy Bradley Jr. Anderson Silva is 3-1 in his boxing career and 2-0 since returning in 2021 (the other two fights were in 1998 and 2005). In his last two fights, both in 2021, he won a split decision over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and scored a first-round KO

10:50 PM ET Prominent boxing promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing filed a lawsuit last month against Jake Paul for defamation after Paul, in an interview, accused Matchroom of paying off a boxing judge, who is now also suing Paul. Glenn Feldman, a prolific and well-known boxing judge, is joining Hearn’s lawsuit against Paul with

9:19 AM ET Connor O’Halloran Tyson Fury provides a natural center in the heavyweight division, the man whom every other fighter at the top of the division orbits around. He is the Gypsy King for a reason. It has been a drama-filled year in the division already, with two world title defenses, the emergence of

7:49 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford were on the verge of a deal for an undisputed welterweight championship fight in November, but with talks stalled, and Crawford agreeing to a fight against David Avanesyan on Dec. 10, it’s unclear if they’ll ever meet in a ring, let alone next. Tyson

10:58 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford and David Avanesyan have signed contracts for a pay-per-view fight on Dec. 10 at CHI Health Center in the champion’s native Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford told ESPN on Thursday. The fight will be available on BLK Prime for $39.95, a spokesperson for the streaming service told ESPN.