Boxing

5:15 PM ET Hopefully JoJo Diaz enjoyed holding his IBF junior lightweight belt at the weigh-in for Saturday’s fight against Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov. It was the last time he’ll have it for a while. Diaz was stripped of the title after he failed to make weight on Friday. Diaz weighed 133.6 pounds, well over the division’s

8:10 AM ET A new main event was set late on Thursday as the light heavyweight title fight between Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov was canceled due to COVID-19. There won’t be a title on the line, but heavy punchers will seize the main event spotlight as Richard Commey and Jackson Marinez (ESPN+, Sat.,

5:05 PM ET The WBO light heavyweight championship fight between Maxim Vlasov and Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday has been postponed after the Russian native tested positive for COVID-19 this week in Las Vegas, it was announced Thursday. Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs) was scheduled to face Smith (26-3, 21 KOs) for the vacant title in

7:36 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN Joe Smith. A search on Boxrec.com reveals seven and a half pages — almost 200 professional fighters — who go, or have gone, by “Joe Smith.” The name itself is a generic suggestion: just a guy, an ordinary guy, a regular guy, blue collar, everyman. The Joe Smith in question

4:46 PM ET Canelo Alvarez’s top 2021 plan is to do what no other boxer has done in the four-belt era: unify the super middleweight division. Ahead of his Feb. 27 title defense against WBC mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in Miami, Alvarez told ESPN his plan for the rest of the year is fighting WBO

8:58 AM ET Like so many kids in so many towns across the United States, Joseph Diaz Jr. started young in a T-ball league. He was 4 when his father, Joseph Sr., signed him up so he could pick up the basics of how to throw, hit and catch. Joseph Jr., or JoJo, as he’s

8:14 AM ET There’s no boxing division creating more buzz than lightweight, headed by four young stars — Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney. Of that group, Lopez has the biggest win to date and the most belts. Lopez is still enjoying the fruits of his massive victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko

4:00 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 British boxer Josh Warrington said he is inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo in how to maintain his mindset at the top level, as he returns

6:32 PM ET Leon Spinks, who surprised the boxing world by beating Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1978, died Friday night at age 67, according to the Firm PR, which represents him. Spinks had been suffering from prostate and other cancers. The St. Louis native, who had won a gold medal as

6:47 PM ET Former undisputed heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, 67, died Friday night after a long battle with prostate cancer and other illnesses. Spinks finished his boxing career with a record of 26-17-3, 14 KOs, but it’s most remember for defeating Muhammad Ali in 1978 to win the championship. After news of his passing, friends,

8:41 AM ET Ben Baby Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN Staff Writer Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News University of North Texas graduate 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 The big fight that

1:47 PM ET Lightweight star Teofimo Lopez Jr., focused on keeping all five of his lightweight titles, is beginning to gear up for his next fight. Mandatory IBF challenger George Kambosos Jr. is the frontrunner to fight Lopez next in a bout that would likely take place in the early spring in the United States,

5:31 PM ET Associated Press The International Boxing Hall of Fame is postponing its induction weekend for the second straight year due to the “many unknowns” of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hall of Fame executive director Ed Brophy says next year’s ceremony is scheduled for June 12 and will be themed a Hall of Fame

4:56 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN The return of Floyd “Money” Mayweather will have to wait — for now. His much-anticipated exhibition bout originally set for Feb. 20 against YouTube personality Logan Paul has been postponed to a later date, according to Fanmio founder and CEO Solomon Engel. “After an absolutely tremendous response to the fight

9:00 AM ET The saga between Ryan Garcia and Manny Pacquiao continues to unfold. Garcia has said he wants the fight — a real fight — against the boxing legend, but now his promoter says it’s no longer in the cards. Garcia may have also lost his bout with Gervonta Davis is the process. Has

2:39 PM ET Future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao is still a world champion. Well, kind of. Pacquiao was designated by the WBA as a “champion in recess,” the sanctioning body said in a statement on Friday night. With the vacancy, Yordenis Ugas has been promoted to become the WBA’s top titleholder in the welterweight

10:48 PM ET Caleb Plant retained his IBF super middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over challenger Caleb Truax on Saturday night at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles. All three judges gave every round to Plant, who won 120-108 on all three scorecards in a dominant performance in which he

4:11 PM ET Ryan Garcia’s dream of stepping into the ring to take on Manny Pacquiao will have to remain just that for now, according to his promoter. Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes the 22-year-old Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs), told ESPN Knockout that a fight between the two isn’t in the cards. “There’s nothing to