Boxing

Nick ParkinsonJan 20, 2024, 06:42 PM ET 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 Open Extended Reactions Natasha Jonas claimed the best win of her career Saturday, beating Mikaela Mayer by split decision in the first

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 18, 2024, 07:52 AM ET Open Extended Reactions 2023 delivered more superfights than any other year in recent memory. Gervonta Davis–Ryan Garcia. Errol Spence Jr.–Terence Crawford. Even Canelo Alvarez‘s showdown against Jermell Charlo was highly anticipated, as was Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou. And now, 2024 is getting off to a scorching

James Regan Jan 15, 2024, 02:52 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Francis Ngannou has vowed to target Anthony Joshua’s chin when they fight in Saudi Arabia on March 8 with plenty on the line for both fighters. The card, dubbed “Knockout Chaos,” will also feature Joseph Parker against Zhilei Zhang as the co-main event. Former

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 15, 2024, 11:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Joseph Parker will fight Zhilei Zhang in the March 8 co-feature to Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN. Both fighters are rated in ESPN’s top 10 at heavyweight: Parker is No. 4 while Zhang is No. 5. Parker (34-3, 33

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 14, 2024, 05:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Vasiliy Lomachenko-George Kambosos fight for the vacant IBF lightweight title will take place May 12 in Perth, Australia, sources told ESPN on Sunday. The fight will be televised on ESPN on the evening of May 11 in the U.S. Lomachenko, a future Hall

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 14, 2024, 01:52 AM ET Open Extended Reactions QUEBEC CITY, Quebec — Now that Artur Beterbiev has maintained his pristine 100% KO ratio with another dominant victory, there’s little else to talk about. It’s time for boxing to deliver one of the best possible matchups the sport can offer: A meeting between

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 14, 2024, 12:04 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Artur Beterbiev retained his WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight titles with a seventh-round TKO victory over Callum Smith on Saturday night in Quebec City, Quebec. Punch Stats Punches Beterbiev Smith Total landed 182 59 Total thrown 471 366 Percent 39% 16% Jabs landed

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterJan 12, 2024, 01:01 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Francis Ngannou will have some new scenery for his next boxing camp. Dewey Cooper, one of Ngannou’s top coaches, told ESPN in a video interview Thursday that the former UFC heavyweight champion will train in Saudi Arabia for his boxing match against

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 12, 2024, 01:26 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A junior lightweight fight between Oscar Valdez and Liam Wilson is being finalized for March 29 in Glendale, Arizona, a source told ESPN. Valdez and Wilson both lost to Emanuel Navarrete last year in 130-pound title slugfests. Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) hasn’t competed since

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 12, 2024, 07:51 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Artur Beterbiev is boxing’s only champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio, a distinction he’ll look to maintain Saturday when he defends his three light heavyweight titles against Callum Smith (10 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+). Russia’s Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) is again fighting in his

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 11, 2024, 09:38 PM ET Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the son of the legendary Mexican boxer, was set to be released from jail Thursday night and entered into a residential treatment program in Los Angeles, his attorney, Guadalupe Valencia, told ESPN. He’s expected to remain in the program until his next court

Nick ParkinsonJan 10, 2024, 07:49 AM ET 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 Open Extended Reactions Not one of Artur Beterbiev‘s 19 professional opponents has lasted to hear the final bell, but Callum Smith will

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 9, 2024, 11:52 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Former welterweight champion Errol Spence said Monday that he underwent cataract surgery. The recovery timeline for cataract surgery is approximately eight weeks. The procedure comes 29 months after Spence suffered a detached retina in training that scrapped his planned August 2021 fight with Manny

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 8, 2024, 11:54 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Naoya Inoue and Luis Nery have agreed to a deal for a May fight in Tokyo for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship, sources told ESPN on Monday night. Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) claimed ESPN Fighter of the Year honors when he KOed Marlon Tapales

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 8, 2024, 08:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The Nevada State Athletic Commission said Monday that both contestants in Vergil Ortiz’s first-round TKO of Fredrick Lawson on Saturday “were cleared by medical experts to compete without restrictions.” The statement comes one day after referee Tony Weeks claimed in a Facebook post that

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 7, 2024, 10:55 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Less than 90 days ago, Francis Ngannou had never stepped through the ropes for a professional boxing match. We knew Ngannou possessed crushing power, but that was all displayed in the Octagon, where he reigned as UFC heavyweight champion. The 37-year-old was viewed as

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 6, 2024, 11:23 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Vergil Ortiz Jr. scored a first-round TKO victory Saturday in Las Vegas in a stoppage that was vehemently disputed by his opponent, Frederick Lawson. Ortiz, in his first fight in 17 months, buckled Lawson with a jab that backed him up. With Lawson lying

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJan 5, 2024, 06:19 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou have struck a deal for a heavyweight boxing match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced Friday on social media. The fight will take place on March 9, sources told ESPN. Joshua