Boxing

9:00 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 2021 was another momentous year for British boxing — but what does 2022 hold? After Tyson Fury defended his WBC heavyweight title against Deontay

12:32 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Luis Ortiz survived two knockdowns to score a sixth-round stoppage of Charles Martin in a heavyweight fight Saturday night at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. Ortiz (33-2, 28 KOs) badly buckled Martin with an overhand left that left him dazed in the corner, and then Ortiz unloaded with a

8:30 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN After 2020 significantly cut down the volume of fights and memorable moments fans are accustomed to in boxing, 2021 delivered in a major way. Looking back at the last 12 months, the year could best be described as “the year of the upset,” with several key title fights that going

7:14 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Amanda Serrano steps off the elevator at the JW Marriott hotel in Tampa. In five hours, she’ll be next door in Amalie Arena riding another elevator up to a platform, and then she’ll begin her ring walk in front of a sold-out crowd for her 44th professional fight. But

2:30 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN In boxing, 2021 was a year that produced unexpected breakthrough performances from fighters such as Oleksandr Usyk and George Kambosos Jr. But those victories came at the cost of established stars who were seemingly poised to lock down perennial spots among boxing’s pound-for-pound best. Usyk’s upset victory to capture the

7:17 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN The boxing industry came to a screeching halt in 2020. Without the possibility of capacity crowds, the biggest fights were tossed to the side, along with the millions in gate revenue that would have accompanied them. But beginning in May with Canelo Alvarez’s victory over Billy Joe Saunders in Arlington,

7:48 AM ET Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields and Amanda Serrano continue to lead the way in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings. But now we have a new order. Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KOs), dominated a game Miriam Gutierrez on Dec. 18 to set up a potential megafight against undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor next year, in

4:35 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Michael McKinson have agreed to a fight that will headline a DAZN event in early 2022, sources told ESPN on Monday. Ortiz, ESPN’s No. 4 welterweight, is one of boxing’s fastest-rising stars. In his toughest test yet, Ortiz encountered some early rocky moments before scoring an

Dec 18, 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 left no room for argument this time as his reliable right uppercut forced three counts on his way to a unanimous points

8:55 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Daniel Jacobs and John Ryder have struck a deal for a super middleweight fight that will headline a DAZN event Feb. 12 in London, sources told ESPN Monday night, confirming an earlier report. Jacobs, who will be 35 on fight night, will be competing at 168 pounds for the third

Dec 20, 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 Trying to separate the outstanding successes of Tyson Fury and Josh Taylor is desperately hard — and inevitably invites debate — but ESPN’s British

1:30 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Yordenis Ugas will receive his shot at Errol Spence Jr. after all. Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) protested when the WBA mandated that he next defend his welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis, but the latter has now agreed to step aside, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza told ESPN on Sunday, paving the

12:54 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Jake Paul’s ascent in the world of boxing isn’t stopping any time soon. Actually, it might just be getting started. Paul, the YouTube star-turned-prizefighter, knocked out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at 2:12 of the sixth round in a rematch Saturday night at Amalie Arena. In what was

11:19 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — The boxing match between former NBA All-Star guard Deron Williams and star NFL running back Frank Gore was switched Friday to an exhibition inexplicably by the Florida State Boxing Commission. Make no mistake, though. It was a legitimate — and entertaining — fight. Williams defeated Gore via split decision

Dec 19, 2021 TAMPA, Fla. — Amanda Serrano’s latest win hadn’t been over for a few hours yet, and already she was thinking about what was coming next — the fight that has been, in some ways, years in the making. Serrano easily bested Miriam Gutierrez on Saturday night inside Amalie Arena, setting up what

1:52 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Frank Gore first saw Jake Paul fight in January 2020. It was Paul’s pro boxing debut, a first-round knockout of fellow YouTube star AnEsonGib. At the time, the longtime NFL star running back thought that he could beat Paul. Gore had been training in boxing for more than a

7:04 PM ET Marc Raimondi 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 TAMPA, Florida — YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul is back in the ring to face Tyron Woodley in a rematch after Paul’s split decision victory over the

12:46 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Artur Beterbiev’s face was a crimson mask from Round 4 on Friday night, the result of a clash of heads, but he wouldn’t be deterred. Blood poured freely into his eyes from the gash on his forehead, but it only seemed to invigorate Beterbiev. Beterbiev floored Marcus Browne with a