Boxing

12:21 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 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

11:13 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Josh Taylor jumped on someone’s shoulders, pumped his fists and cheered along with the small section of his supporters nestled behind one of the corners. They had every reason to be thrilled. In one of the rarest fights in boxing — an undisputed title fight featuring two undefeated boxers

May 22, 2021 LAS VEGAS — WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have both signed contracts for the third bout in their heavyweight rivalry. During the Josh Taylor-Jose Ramirez telecast on ESPN on Saturday, Fury said that he had signed his contract. Wilder has also finalized his side of the deal, according to

4:34 PM ET Jose Ramirez, the WBC and WBO junior welterweight titlist, and Josh Taylor, the WBA and IBF titleholder, will meet on Saturday to crown the undisputed champion in the division. Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), 28, of Avenal, California, last fought in August when he defended his titles with a majority decision victory against

5:48 PM ET Two of the world’s best boxers have agreed to fight each other in Las Vegas. Manny Pacquiao will face Errol Spence Jr. on Aug. 21, with both boxers announcing the fight on social media Friday. A source also confirmed to ESPN that the fight had been set, though a venue has not

7:41 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Not all championships are created equally. Even in boxing, with the most legitimate belts swimming in an ocean of trinket titles, this is true. A fighter can sometimes stumble into becoming a champion if the matchmaking is good enough or the circumstances are favorable. That’s not the case with

6:18 PM ET Manny Pacquaio and Errol Spence Jr. made headlines on Friday when they announced one of the biggest fights in recent years. Pacquiao, 62-7-2, 39 KOs), 42, of General Santos City, Philippines, boxing’s only eight-division world champion, will face Spence (27-0, 21 KOs), 31, of Desoto, Texas, the only unified welterweight champion, on

7:33 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN A couple of weeks ago, a once-great champion and a YouTuber held a news conference to announce their “fight” in Miami. The YouTuber’s brother, also a YouTuber, confronted the retired fighter and snatched his baseball cap. “Gotcha hat!” he said, before running away. This was widely interpreted as the work

7:55 PM ET A huge heavyweight fight is scheduled for this summer, but it’s not the one that has been discussed for the past six months. After rumors of a heavyweight unification against Anthony Joshua, WBC champion Tyson Fury will instead face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight on July 24 or August 14 in

11:25 AM ET The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has initiated an independent investigation into the death of teenage Jordanian boxer Rashed Al-Swaisat, who died last month after sustaining a head injury at the world youth championships in Poland. 19-year-old Al-Swaisat was taken to hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery after collapsing during the third

1:07 PM ET Former super middleweight world titlist Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez will face former light heavyweight title contender Sullivan Barrera on July 9 in Los Angeles, Golden Boy Promotions announced Tuesday. Ramirez (41-0, 27 KOs), 29, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, will make his Golden Boy debut after signing with the promotion in February. Ramirez, who

9:09 PM ET Jake Paul, one of the most polarizing up-and-coming stars in boxing, has a new home. The YouTuber-turned-prizefighter has a deal in place for his next boxing match to be distributed by Showtime Sports, Paul’s adviser Nakisa Bidarian told ESPN on Wednesday. Paul’s team and Showtime are in advanced talks about the potential

4:38 PM ET The fate of a proposed heavyweight unification match between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua could be greatly determined in the next two days. In a letter to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn on Wednesday, the WBO ordered Hearn to “show cause” within 48 hours why the sanctioning body should not force Joshua (24-1,

7:43 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 Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor have worked for decades to reach this moment. On Saturday in Las Vegas, one of the two undefeated and

10:29 AM ET Anthony Joshua could have his next opponent quickly — even if it isn’t Tyson Fury. In a video released Tuesday by Joshua’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn indicated that a bout between Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk is a possibility if Fury is unavailable this summer. Hearn’s comments came one day after

3:32 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Moments after his super middleweight unification victory over Billy Joe Saunders earlier this month, champion Canelo Alvarez turned his attention to another division titleholder: Caleb Plant. “That’s the plan, to go for the belt, and I’m coming, man,” Alvarez said during his postfight interview. “I’m coming, my friend.” Plant (21-0,

6:02 PM ET Mark KriegelESPN A day after Tyson Fury tweeted that his heavyweight unification fight with Anthony Joshua was “100 percent on” for Aug. 14 in Saudi Arabia, an arbitrator ruled Monday that Fury must face Deontay Wilder in a rematch by Sept. 15, ESPN has learned. In granting Wilder’s injunction, former federal judge

Sep 23, 2020 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 Editor’s note: This story was originally published in September. It has been updated to reference that Josh Taylor will face Jose Ramirez on May