Boxing

4:09 PM ET ARLINGTON, Texas — Even the first official event for Saturday’s super middleweight unification fight between Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders wasn’t immune to controversy. Saunders did not show for a press event and arrival photos on Tuesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. His father, Tom, told ESPN that Saunders was

5:45 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 Billy Joe Saunders is hoping Saturday’s fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez does not end in controversy after learning there will not be a British

7:52 AM ET Former heavyweight world titleholder Andy Ruiz Jr. and Joseph Parker got up from the canvas to score impressive victories over Chris Arreola and Dereck Chisora, respectively, on Saturday. But are they the best heavyweights after champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua? Canelo Alvarez, who owns the WBC and WBA super middleweight titles,

4:45 PM ET MIAMI — Former NFL star receiver Chad Johnson is planning to trade in his cleats for boxing gloves next month. Johnson has agreed to fight in an exhibition bout on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul on June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, Mayweather’s promotion

4:31 PM ET ESPN News Services A 27-year-old woman whose body was found in a lagoon in Puerto Rico was a companion of lightweight boxer Felix Verdejo, who has been questioned by police and whose car was seized overnight, Puerto Rican authorities said Sunday. No one has been arrested in the case, and Verdejo and

7:53 PM 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 Joseph Parker overcame an early scare to earn a split decision win over Derek Chisora on Saturday, which keeps him in the hunt for

1:01 AM ET Brett Okamoto In a matter of three fights, Andy Ruiz has gone from underdog, to champion, to disappointment, to a man in search of a comeback — but the comeback is off to a good start. Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) recorded his first win in nearly two years on Saturday, as he

1:40 AM ET Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo met with local police this week in Puerto Rico regarding an investigation into the disappearance of a 27-year-old woman, according to multiple reports. Verdejo (27-2, 17 KOs) reportedly met with police on Friday morning and refused to answer questions about the disappearance of Keishla Marlen Rodriguez. According to

6:10 PM ET Former unified heavyweight world titleholder Andy Ruiz Jr. returns to the ring for the first time since losing his three belts back to Anthony Joshua in their rematch in December 2019, as he faces former title challenger Chris Arreola in the main event of Saturday’s PPV card at Dignity Health Sports Park

2:44 PM ET King Fury, the 20-1 horse named after lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, has been scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. King Fury’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, tweeted the horse spiked 104 degree fever with an elevated white count on Friday afternoon after a galloping session in the morning, leading to the decision to pull

12:09 PM ET Associated Press BROCKTON, Mass. — – Middleweight boxing champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler is being celebrated in his Massachusetts hometown with a street named in his honor. The Brockton City Council on Monday approved a proposal by two councilors to name a currently under-construction street Marvin Hagler Drive, The Enterprise reported Wednesday. Hagler,

7:51 AM ET As the boxing world slowly starts rolling back into full gear, this weekend’s fights represent a burst of momentum leading into the busiest month in boxing we’ve had in over a year. It kicks off on Friday in London (ESPN+, 4 p.m. main card; 2 p.m. ET undercard) with a card featuring

9:43 PM ET Top Rank promoter Bob Arum turned the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua fight negotiating drama up a notch on Thursday when he referred to the discussed blockbuster boxing match for this summer as “dead in the water.” It happened as Arum, who co-promotes Fury in the United States, told the UK’s Telegraph that talks

1:00 PM ET Kathleen McNamee Katie Taylor’s dominance of women’s boxing isn’t by accident, though she had the ability, and the skills, to go pro in soccer as well. Jan Kruger/Getty Images Katie Taylor’s faith — in God, in her fists, in herself — is famous, and maybe infamous. Her drive and determination to be the

11:16 AM ET Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez said he had to negotiate by telephone the release of one of his brothers, who had been kidnapped in Mexico, in the days before his 2018 fight against Rocky Fielding in New York. “In 2018, the Monday before the fight, and I was always on the phone. …

7:49 AM ET Former heavyweight unified world titlist Andy Ruiz Jr. returns to the ring Saturday for the first time since losing his belt in a rematch against Anthony Joshua in December 2019 to face former title challenger Chris Arreola. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

7:53 PM ET Tyson Fury, the heavyweight champion of the world, is looking to add another honor on Saturday. It’s one he has no control over and something he didn’t even know about until this week. Depending what happens in Louisville, Fury might be the namesake of a Kentucky Derby champion. The horse, King Fury,

1:37 PM ET Maciej Sulecki is once again set to face Jaime Munguia, in a middleweight battle now set for June 19, Golden Boy Promotions announced Wednesday. The fight between Munguia and Sulecki was originally scheduled for April 24 at the Don Haskins Center at the University of Texas at El Paso, but Sulecki suffered