Boxing

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

5:09 AM ET WWE superstar Drew McIntyre claims WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is “stalking” him for a match. McIntyre, a two-time WWE Champion, has been called out by Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) multiple times in interviews and on social media. Fury’s sole WWE appearance came in October 2019 when he faced Braun Strowman at

8:29 PM ET Five-time world champion Floyd Mayweather will return to the ring to face YouTube sensation turned-boxer Logan Paul at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 6 on Showtime PPV and Fanmio, it was announced on Tuesday night. “Logan Paul and I are going to fight at Hard Rock Stadium. Mayweather Promotions, Fanmio

4:25 PM ET WBO super featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer’s first title defense will come June 19 against Argentine fighter Erica Farias as a co-feature bout in Las Vegas, multiple sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Thirty-year-old Mayer (14-0, 5 KO) last fought on Oct. 31, 2020, when she won the WBO belt over Ewa Brodnicka. Mayer

7:47 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 While the date and venue for the undisputed world heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have yet to be finalized, there are

1:39 PM ET Ryan Garcia’s next fight is off. The lightweight contender announced on Instagram that he is pulling out of his July 9 fight against Javier Fortuna. Garcia (21-0, 18 KOs) did not list a specific reason for his withdrawal. “At this time it is important to manage my health and wellbeing,” Garcia wrote

12:31 AM ET Cameron Wolfe Close ESPN Staff Writer Covered the Broncos for two seasons with the Denver Post Graduate of the University of Houston A native of Jackson, Miss. Ben Baby Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN Staff Writer Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News University of North Texas graduate Emanuel

8:02 PM ET Former lightweight titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko will return to the ring June 26 to face Masayoshi Nakatani, sources told ESPN’s Mark Kriegel on Saturday. The fight will take place in Las Vegas, according to a source. Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs), 33, hasn’t been in the ring since he lost a unanimous decision to

Apr 24, 2021 It had to end eventually. At some point in Edgar Berlanga’s pro career, he wasn’t going to finish his opponent in the first three minutes. Not only did Berlanga’s streak of first-round knockouts end on Saturday night against Demond Nicholson, but Berlanga’s opponent somehow found himself standing at the end of the

12:41 AM ET Emanuel Navarrete defended his WBO featherweight title with an action-packed 12th round TKO over Chris Diaz during Top Rank’s main event Saturday night. Known for his awkward and relentless style, Mexico’s Navarrete (34-1, 29 KOs) knocked Diaz down four times — but it was the final one with just seconds remaining in

4:40 PM ET The proposed site fee to stage the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight in Saudi Arabia exceeds $150 million, shattering the record for any site fee for a boxing event, according to ESPN’s Mark Kriegel. Fury and Joshua each will net around $75 million, and the rest, several million dollars, will be

7:49 AM ET Timothy Bradley Jr. There’s not one guy in the 126-pound division right now better than Emanuel Navarrete. That includes Christopher Diaz, who challenges for Navarrete’s WBO featherweight world title on Saturday. No one’s going to beat Navarrete in 12 rounds, when he’s standing on his feet — and that includes the other

7:49 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim “There’s no overtime in boxing.” That is an axiom that Andre Rozier has drilled into the boxers under his charge, from world champions to youngsters just learning the ropes. The Brooklyn-based trainer wants his fighters to get the job done inside the ring, smartly and efficiently, and get out of

7:49 AM ET Junior lightweight and lightweight titleholder Gervonta Davis is going up to junior welterweight to face unbeaten WBA “regular” titlist Mario Barrios on May 26. Davis has had problems making weight in the past — he was stripped of his IBF junior lightweight title before his title defense against Francisco Fonseca in 2017