Boxing

1:09 AM ET Terence Crawford is boxing’s best. His combination of speed, power and skill were on display Saturday night, finishing Kell Brook with a flurry of punches that led to a fourth-round TKO. But the lingering question about Crawford remains: when will he put a bow on his career by making a megafight with

12:40 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Going into his fourth WBO welterweight title defense on Saturday, Terence Crawford was supposed to be a quicker, better boxer than Kell Brook. He was clearly the more powerful puncher, as well. Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) scored a highlight-reel knockout over Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) at the 1:14 mark

1:29 AM ET Leave it to the pandemic to stop one of the biggest fights in boxing. A potential welterweight unification bout between Terence “Bud” Crawford and Manny Pacquiao was nixed because of COVID-19 restrictions, Crawford said early Sunday morning after he retained his WBO welterweight belt with a fourth-round stoppage over Kell Brook. During

11:59 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Former WBA super flyweight champion Andrew Moloney went from a dream scenario to an absolute nightmare on Saturday night, as his bid to reclaim his title against Joshua Franco resulted in a no-contest. Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs), who surrendered the title to Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) in a 12-round

7:09 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 Katie Taylor’s reign as undisputed world lightweight champion was never in doubt as she produced a dazzling display to unanimously outpoint Miriam Gutierrez on

7:44 AM ET It’s not easy being king. Hidden in the never-ending conversation about when ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, Terence Crawford, will have his much-awaited superfight against Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao, is the fact he has a worthy challenge Saturday as he defends his WBO welterweight world title against Kell Brook inside

5:55 PM ET Saturday’s WBO welterweight championship between Terence Crawford and Kell Brook was made official on Friday, as both fighters successfully made weight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world according to ESPN, weighed-in at 146.4 pounds, while Brook (39-2, 27 KOs)

10:13 AM ET There has been a change of plans for the WBC bantamweight world title as Nonito Donaire will now face Emmanuel Rodriguez on Dec. 19. Titleholder Nordine Oubaali, who was originally scheduled to defend that belt against Donaire on Dec. 12, encountered visa issues and was unable to travel to the U.S. The

6:57 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim The elevator door slid open and out walked Terence Crawford. Despite being the best boxer in the world, the 5-foot-8, 147-pound Crawford does not cast an imposing figure, not in the way a hulking heavyweight might draw eyeballs. But he embodies the swagger of a prizefighter who has never been

6:39 PM ET After months of conflict between Canelo Alvarez, his promoters and his broadcast partners, Alvarez is finally heading back to the ring. Alvarez will meet Callum Smith to unify WBA super middleweight titles in Texas in December, sources close to the negotiations revealed to ESPN. This will be Alvarez’s first appearance since his

7:57 PM ET Shakur Stevenson will fight Toka Kahn Clary in the main event of a Dec. 12 card on ESPN, Top Rank’s Carl Moretti told ESPN on Tuesday. Top Rank had previously announced last week that Stevenson would headline the card against a yet-to-be-named opponent. Stevenson, 23, vacated his WBO featherweight championship in July

10:15 PM ET The result of a quick knockout in a heavyweight boxing match between Luis Ortiz and Alexander Flores is being called into question by a regulatory body. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is withholding Flores’ fight purse pending an investigation into the finish of the bout. Ortiz knocked out Flores in just

4:47 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Entering the ring again wasn’t even a thought for former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson until several propositions hit his radar, 15 years after his last professional bout. First, there was a proposed MMA fight versus Bob Sapp, then boxing matches against former heavyweight titlist Shannon Briggs and longtime rival Evander

2:52 PM ET Ryan Garcia won’t fight again this year after all. The top boxing prospect’s Dec. 5 bout with Luke Campbell was postponed Tuesday due to Campbell’s positive test for COVID-19, Golden Boy Promotions announced. The press release stated that a new date will be announced “shortly.” The original bout was scheduled for Fantasy

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 Kell Brook has insisted he has not been distracted or concerned by weight issues ahead of facing Terence Crawford on Saturday. There were doubts

9:00 AM ET Welterweight world titlist and ESPN No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Terence Crawford defends his belt against former titleholder Kell Brook in the main event of a Top Rank Card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas on Saturday. And while the welterweight division is packed with talent, including titleholders Errol Spence

12:07 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN If Yuriorkis Gamboa was the toughest test to date for Devin Haney, the rising boxing star passed it with flying colors. After a yearlong layoff, boxing’s youngest champion successfully defended his WBC lightweight title for the second time with a unanimous decision win over Gamboa — a former two-division champion.

Nov 6, 2020 Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo will fight Masayoshi Nakatani on Dec. 12, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told The Athletic. The fight will be the co-main event of a Top Rank card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Verdejo (27-1, 17 KOs), of Puerto Rico, was injured in a