Boxing

6:31 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 As the Olympic boxing tournament in Tokyo starts on Saturday, Britain’s Joe Joyce will watch closely as he aims to build on his success

1:24 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Terence Crawford, ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer, could be preparing for a quantum leap in competition. A fight between the welterweight champion and former titleholder Shawn Porter was ordered by the WBO late Wednesday night. In the letter, sent to Crawford’s promoter, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum and Tom Brown,

8:01 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 Frazer Clarke won gold for team England at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Getty Images Frazer Clarke will begin his attempt to win Olympic

6:48 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Oscar De La Hoya’s comeback fight at 48 is now exactly that — a fight. The Hall of Fame boxer’s Sept. 11 return against former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, originally planned as a boxing exhibition, now will be a sanctioned fight, Triller Fight Club founder Ryan Kavanaugh told ESPN on

8:36 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — The home of the French Open tennis championship will host boxing matches in September, 75 years after French great Marcel Cerdan fought and won there. The French Tennis Federation said Wednesday that French boxer Tony Yoka and other boxers will fight on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros on

8:15 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 Team Great Britain has had one of the most dominant teams in boxing across the last decade with at least nine medals in the

1:48 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Canelo Alvarez is inching toward his goal of collecting all four titles at 168 pounds. Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, and Caleb Plant are in the process of finalizing a deal for a Sept. 18 bout in Las Vegas — a PBC on Fox pay-per-view — that will crown an undisputed

7:55 PM ET Mike Coppinger Ben Baby Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN Staff Writer Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News University of North Texas graduate The past 12 months have been a revelation in boxing, in terms of boxers becoming undisputed champions or looking to join that elite group. It’s only

11:00 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 Anthony Joshua will defend his WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles against Oleksandr Usyk in front of what is hoped will be a

3:19 AM ET Mike Coppinger Ben Baby Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN Staff Writer Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News University of North Texas graduate In one moment, Jermell Charlo appeared out of answers as his shot at an undisputed championship was slipping away. Then in another, Charlo was smacking Brian

12:29 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN SAN ANTONIO — Jermell Charlo, fighting hours away from his hometown of Houston, whipped his fans into a frenzy early on in Saturday night’s fight against Brian Castano, but after the controversial decision was announced — a split draw that prevented the crowning of an undisputed champion at 154 pounds

6:53 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN SAN ANTONIO — Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano aim to put their names in the record books on Saturday night as one will become the undisputed junior middleweight champion. Charlo enters the bout as a -260 favorite, according to Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill. The winner will join Josh Taylor,

8:34 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN There are four world titles in each of boxing’s 17 divisions. Any attempt to clear up just who “the man” or “the woman” is in a given weight class is a boon to the sport, and that’s what makes Saturday’s fight between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano for the undisputed

11:40 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are set for their trilogy fight for the WBC heavyweight championship – again. The battle between big men is now set for Oct. 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN. The fight, an ESPN+ and Fox PPV, was scheduled for July 24

7:57 AM ET Mikaela Mayer and Seniesa Estrada shined in decision wins and both climbed higher in ESPN’s women’s pound-for-pound rankings. Mayer (15-0, 5 KOs), 31, of Woodland Hills, California, defended her WBO junior lightweight world title with a victory over Erica Farias on June 19. The scores of 97-93, 98-92 and 98-92 were representative

10:12 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Tyron Woodley was one of the greatest champions in one of the best weight classes in the UFC: welterweight. Now, though, the hard-hitting wrestler is turning his attention to a new sport. Woodley will meet YouTube-star-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a professional boxing match Aug. 29 in Cleveland, Ohio. It

8:35 AM ET Another undisputed champion will be crowned on Saturday night, as Jermell Charlo faces Brian Castano for all four junior middleweight world titles. Charlo enters the fight as the favorite, but this fight won’t be easy, given the fighting style of Castano. For either winner, the titleholders at 160 pounds are appealing next

3:05 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Joe Smith Jr. is lining up not just his first title defense, but a major fight in early 2021. The light heavyweight titleholder is in the process of finalizing a two-fight deal, sources told ESPN, that would see Smith fight mandatory challenger Umar Salamov in the fall, followed by a