Boxing

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,

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

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

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 last 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

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 closing in on a deal for a Sept. 18 bout in Las Vegas — a PBC on Fox pay-per-view — that will crown an undisputed super middleweight

8:17 AM ET In a parallel universe, we’d be days away from the high-stakes heavyweight title trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder that was originally scheduled to take place Saturday. Unfortunately for fight fans looking forward to another big heavyweight clash, Fury contracted COVID-19, and that fight appears destined to take place in

12:29 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN SAN ANTONIO — Brian Castano appeared to clearly topple Jermell Charlo to claim the undisputed 154-pound championship in an upset, but two judges disagreed, delivering a controversial split draw Saturday night at AT&T Center. One judge scored it 114-114, while another scored it 114-113 for Castano; a third judge turned

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

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 tell ESPN, that would see Smith fight mandatory challenger Umar Salamov in the fall followed by a

1:10 PM ET The boxing match between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley now has a location. Paul, the YouTube-star-turned-prizefighter, will fight Woodley in Paul’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio on Aug. 29, it was announced Monday. The venue will be Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Woodley is the former UFC welterweight champion and represents the toughest challenge yet

11:37 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. formally announced Sunday that they will fight Aug. 21 in a bout pitting an eight-division world champion against one of the sport’s most dominant current champions. Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) and Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) will fight for Spence’s WBC and

4:42 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Featherweight Yarisel Ramirez was added to the Tokyo Olympics boxing tournament Saturday, becoming the 10th member of the U.S. team to qualify. She had already traveled to Japan in anticipation of gaining a late slot, and news of her addition by USA Boxing set off a celebration