8:04 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN Former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko steps back into the ring Saturday night at Madison Square Garden to face Richard Commey (9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+). It will be Lomachenko’s second fight since a shocking loss to Teofimo Lopez that stripped Lomachenko of his three lightweight titles. In his first fight
Boxing
8:03 PM ET Champion boxer George Kambosos is vowing to reign for years to come after arriving home to a hero’s reception in Sydney. More than 200 fans mostly from the Greek community chanted “Georgie, Georgie, Georgie” when Australia’s newly crowned world lightweight champion paraded his IBF, WBO and WBA belts through the Sydney International
4:31 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN At long last, Keith Thurman is set for his ring return. Thurman and Mario Barrios have struck a deal for a welterweight fight that will headline a PBC on Fox PPV on Jan. 29, sources told ESPN. A location has not been finalized. Thurman, 33, will end a careerlong 30-month
1:43 PM ET Associated Press GENEVA — Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were set a target of about 18 months on Thursday to make changes in order to keep their status as Olympic sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The governing bodies of boxing and weightlifting were described as problems by International Olympic Committee
2:40 PM ET Gervonta Davis didn’t look dominant in a decision victory over Isaac Cruz on Sunday, Dec. 5, but the win did earn him a spot on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings for the very first time. Davis (26-0, 24 KOs), 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, also benefited from Teofimo Lopez’s upset loss to George Kambosos Jr.
8:31 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Yordenis Ugas hoped to unify 147-pound titles with Errol Spence Jr. in his next fight, but he’s getting another tough challenge instead. Ugas, who’s coming off a victory over Manny Pacquiao, and Eimantas Stanionis agreed to a deal Wednesday to avoid a scheduled purse bid the following day in which
7:25 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Former lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko returns to the ring for his second fight of 2021, as he faces Richard Commey in the main event of a Top Rank boxing card at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+). Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs), of Ukraine, hoped to
10:03 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Gary Russell Jr. is ready to end another layoff. The featherweight champion and Mark Magsayo have struck a deal for a Jan. 22 title fight that will headline a PBC on Showtime event, a source confirmed to ESPN. Since Russell (31-1, 18 KOs) captured a 126-pound title in March 2015,
3:53 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN When Roy Jones Jr. defeated James Toney for the super middleweight championship in 1994, they were two of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Eighteen years later, they’ll be enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame together. Jones and Toney, along with Miguel Cotto, highlight the Boxing Hall’s
5:02 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Tyson Fury has his sights set on his potential next opponent. The WBC on Tuesday ordered Fury to defend his heavyweight championship against Dillian Whyte, who was the organization’s No. 1 contender for more than 1,000 days without a title shot. Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) has one fight remaining on
8:49 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 After fighting the likes of Errol Spence and Manny Pacquiao earlier in his career, Chris Algieri said he is now a more educated fighter
8:30 AM ET Tommy Fury has withdrawn from his upcoming fight against Jake Paul, who confirmed the news on Monday, with Tyron Woodley stepping in. Fury and Paul were set to fight in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 18, but reports said Fury — half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury — was injured and Paul later
12:33 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LOS ANGELES — Gervonta Davis shot to stardom with the support of Floyd Mayweather and a bundle of explosive knockouts. “Tank” had Mayweather, his promoter and mentor, watching from ringside, but the fight-ending shot never materialized. In fact, Isaac Cruz, a major underdog from Mexico, never appeared to be in
2:52 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LOS ANGELES — Nine days and three fights later, we’re still not much closer to finding true clarity in boxing’s loaded lightweight division. Gervonta Davis remained undefeated on Sunday night with a tougher-than-expected unanimous decision victory over Isaac Cruz. For the first time in Tank’s career, he was extended the
7:47 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Gervonta Davis defends his WBA “regular” lightweight title against Isaac Cruz in the main event of a Showtime PPV card Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (8 p.m. ET). Davis (25-0, 24 KOs), 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the most exciting young boxers in the
12:46 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — Faced with his stiffest competition yet, Devin Haney came of age with the best performance of his career. Haney, 23, retained his WBC lightweight title with a unanimous-decision victory over Joseph Diaz Jr. on Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena, but the challenger made him earn it
10:50 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN Teofimo Lopez was risking his life and should have been in a hospital — rather than a boxing ring — when he lost his four lightweight belts to George Kambosos last week at Madison Square Garden, according to a doctor who subsequently examined him and reviewed his medical records. “He
4:46 PM ET Ginny Fuchs, the captain of the 2020 U.S. Olympic women’s boxing team in Tokyo, told ESPN she has decided to turn professional. The 33-year-old Houston native will begin her career at flyweight, the weight she has competed at over the past eight years — including in Tokyo, where she reached the second