Boxing

8:31 AM ET Steve KimESPN As the calendar turns to July, fights are set to continue inside “The Bubble” at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. In the lead-up to the Fourth of July holiday weekend, shows on Tuesday and Thursday each feature main events with potential world title ramifications. It might be

Jun 29, 2020 Steve KimESPN WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez will be defending his title against top-rated McWilliams Arroyo on Aug. 15 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Women’s welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus will also fight Jessica McCaskill on this card. The 25-year-old Martinez (16-1-1, 12 KOs) is an aggressive, hard-hitting fighter who won the vacant title

12:15 PM ET Steve KimESPN Highly regarded welterweight Vergil Ortiz will face veteran Samuel Vargas on July 24 in Golden Boy’s first fight card since the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to boxing events across the world in mid-March. The card will take place at the Fantasy Springs Casino Resort in Indio, California. “We’re just

12:23 PM ET Steve KimESPN Three-time world champion Jorge Linares (47-5, 29 KOs) will face Javier Fortuna (35-2-1, 24 KOs) on Aug. 28 at the Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, California. After Linares dispatched Carlos Morales in four rounds on Feb. 14, a showdown with the undefeated Ryan Garcia was heavily bandied about

10:12 PM ET Steve KimESPN When Adan Gonzales signed on to face two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez in Ramirez’s professional debut, he really had no idea who Ramirez was, or what he was up against. While Ramirez had a decorated amateur background, most notably defeating Shakur Stevenson in the bantamweight finals of the Olympic

Jun 25, 2020 George Kambosos Jr. can still taste the cigarette smoke swirling around the air of the Croatian Club in Punchbowl, Sydney, Australia. The music of the poker machines and smell of the bistro on fight night are also ever-present, though a long way from where he finds himself today. Kambosos is back home

1:56 AM ET Steve KimESPN It might have gone longer than expected, but Miguel Berchelt dispatched the tough Eleazar Valenzuela in six rounds at the TV Azteco Studios in Mexico City on Saturday. For Berchelt, the reigning WBC junior lightweight champion, this was a non-title bout intended to keep him busy as he looks ahead

5:52 PM ET Steve KimESPN It was quick an decisive victory for Omar Aguilar who scored a first-round TKO over veteran Dante Jardon on the Miguel Berchelt-Eleazar Valenzuela undercard Saturday night in Mexico City. Aguilar (18-0, 17 KOs) was hitting Jardon (32-7. 23 KO) with a series of punches that had him backing up and

6:18 PM ET Steve KimESPN Kim Clavel, who won the 2020 Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPYS, will be returning to the ring on July 21 at the MGM Conference Center in Las Vegas. There has been no opponent named yet. Clavel, a junior flyweight, said, “I am grateful to Groupe Yvon Michel,

2:52 PM ET Steve KimESPN Heavyweight contender Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller has failed a drug test once again, and his scheduled fight against Jerry Forrest on July 9 at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas has been called off. “We are aware of the situation, he will be placed on temporary suspension on

7:12 PM ET Steve KimESPN Junior welterweight contender Ivan Baranchyk suffered an undisclosed injury during a sparring session on Thursday, forcing his July 7 bout against Jose Zepeda to be postponed. The 10-round fight was scheduled to headline a Top Rank on ESPN card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. “I don’t

Jun 25, 2020 Boxing legend Roberto Durán tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday and remains in a hospital in Panama City, Panama, where he was admitted due to a viral infection. “My father’s tests have just arrived and confirm that he is positive for COVID-19. Thank God he is not having symptoms beyond something

11:19 AM ET Steve KimESPN Matchroom Sports on Friday announced a series of fights that will take place in an outdoor setting at Matchroom’s headquarters in Brentwood, England. Matchroom’s “Fight Camp” begins Aug. 1 and is highlighted by a heavyweight clash between Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs) and Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs) on Aug.

8:27 AM ET For most of his childhood, Miguel Berchelt wanted to become a soccer player. But his ambitions changed and a boxing dream was born with just a glimpse of a WBC belt that belonged to Rodolfo Lopez, a fellow native of Cancun, Mexico. Coming into Saturday’s non-title fight in Mexico City against Eleazar

12:16 AM ET Steve KimESPN Jason Moloney put forth a strong, committed effort in stopping Leonardo Baez in seven rounds in the main event of Thursday night’s Top Rank on ESPN card in Las Vegas. From the very beginning of their scheduled 10-round bantamweight bout, Moloney decided to stay inside with the taller Baez, and

1:31 PM ET Steve KimESPN Eleider Alvarez has suffered a training injury to his shoulder that will cause his July 16 bout versus Joe Smith Jr. to be pushed back, according to Yvon Michel, Alvarez’s promoter. Alvarez-Smith is part of an elimination process intended to fill the WBO vacancy at light heavyweight. The winner of

3:45 PM ET Jamel Herring’s July 2 WBO junior lightweight title defense against Jonathan Oquendo has been postponed after Herring announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 last week. The Herring-Oquendo bout was scheduled to headline next Thursday’s Top Rank card on ESPN. Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti says an attempt is being made

1:17 AM ET Steve KimESPN Joshua Franco made a tremendous impact in the first world title fight since boxing returned to action, winning the WBA “regular” junior bantamweight belt from the previously undefeated Andrew Moloney on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Franco was not undefeated, like Moloney, or even prospects like Miguel Contreras and Rolando Vargas,