7:55 AM ET There are a handful of unforgettable moments that are seared forever into the minds of boxing fans. There is a discombobulated Mike Tyson on all fours grasping for his mouthpiece and trying to shove it back in before he is counted out in his monumental upset loss to Buster Douglas. There is
Boxing
8:58 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Both heavyweight world titlist Deontay Wilder and lineal champion Tyson Fury called for an immediate rematch after their controversial draw in December 2018. After all, the fight was entertaining, had drama, no clear-cut winner and was a commercial success. Even though the slicker Fury outboxed Wilder for long stretches,
8:54 AM ET Heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder puts his WBC belt on the line against lineal champion Tyson Fury in a rematch of their controversial split draw in 2018, when Fury outboxed Wilder for long periods of the fight but suffered two knockdowns, including one in the 12th and final round. In 2019, Wilder
8:49 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Junior welterweight contender Subriel Matias won’t forget what happened seven months ago, but he also doesn’t plan to let it dictate the rest of his career. Last July 19, Matias, a big puncher from Puerto Rico, stopped then-unbeaten rising contender Maxim Dadashev in the 11th round in a 140-pound
4:35 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The Nevada State Athletic Commission has barred heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder and lineal champion Tyson Fury from participating in the traditional faceoff at the weigh-in on Friday ahead of their championship rematch. Wilder and Fury are scheduled to weigh in Friday at 6 p.m. ET. “The reason the
8:08 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A 19-year-old former high school basketball player tries to walk on at the local community college when he learns his daughter will be born with spina bifida. She’ll need multiple surgeries, just for starters. He drops out of school and gets a job at Red Lobster. Then
8:52 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Heavyweight world titlist Deontay Wilder made his walk to the stage first, and when lineal champion Tyson Fury joined him moments later, all of the niceties and mutual respect they have shown each other throughout the buildup to their rematch was out the window. Instead, the two giants went
7:00 AM ET Nestled among the trees in suburban Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in a building that looks like a long storage container, is a gym that serves as the home of the heavyweight champion of the world. Above a garage-style door hangs a sign that reads, “Parking space reserved for Mr. Wilder.” It’s an unexpected setting
7:53 PM ET Steve KimESPN Middleweight world titleholder Gennadiy Golovkin has suffered a right calf injury that is likely to once again push back his mandatory defense against Kamil Szeremeta, sources told ESPN. Golovkin and his team have filed for an extension with the IBF, and the fight now will likely take place in May
8:35 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN LAS VEGAS — In the summer of 2010, a 21-year-old Irish Traveler showed up unannounced at the Kronk gym in Detroit and requested an audience with the renowned trainer Emanuel Steward. “Who are you?” the 6-foot-9 visitor was asked. “I’m the next heavyweight champion of the world,” Tyson Fury said.
3:15 PM ET Tyson Fury has done a lot thinking about his future in recent years. After coming off a 2½-year hiatus from boxing, Fury resurrected his career against Deontay Wilder in December 2018 in one of the most memorable heavyweight fights of the past 20 years. On the eve of Saturday’s rematch, with both
9:15 AM ET Bob Arum, the chairman of Top Rank who has promoted fights for more than 50 years, went into his best presidential State of the Union vocal imitation. “The state of the heavyweight division is strong,” he said. Indeed, boxing’s marquee division is as healthy as it has been in years, with three
8:52 AM ET Heavyweight world titlist Deontay Wilder and lineal champion Tyson Fury will meet in a rematch on Saturday, but the fight could become a trilogy, the Briton’s promoter Frank Warren has said. The pair drew on points in their first meeting in December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Fury outboxed
11:52 PM ET Super middleweight world titlist Caleb Plant’s dream since he was a child was to have a world title fight in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He not only realized it on Saturday night, but won in dominating and emphatic fashion. Plant beat down game mandatory challenger Vincent Feigenbutz for the entire fight
11:55 AM ET Welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr., the heavy-hitting 2019 ESPN prospect of the year, will make his 2020 debut against battle-tested veteran Samuel Vargas on March 28, Golden Boy Promotions announced on Saturday. The scheduled 12-round bout, which had been agreed to for the past couple of weeks but is now signed, will take
12:59 AM ET Steve KimESPN ANAHEIM, Calif. — In an eye-opening performance, Ryan Garcia stopped Francisco Fonseca in the first round of their lightweight bout with a blazing counter left hook that left his foe flat on the canvas Friday night at the Honda Center. Referee Raul Caiz Sr. counted out Fonseca at 1 minute,
2:27 PM ET Unified light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev, boxing’s only current titleholder with a perfect knockout percentage, will make a mandatory defense against Meng Fanlong on March 28, Top Rank announced on Friday. The fight will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 10 p.m. ET with preliminary
2:38 PM ET The New York State Athletic Commission, which initially issued a surprisingly heavy punishment to welterweight Ivan Redkach for biting Danny Garcia during their title elimination bout Jan. 25, has dramatically reduced his punishment. Initially, the New York commission announced that it had issued Redkach the maximum fine of $10,000 “for engaging in