Boxing

10:21 PM ET Steve KimESPN Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo delivered a message to the 135-pound division by stopping Will Madera in the first round of Thursday’s Top Rank on ESPN main event at the MGM Grand Conference Center. It was an explosive performance that reminded everybody in boxing of why Verdejo was such a highly

5:50 PM ET Steve KimESPN Lightweight contender Felix Verdejo (27-1, 17 KOs) defeated Will Madera (15-1-3, 8 KOs) by first-round TKO in the main event of Thursday’s Top Rank boxing card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Verdejo was on his way to stardom when he suffered a motorcycle accident in his

12:46 PM ET Steve KimESPN Junior middleweight fighter Travell Mazion died Wednesday night in a car crash, according to police. He was 24. Mazion was involved in a car crash outside Austin, Texas, when the Cadillac he was driving crossed the center median into oncoming traffic. Also killed was the driver of one of the

9:18 AM ET Steve Kim 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 Former featherweight world titlist Oscar Valdez is set for his second fight as a full time junior lightweight, as he steps into

6:15 PM ET Miguel Marriaga’s 10-round featherweight fight against Mark John Yap has been canceled by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Yap weighed in 8.7 pounds over the limit Wednesday. Yap weighed in at 136.7 pounds for the 128-pound fight, while Marriaga was at 127.3. The fight was scheduled to headline a Top Rank

3:06 PM ET Steve KimESPN Immediately after WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring’s July 14 fight against Jonathan Oquendo was canceled because of a positive coronavirus test, Top Rank was already planning a new date for the former Marine. “We’re looking to reschedule Jamel Herring for another date in August,” Bob Arum told ESPN on

5:55 PM ET Steve KimESPN Junior lightweight contender Mikaela Mayer easily outclassed Helen Joseph in a one-sided 10-round unanimous decision in the main event of a Top Rank boxing card on ESPN at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday. This was the first time a women’s fight has been the main

5:55 PM ET Steve KimESPN Junior lightweight contender Mikaela Mayer (12-0, 5 KOs) puts her unbeaten record against Helen Joseph in the main event of Tuesday’s Top Rank boxing card at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET). This is the first time a women’s fight has been the main

7:46 AM ET Steve KimESPN Like everyone else, Mikaela Mayer found out about Jamel Herring’s positive test for COVID-19 on Monday morning. It postponed Herring’s junior lightweight world title defense against Jonathan Oquendo for the second time. Just like that, Mayer’s bout versus Helen Joseph was elevated to the main event spot of Tuesday’s Top

4:06 PM ET Steve KimESPN The WBO junior lightweight title bout between Jamel Herring and Jonathan Oquendo has been postponed for a second time, as Herring has confirmed to ESPN that he has tested positive for the coronavirus again. This fight was originally scheduled for July 2, but was initially postponed when Herring was pulled

8:40 AM ET Steve KimESPN Entering 2020, Clay Collard was a relatively unknown MMA fighter who dabbled in boxing. Collard’s greatest claim to fame was taking his first UFC fight, on short notice, against future UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in 2014. Collard lost via third-round knockout. A 1-3 record with the promotion brought Collard’s

9:31 PM ET Steve KimESPN When boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring this year, he could be making less money. Alvarez, the middleweight champion and super middleweight titlist, has said he wants to return on Mexican Independence weekend in September, but he doesn’t have an opponent yet and venues are still trying to

5:33 PM ET Steve KimESPN A fight between unified junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez and Viktor Postol, his WBC mandatory challenger, will take place the last week of August, according to Top Rank president Todd duBoef. The fight will be broadcast on an ESPN network. While there is not a date set for the fight,

12:16 PM ET Steve KimESPN A light heavyweight bout between Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. has been rescheduled for the third week of August, Yvon Michel, who promotes Alvarez, told ESPN on Friday. The fight had originally been slated for July 16 inside the “bubble” at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas,

6:18 PM ET Steve KimESPN Shakur Stevenson is vacating the WBO featherweight world title to move up to the junior lightweight division. “We’re moving on up … We’re getting all the belts, and everyone at 130 [pounds] can get it,” Antonio Leonard, who co-promotes Stevenson, told ESPN on Thursday. Stevenson, 23, won the vacant featherweight

11:59 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 Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon will meet in a rematch on Aug. 22, according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. The announcement came as

8:12 PM 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 Professional boxing looked very different on its return in the UK on Friday, but in the main event Brad Foster ensured his status as

12:57 AM ET Just over three weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus, WBO junior lightweight world titlist Jamel Herring is feeling ready enough to put his belt on the line on Tuesday, July 14, against Jonathan Oquendo (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) — even in the face of his team suggesting he should reconsider his