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
Boxing
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,
5:44 PM ET Steve KimESPN Christopher Diaz def. Jason Sanchez by unanimous decisionFight recap coming up … Contreras dominates Vargas for decision win Miguel Contreras, left, scored a unanimous decision victory over Rolando Vargas in a hard-fought junior welterweight bout. Mikey Williams/Top Rank Punch Stats Punches Vargas Contreras Total landed 102 111 Total thrown 318 328
11:52 PM ET Steve KimESPN Joshua Franco captured the WBA junior bantamweight title by defeating previously undefeated Australian champion Andrew Moloney in a hard-fought unanimous decision Tuesday night at the fan-free MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Punch Stats Punches Moloney Franco Total landed 191 231 Total thrown 663 789 Percent 29% 29% Jabs
8:20 AM ET Steve KimESPN We have another week with three boxing events on ESPN on the way, but the next few days will feel a little bit different. For the first time since the return of the sport, there will be a title defense. Beyond that, one of the biggest standouts in boxing the
2:45 PM ET Steve KimESPN Javier Martinez, USA Boxing’s top-rated boxer at 165 pounds, has signed a multiyear contract with Top Rank. The Milwaukee native will make his professional debut on June 30 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Conference Center. Martinez, 24, won the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials, but he was only selected
8:25 AM ET Steve KimESPN The International Boxing Hall of Fame’s accomplished class of inductees for 2020 includes Bernard Hopkins, “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and promoter Dan Goossen, who died in 2014, among others. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremonies have been postponed and will be combined with the 2021 Hall
1:50 AM ET Steve KimESPN After a relatively slow start, WBO junior featherweight titleholder Emanuel Navarrete overwhelmed Uriel Lopez to score a sixth-round TKO victory in a non-title fight Saturday night at the TV Azteca studios in Mexico City. Navarrete (32-1, 28 KOs) slowly built momentum and eventually started to overpower Lopez (13-13-1, 6 KOs)
2:10 AM ET Steve Kim 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 four-month layoff didn’t seem to affect the always active Emanuel Navarrete. The junior featherweight world titlist, who had fought five time between December 2018 and
5:44 PM ET Steve KimESPN Featherweight Edwin Palomares scored a fifth-round stoppage of Carlos Ornelas with an accumulation of punches in what has to be considered an upset Saturday night on the Emanuel Navarrete-Uriel Lopez undercard in Mexico City. A body punch in Round 5 forced Ornelas to take a knee. Soon thereafter, his corner
5:44 PM ET Steve KimESPN Junior featherweight world titlist Emanuel Navarrete (31-1, 27 KOs) takes on Uriel Lopez (13-13-1, 6 KOs) in a non-title fight in the main event of a Saturday card in Mexico City (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 11 p.m. ET.) But before that, a few good prospects will showcase their skills on
2:10 PM ET Steve KimESPN Thompson Boxing announced Friday that it will stage a pay-per-view card July 26 featuring lightweight hopeful Michael Dutchover facing Jorge Marron Jr. in an eight-round bout. Under the new California State Athletic Commission guidelines, the show at the Omega Products Event Center in Corona, California, will take place without a
11:22 PM ET Steve KimESPN Blue-chip lightweight prospect Gabriel Flores Jr. continued his development with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Josec Ruiz on Thursday at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Flores (18-0, 6 KOs) started quickly, scoring a second-round knockdown of Ruiz (21-3-3, 14 KOs), and then outboxed Ruiz the rest