2:05 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Pete Rademacher, who won a boxing gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title in his first professional bout, has died. He was 91. A family member told the Media Gazette that Rademacher died Thursday at the Ohio Veterans Home in
Boxing
10:44 AM ET Live boxing returns to ESPN on Tuesday after a four-month hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. But before Shakur Stevenson steps back in the ring, boxing fans will have a chance to revisit one of the best trilogies in boxing history: Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN).
10:45 PM ET Steve KimESPN The bout between WBC and IBF junior welterweight champion Jose Ramirez and mandatory challenger Viktor Postol, twice postponed in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, is now expected to take place this summer, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Thursday. Arum said he expected the fight to take place in
3:39 PM ET Boxing champion Kim Clavel, who left the ring to return to nursing during the coronavirus pandemic, will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at The ESPYS on June 21. “It is an honor to receive the Pat Tillman Award on behalf of all the health care workers battling COVID-19 on the
2:58 PM ET The World Boxing Council has suspended super middleweight Alejandra Jimenez for a nine-month period and stripped her of her title, stemming from a positive doping result in January. Jimenez, of Mexico, defeated Franchon Crews-Dezurn by split decision on Jan. 11 in San Antonio to win the WBC and WBO belts. However, the
9:24 PM ET Steve KimESPN Although no opponent or date has been finalized, Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez said Canelo Alvarez is willing to fight without a live audience in his next outing. Alvarez, who holds titles at 160 and 168 pounds, is one of the biggest draws in the sport. But regulations related
7:59 PM ET Steve KimESPN A light heavyweight bout between Eleider Alvarez (25-1, 13 KOs) and Joe Smith Jr. (25-3, 20 KOs) has been finalized for July 16 at the MGM Grand Convention Center in Las Vegas, Top Rank director of boxing operations Carl Moretti confirmed to ESPN, though he noted that the date “could
7:50 AM ET THE ASSIGNMENT WAS simple: Catch up with Andy Ruiz Jr. ahead of the anniversary of his stunning upset over Anthony Joshua last June. Maybe relive that fight, and the spiritless loss to Joshua in the December rematch. Pretty wild year, right? His arrival as the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion and his departure
6:09 PM ET Steve KimESPN Floyd Mayweather will be paying for the funeral services for George Floyd, who was killed in an incident with Minneapolis police on May 25 that has sparked outrage and protests across the country, according to a Mayweather representative. “He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, (Mayweather)
1:06 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 Bouts between British boxers have garnered international attention in recent years, and Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua is now the sport’s most sought after
9:59 AM ET Steve KimESPN Despite being one of the most desired matchups among boxing fans around the world, a title unification showdown between WBC/IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and WBO titlist Terence Crawford has not yet become a reality. When it does, a welterweight legend of the past, Sugar Ray Leonard, promises, “I’ll
8:21 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — Curtis Cokes, the Hall of Fame welterweight who became Dallas’ first world champion in 1966, has died. He was 82. Erwin “Sparky” Sparks, Cokes’ partner at Dallas’ Home of Champions gym, told The Dallas Morning News that Cokes died Friday after a week in hospice. Cokes took the
4:18 PM ET Steve KimESPN With boxing set to resume in the United States in the month of June, Top Rank has put forth an early summer schedule of bouts, the majority of which will take place at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, and will be televised on ESPN platforms. “The goal
May 29, 2020 Associated Press PARIS — Hassan N’Dam, former middleweight boxing champion of the world, wanted to repay the French hospital that cared for his father-in-law through his bout with the coronavirus. Perhaps with Champagne? Or chocolate? No, N’Dam thought: “These are things that won’t last. I wanted to leave something quite memorable.” It
May 28, 2020 Steve KimESPN The Dominican Republic government called off a boxing card scheduled for Saturday night at the Coliseo Carlos “Teo” Cruz in Santo Domingo. The six-fight event was to have taken place without fans in attendance. Efforts to reach promoters Shuan Boxing were unsuccessful. Sports Minister Danilo Diaz said Thursday that the
5:58 PM ET Steve KimESPN The California State Athletic Commission passed emergency regulations Friday with an eye to resuming combat events in the summer months. The commission met via video conference Friday morning and its guidelines were sent to the Calilfornia Office of Administrative Law. “When that process is finished, we’ll start,” said Andy Foster,
9:28 PM ET Steve KimESPN A 10-round junior welterweight matchup between Ivan Baranchyk and Jose Zepeda has been finalized for July 7 in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Baranchyk, 27, (20-1, 13 KOs), the former IBF junior welterweight titleholder, is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Gabriel Bracero in October. His lone loss
8:35 AM ET Steve KimESPN A full slate of fight cards are being lined up as boxing is poised to resume June 9. One key issue fighters are facing amid the coronavirus pandemic is a new reality for the money they’ll earn each time they step foot in the ring. For the time being, fighters