May 29, 2020 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 Elite boxers will be hit harder than lower level fighters due to the limitations on sports events caused by the coronavirus pandemic, MTK Global
Boxing
9:28 PM ET Steve KimESPN A 10-round junior welterweight matchup between Ivan Baranchyk and Jose Zepeda has been finalized for July 9 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
6:16 PM ET The possibility of a Mike Tyson comeback at age 53 has the entire sports world curious, and at least one fan and friend of Tyson’s believes it’s legit: UFC president Dana White. Speaking to ESPN on Thursday, White said he’s convinced Tyson will return to the ring in the near future, although
10:58 PM ET While most of the world expected Mike Tyson’s comeback in combat sports to happen in boxing or even bare-knuckle fighting, it appears that his first stop is in a different kind of ring — and he apparently has some backup. Tyson was involved in a storyline segment at the end of All
1:21 PM ET The UFC’s next two events have officially been approved. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) voted unanimously in a phone meeting Wednesday morning to allow a pair of UFC cards to run in Las Vegas over the next two weeks — this Saturday and on June 6. Both events will take place
9:21 AM ET Promoter Eddie Hearn has said he is planning to reach out to UFC boss Dana White about a potential cross-discipline clash between boxer Dillian Whyte and UFC star Francis Ngannou later this year. Responding to questions on an Instagram live chat, Hearn said Ngannou was interested in taking on Whyte in a
8:13 AM ET Steve KimESPN Over the course of boxing history, only a handful of special fighters are involved in an event that transcends the sport. Sugar Ray Leonard fought 40 professional bouts, with memorable encounters against Robert Duran, Marvin Hagler, Wilfred Benitez and Hector “Macho” Camacho, among many others. But there was perhaps no
10:00 PM ET Steve KimESPN WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring is set to make his second title defense against Jonathan Oquendo on July 2 in Las Vegas, multiple sources told ESPN. This will be the first title defended on a Top Rank card since the sport paused amid the coronavirus pandemic. Herring (21-2, 10
6:44 PM ET Steve KimESPN Reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said he was contacted about facing the man he was named after — former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson — but doesn’t think anything has come of it. “I had a phone call saying ‘Would you like to fight Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight?’
8:57 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 Boxing is ready for a big comeback. Fights are on the schedule and soon there will be action inside the ring. Yes,
8:16 AM ET Lou DiBella has a small list. He keeps it close because he’s never quite sure when a name will pop into his head. It could be when he’s lying down to sleep or when he wakes up in the morning. Or perhaps when something reminds him of an old friend or business
1:22 PM ET Steve KimESPN Alex Saucedo will face Sonny Fredrickson in a 10-round junior welterweight bout June 30 in Las Vegas at a venue to be determined, Saucedo’s manager, Sam Katkovski, told ESPN. A source at promoter Top Rank also confirmed the matchup, which was originally scheduled for April 25 on the Naoya Inoue-John
8:49 AM ET Steve KimESPN Mike Tyson is throwing rapid-fire combinations, showing off speed and accuracy with every mesmerizing punch. The former world heavyweight champion hits the pads, and his trainer smiles as he ducks out of the way of Tyson’s final shot. In these nine seconds of video, Tyson looks like a fighter in
2:07 PM ET Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has been in the news recently, showing off his boxing skills at the age of 53. As impressive as Tyson looks throwing punches on video, “Iron Mike” was at his best during the ’80s, when he dominated the division and was considered “the baddest man on the
12:23 PM ET For the first time in two months, the fight capital of the world is nearly ready to host combat sports again. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has scheduled its first meeting since it suspended combat sports indefinitely on March 14 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The meeting will be Wednesday at 9
8:47 AM ET Steve KimESPN After his momentous victory over childhood idol Julio Cesar Chavez on June 7, 1996, Oscar De La Hoya took the rest of 1996 off. He fought only twice that year. As the calendar turned to 1997, “The Golden Boy” embarked on what was perhaps the most productive stretch of his
8:41 AM ET Steve KimESPN The three things you can count on in life: death, taxes and … controversial decisions in boxing. On ESPN2 Wednesday (7 p.m. ET), fans will get the chance to rewatch some memorable fights that were not only notable for their action inside the ring, but for the controversies after the
May 19, 2020 A night of big fights with controversial endings will air Wednesday night on ESPN2 starting at 7 p.m. ET. “Debated Decisions,” a five-fight show, includes some of the biggest names in the history of boxing. Felix “Tito” Trinidad’s majority decision over Oscar De La Hoya in 1999 had fans questioning the judges’