James Regan Feb 20, 2025, 02:08 PM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Daniel Dubois has withdrawn from his heavyweight title fight against Joseph Parker with an unknown illness, with Martin Bakole stepping in as his replacement, promoter Ben Shalom has confirmed to ESPN. It was reported Dubois was being checked by a
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James Regan Feb 20, 2025, 04:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Promoter Ben Shalom told ESPN he has “never made a fight that quickly” after arranging for Martin Bakole to fight Joseph Parker on Thursday as a late replacement for Daniel Dubois. Dubois was supposed to defend his IBF heavyweight belt
Feb 20, 2025, 03:32 PM ET American boxer Claressa Shields, the undisputed world champion in three weight classes, has been suspended and is under investigation after testing positive for marijuana following her victory over heavyweight Danielle Perkins in Michigan. The Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission suspended the 29-year-old athlete from competing in the state after an
Andres FerrariFeb 20, 2025, 07:42 AM ET Close Andres Ferrari is ESPN.com’s boxing and MMA editor. Open Extended Reactions Artur Beterbiev will make the first defense of the undisputed light heavyweight championship in a rematch against Dmitry Bivol on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (DAZN PPV, 11 a.m. ET). Beterbiev (21-0, 20
Nick ParkinsonFeb 12, 2025, 06:39 AM ET Close Reports on boxing for ESPN.com and has been covering British boxing for over 25 years. Open Extended Reactions After fighting himself out of a £800,000 debt, Hamzah Sheeraz is now targeting bigger riches in world middleweight title fights. The in-form English middleweight challenges for his first world
James Regan Feb 19, 2025, 03:16 AM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — British middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz said he has had no thoughts about potential future fights against Canelo Alvarez or Chris Eubank Jr. as he prepares for his WBC middleweight title bout against Carlos Adames. WBC champion Adames will defend his belt
James Regan Feb 18, 2025, 02:42 PM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Daniel Dubois said his confidence is “flying” ahead of his IBF heavyweight title clash with Joseph Parker on Saturday. Parker bounced on stage at Tuesday’s grand arrivals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, looking a picture of relaxation ahead of his tilt
Nick ParkinsonFeb 18, 2025, 07:33 AM ET Close Reports on boxing for ESPN.com and has been covering British boxing for over 25 years. Open Extended Reactions Saturday’s show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has been hailed the best card boxing has ever seen — and for good reason. Boxing promoters are known for their hyperbole and
James Regan Feb 17, 2025, 01:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Joseph Parker has faced a long, arduous road back to the top but the 33-year-old is in a better place than ever as he attempts to become a two-time heavyweight champion. Since winning the WBO title nearly a decade ago with a points victory
James Regan Feb 15, 2025, 05:49 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Arnold Barboza Jr. beat Jack Catterall on Saturday. Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Arnold Barboza Jr. beat Jack Catterall with a tense split decision in Manchester, England, on Saturday in their WBO junior welterweight title eliminator. Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) snatched the victory after two judges scored
Feb 15, 2025, 12:24 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Keyshawn Davis became a world champion Friday night, knocking out Denys Berinchyk to capture the WBO lightweight title at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. In a dominant performance, Davis dropped Berinchyk twice and ended the fight with a vicious left hook to
James Regan Feb 14, 2025, 01:55 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Jack Catterall said he was “locked in” for his clash with Arnold Barboza Jr. on Saturday despite the prospect of a huge fight should he claim victory in their junior welterweight title eliminator in Manchester on Saturday. Both men weighed in at 139 pounds
Timothy Bradley Jr. Feb 13, 2025, 07:52 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Since ESPN published its annual list of future standouts in each boxing division, many of those fighters have taken a step closer to winning a championship over the last year. Heavyweight Agit Kabayel will face Zhilei Zhang on Feb. 22 for the WBC
Feb 13, 2025, 09:56 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Arnold Barboza Jr. has said he is looking forward to the Manchester crowd rallying against him and hopes he gets booed against Jack Catterall on Saturday. Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) and Barboza (31-0, 11 KOs) will fight to become the mandatory challenger for Teofimo Lopez’s WBO
Feb 13, 2025, 08:58 AM ET Open Extended Reactions British light heavyweights Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron will meet in an intriguing rematch on April 20 in Birmingham, England, Boxxer confirmed on Thursday. The pair originally faced off in what was largely expected to be a routine win for Whittaker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in
James Regan Feb 13, 2025, 08:11 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Jack Catterall has been on the rough end of boxing politics enough times to know you can’t wait around and let the world pass you by. Following victories over Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis last year, Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) was all but assured
Feb 12, 2025, 02:32 PM ET Imane Khelif, who won Paris Olympics boxing gold amid a gender eligibility row, has accused the International Boxing Association of making “false and offensive” accusations after it launched legal action against the IOC for allowing her to compete. The IBA announced in a statement Monday it was filing a
James Regan Feb 12, 2025, 11:05 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Oleksandr Usyk (L) fought Daniel Dubois in 2023. Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images LONDON — Unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has brushed off persistent callouts from Daniel Dubois and revealed he has no plans in place for his next fight. Following Usyk’s victory over