2:30 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN In boxing, 2021 was a year that produced unexpected breakthrough performances from fighters such as Oleksandr Usyk and George Kambosos Jr. But those victories came at the cost of established stars who were seemingly poised to lock down perennial spots among boxing’s pound-for-pound best. Usyk’s upset victory to capture the

7:17 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN The boxing industry came to a screeching halt in 2020. Without the possibility of capacity crowds, the biggest fights were tossed to the side, along with the millions in gate revenue that would have accompanied them. But beginning in May with Canelo Alvarez’s victory over Billy Joe Saunders in Arlington,

8:55 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Daniel Jacobs and John Ryder have struck a deal for a super middleweight fight that will headline a DAZN event Feb. 12 in London, sources told ESPN Monday night, confirming an earlier report. Jacobs, who will be 35 on fight night, will be competing at 168 pounds for the third

4:35 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Michael McKinson have agreed to a fight that will headline a DAZN event in early 2022, sources told ESPN on Monday. Ortiz, ESPN’s No. 4 welterweight, is one of boxing’s fastest-rising stars. In his toughest test yet, Ortiz encountered some early rocky moments before scoring an

Dec 19, 2021 Mike CoppingerESPN Yordenis Ugas will receive his shot at Errol Spence Jr. after all. Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) protested when the WBA mandated that he next defend his welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis, but the latter has now agreed to step aside, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza told ESPN on Sunday, paving the

11:45 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 Trying to separate the outstanding successes of Tyson Fury and Josh Taylor is desperately hard — and inevitably invites debate — but ESPN’s British

12:05 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Amanda Serrano’s latest win hadn’t been over for a few hours yet, and already she was thinking about what was coming next — the fight that has been, in some ways, years in the making. Serrano easily bested Miriam Gutierrez on Saturday night inside Amalie Arena, setting up what

Dec 18, 2021 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 Joseph Parker left no room for argument this time as his reliable right uppercut forced three counts on his way to a unanimous points

Dec 19, 2021 TAMPA, Fla. — Jake Paul’s ascent in the world of boxing isn’t stopping any time soon. Actually, it might just be getting started. Paul, the YouTube star-turned-prizefighter, knocked out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at 2:12 of the sixth round in a rematch Saturday night at Amalie Arena. In what was

1:52 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Frank Gore first saw Jake Paul fight in January 2020. It was Paul’s pro boxing debut, a first-round knockout of fellow YouTube star AnEsonGib. At the time, the longtime NFL star running back thought that he could beat Paul. Gore had been training in boxing for more than a