7:48 AM ET Mark KriegelESPN LAS VEGAS — I met Shawn Porter in early 2016 as he was preparing to fight Keith Thurman, who was then the best welterweight in the world. Three things were immediately apparent, first among them being Porter’s distinct physicality. He had fought most of his amateur career at 165.3 pounds.

9:36 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Joe Smith Jr. and Callum Johnson have agreed to terms for a light heavyweight title fight that will headline an ESPN show on Jan. 15 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, sources told ESPN. Smith (27-3, 21 KOs) was scheduled to defend his title against Umar Salamov

7:49 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — Terence “Bud” Crawford is used to hearing the question. No matter how impressive his in-ring performances have been, despite becoming an undisputed junior welterweight champion and winning world titles in three divisions, the question is always the same. “Who has Crawford fought?” Crawford has long been recognized

Nov 17, 2021 Shawn Porter is in a story-telling mood. And at first, this one has nothing to do with boxing. When Shawn Porter was around 10 years old, he was playing running back in a football game as his father, Kenny, coached on the sideline. On one play, a defender leveled Shawn, knocking him

4:06 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — Keyshawn Davis and Richard Torrez Jr., who both claimed silver medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, have signed multiyear promotional deals with Top Rank, it was announced Wednesday. Davis, who competed as a lightweight in Tokyo, will make his Top Rank debut on Dec.

7:28 AM ET SYDNEY, Australia — Rising light middleweight star Tim Tszyu has taken another giant leap towards a maiden world title fight against Argentine Brian Castano. Tszyu, the son of boxing legend Kostya, turned in a commanding performance against Japan’s Takeshi Inoue at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday evening to remain undefeated at

3:45 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Deron Williams’ phone was flooded with calls and notifications once his boxing match against former NFL running back Frank Gore was announced last week. Among the first to reach out was Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul. Williams once challenged Paul for the label as the NBA’s top point guard

8:01 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Canelo Alvarez could chase a title in a fifth weight class. At the WBC Convention on Wednesday in Mexico City, the organization approved the request of Canelo’s trainer and manager, Eddy Reynoso, to have Alvarez challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu for the cruiserweight championship. Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer, became

8:28 PM ET SYDNEY, Australia — There was no verbal jousting nor any fabricated push and shove for the dozens of cameras gathered around them. But after Tim Tszyu had stood face-to-face with Takeshi Inoue, a cheeky half smile crept across his face. It was as if he already knew the outcome of Wednesday night’s