Mike Coppinger, ESPNJun 9, 2023, 09:17 PM ET Zhilei Zhang and Joe Joyce will meet in a heavyweight rematch Sept. 2 in London, sources told ESPN on Friday. Last month, Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) exercised his contractual right to a return bout after Zhang scored a major upset in April. Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs) punished

Mark Kriegel, ESPNJun 9, 2023, 11:21 AM ET NEW YORK — On the night of Feb. 3, 2018, in the lobby of a Corpus Christi Holiday Inn, I ran into Teofimo Lopez, then celebrating his eighth professional victory, his delighted and doting parents in tow. He was 20, still slight of build and quite pleased

Mike Coppinger, ESPNJun 8, 2023, 08:33 PM ET NEW YORK — Teofimo Lopez has vowed to end the life of junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who in turn told ESPN on Thursday that he plans to punish Lopez for his “completely distasteful” comments when they meet Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Lopez

Timothy Bradley Jr. Jun 8, 2023, 07:34 AM ET Josh Taylor, the former undisputed junior welterweight champion who relinquished three of his four belts and now only holds the WBO strap, is back in the ring to face the young and bold Teofimo Lopez Jr., himself a former lightweight unified three-belt titlist. The fight Saturday

Associated Press Jun 7, 2023, 12:38 PM ET LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The IOC finally ran out of patience with the International Boxing Association on Wednesday and set a date to terminate its Olympic status this month. While boxing will still be on the program at the 2024 Paris Games, the International Olympic Committee said its

Jun 7, 2023, 07:46 AM ET Claressa Shields showed once again why she’s the best women’s fighter in the world by dominating Maricela Cornejo in a 10-round unanimous decision win to retain her undisputed middleweight championship. And while Cornejo was a late replacement for Hanna Gabriels, who tested positive for a banned substance and was

Associated Press Jun 6, 2023, 03:28 PM ET LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The Olympic future of boxing’s long-exiled governing body could be decided Wednesday at an IOC meeting called on short notice. The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday its executive board will meet for a special session two weeks before a scheduled three-day meeting that has

Jun 6, 2023, 08:42 AM ET WBO junior lightweight world champion Josh Taylor defends his belt against Teofimo Lopez Jr. in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET, undercard on ESPN+ at 5:10 p.m. ET).

Timothy Bradley Jr. Jun 6, 2023, 07:58 AM ET Editor’s note: ESPN boxing analyst Timothy Bradley Jr. will be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday. Dear 23-year-old Tim, I’m telling you now, you will cry. You will fall on your knees in jubilation, looking up to the sky and thanking God for

Jun 5, 2023, 07:20 AM ET With boxing teetering on the brink of Olympic elimination, the International Boxing Association (IBA) told the International Olympic Committee it had met its reform criteria, and any ban lacked legal basis. In their report to the IOC, obtained by Reuters through a source with knowledge of the proceedings, it