10:02 AM ET Jake Paul, the internet personality turned pro boxer, has his next fight set, and this time he’ll be competing against an actual professional fighter. Paul will face former UFC fighter Ben Askren in an eight-round pro boxing match on April 17, Triller co-founder Ryan Kavanaugh told ESPN. The fight will take place
Boxing
2:12 PM 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 Joe Joyce is being lined up to dispute the WBO interim heavyweight title with Oleksandr Usyk, clearing the way for Tyson Fury and Anthony
7:55 AM ET The COVID-19 pandemic robbed fans of some big boxing fights in 2020, but hopefully the circumstances ultimately give the boxing world even more to look forward to in 2021. Although some of those previously postponed fights are likely to come in the second half of this year, when a vaccine is more
12:44 AM ET Stephen Fulton had to wait several months to have a crack at the WBO’s junior featherweight belt. When he finally got his opportunity on Saturday, Fulton didn’t squander it. The Philadelphia native knocked off Angelo Leo via unanimous decision to win the title. In a bout that wasn’t short on action, Fulton
2:34 PM ET There will now be a tripleheader of title fights on March 13 on a card headlined by a much-anticipated rematch of Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Added to the card is a rematch between Jessica McCaskill and Cecilia Brækhus for the undisputed women’s welterweight title, Matchroom Boxing announced Friday. McCaskill
4:34 PM ET Undefeated rising welterweight star Vergil Ortiz Jr. will take a step up in competition as he is set to face fellow contender Maurice Hooker in a bout that is still being finalized, a source told ESPN. The firm date is the last step to be completed before the bout is announced, but
12:18 PM 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 Josh Warrington has told ESPN that he hopes giving up a world featherweight title will ensure he gets to fight the big names this
8:48 AM ET After spending most of 2020 waiting for their WBO junior featherweight world title fight, titleholder Angelo Leo and Stephen Fulton were weeks away from finally squaring off against each other before the year landed one final sucker punch. Granted, in a year dragged down by a pandemic, it came as little surprise.
8:11 PM ET Boxing’s most polarizing act will return to the ring this spring. Jake Paul will fight April 17 against an opponent to be determined, it was announced Wednesday. Paul, the YouTube star and social-media supernova, has signed with Fight Club, the new boxing promotion launched by the team behind the social-networking app Triller
4:59 PM ET Unified super middleweight world titlist Canelo Alvarez will put his belts on the line against Avni Yildirim on Feb. 27 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. While it is refreshing to see Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) back in the ring so soon after his recent demolition of Callum Smith in December, it’s