1:19 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — Coming into the first defense of his light heavyweight world title, many wondered if Oleksandr Gvozdyk would be able to put aside the near-tragedy of his title-winning effort on Dec. 1 against Adonis Stevenson. As it turned out, there was no need for concern. Gvozdyk scored a fifth-round stoppage victory

6:45 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — Welterweight contender “Mean Machine” Egidijus Kavaliauskas, hoping to maintain his position for an eventual world title fight, fought to a disappointing draw with Ray Robinson on Saturday night at the 2300 Arena. Fighting in Robinson’s hometown in the co-feature of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card headlined by the

5:41 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 David Price branded Kash Ali “an animal” after his opponent was disqualified in the fifth round for biting him on the torso on Saturday.

7:11 PM ET Junior welterweight Arthur Biyarslanov, Canada’s only 2016 Olympic boxer and a sought-after prospect, signed a multifight deal with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn on Friday. Biyarslanov (2-0, 2 KOs), who was 85-13 as an amateur, including winning a gold medal in the 2015 Pan American Games and five Canadian titles, turned pro

4:11 PM ET Former lightweight world titleholders Robert Easter Jr. and Rances Barthelemy both want another belt and they will face each other in order to try to obtain it. Easter and Barthelemy, who is also a former junior lightweight world titleholder, will meet for a vacant secondary 135-pound title on April 27 in the

11:53 AM ET Light heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk is a thoughtful man. Trainer Teddy Atlas calls him the smartest and most mentally-strong boxer he has ever worked with in a lifetime in the sport. Looking to watch the light heavyweight world title fight between Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Doudou Ngumbu on Saturday? Here’s how to

9:06 AM ET Bulgarian boxer Kubrat Pulev has been ordered to appear before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to explain why he abruptly kissed a reporter on the lips during a post-fight interview on Saturday. The 37-year-old heavyweight contender, who has one loss in 27 fights, grabbed the face of Vegas Sports Daily’s Jennifer

10:21 PM ET A month ago junior welterweight contender Regis Prograis considered withdrawing from the semifinal round of the World Boxing Super Series tournament because organizers were having all sorts of problems, mainly financial, but now he is happy to have remained in the field. “I think the WBSS is a real good platform for

4:18 PM ET After Alberto Machado lost his junior lightweight world title by upset fourth-round knockout to Andrew Cancio, he had a decision to make. Machado had struggled to make the 130-pound weight limit for the Feb. 9 defense at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, and had to decide whether to go