9:38 AM ET Undisputed cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has long been expected to move up to the heavyweight division this spring as a prelude to a likely shot at unified heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua, but now that move has officially begun. Usyk on Wednesday sent the WBA a letter to formally vacate that organization’s

4:18 PM ET Welterweight world titleholder Errol Spence Jr.’s shutout decision over four-division titleholder Mikey Garcia in a meeting of two of boxing’s pound-for-pound best generated more than 360,000 pay-per-view buys, a source with knowledge of the sales told ESPN. Spence, who retained his title for the third time, easily defeated Garcia, a reigning lightweight

9:11 AM ET Steve KimESPN As Oleksandr Gvozdyk prepares for the first defense of his WBC light heavyweight belt against Doudou Ngumbu on Saturday at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET), he is once again under the guidance of trainer Teddy Atlas. Gvozdyk (16-0, 13 KOs) doesn’t just tolerate working with

8:44 AM ET WBC light heavyweight world titleholder Olexandr Gvozdyk faces contender Doudou Ngumbu in a fight that will air live on ESPN in the United States at 10 p.m. ET Saturday from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gvozdyk (16-0, 13 KOs) won the title by defeating Adonis Stevenson by 11-round KO in December.

11:37 AM ET OXON HILL, Md. — Julian “J Rock” Williams was one of boxing’s fastest-rising contenders when he received a mandatory shot against then-junior middleweight world titleholder Jermall Charlo in December 2016. They engaged in a rancorous build up to the fight, trading nasty words and when they finally met inside the ring at

9:38 AM ET Heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev has defended kissing female journalist Jenny Sushe during a post-fight interview on the weekend. Pulev (27-1, 14 KOs) made a successful debut in the United States by stopping Bogdan Dinu inside seven rounds on Saturday night. Kubrat Pulev defends kissing journalist Jenny Sushe in post-match interview Oliver Hardt/Bongarts/Getty Images

6:50 PM ET WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announced the decision Monday to mandate a bout between super middleweight world titleholder Anthony Dirrell and former titlist David Benavidez at a news conference in Istanbul, as the organization clarified its position on its 168-pound belt. Sampson Lewkowicz, who promotes Benavidez, told ESPN that the fight with Dirrell

5:24 PM ET Opening Bell: Peterson appreciation OXON HILL, Md. — Lamont Peterson’s boxing story is now apparently complete after he announced his retirement in the MGM National Harbor ring on Sunday night, in front of a crowd just outside of his beloved hometown of Washington, D.C., and a national television audience. He had given

10:13 AM ET Former middleweight world titleholder Billy Joe Saunders’ move up to super middleweight to face Shefat Isufi for a vacant interim 168-pound title was rescheduled on Monday, promoter Frank Warren announced. The fight will take place on May 18 at the 7,000-seat Lamex Stadium in Stevenage, England, and will stream live on ESPN+

11:51 PM ET OXON HILL, Md. — Former world titleholders Sergey Lipinets and Lamont Peterson, hoping to position themselves for another shot, put on an absolutely grinding, physical, back-and-forth battle not for the faint of heart Sunday night, but it was the relentless Lipinets who could not be stopped. In a clear fight of the