12:44 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Oleksandr Usyk defends his three heavyweight world titles in a rematch against former champion Anthony Joshua on Saturday at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (DAZN, 1 p.m. ET, with main event expected to start at 5:30 p.m. ET). Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), 35, of Ukraine, overcame a cut

8:58 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Challenger Anthony Joshua on Friday weighed in at 244.5 pounds — the heaviest he’s been for a fight since June 2019 — ahead of his unified heavyweight championship rematch Saturday against Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) tipped the scales at 221.5 pounds, a quarter-pound heavier

8:04 AM ET Timothy Bradley Jr. After 12 rounds that saw Oleksandr Usyk skillfully outbox Anthony Joshua in September 2021, the two will meet once again for three of the four major heavyweight titles on Saturday in Saudi Arabia. The rematch (DAZN, main event expected at 5:30 p.m. ET), has the potential to be a

Aug 19, 2022 Mark KriegelESPN Athletes are often asked — indeed, they ask themselves — “How bad do you want it?” It’s as if desire could be quantified. Truth is, that’s an empty question that elicits mostly vacant responses. The athlete usually understands his or her role in this exchange: To make it pass as

5:51 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Artur Beterbiev is injured, a source told ESPN, and the planned Oct. 29 defense of his three light heavyweight titles against Anthony Yarde has been postponed. The nature of the injury wasn’t disclosed. The matchup was slated to take place at London’s O2 Arena after a deal was agreed to,

7:48 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN ANTHONY JOSHUA STOOD in the center of the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, and soaked in the moment as confetti rained down on him. He dealt with doubt, disappointment and uncertainty in the aftermath of his upset defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019, but six months later,

10:30 AM 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 Ben Whittaker has been absorbing the big fight environment in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this week, but he is not yet content. He insists one

1:11 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Vasiliy Lomachenko and Jamaine Ortiz have agreed to a deal for a lightweight fight that’s targeted for late October, sources told ESPN. No site has been finalized for the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN main event, sources said. Lomachenko, formerly ESPN’s pound-for-pound No. 1 boxer, last competed in December, recording

1:18 AM ET Tim Tszyu’s undisputed world title fight in January will also serve as a reunion with father Kostya. The Australian boxer, set to clash with champion Jermell Charlo for all four super-welterweight belts in Las Vegas, hasn’t seen the former undisputed super-lightweight champion for almost three years. Russia-based Kostya has watched from afar

12:25 PM ET WBC and WBO featherweight champion Amanda Serrano will return to the ring on Sept. 24, facing IBF titlist Sarah Mahfoud in a unification bout as the co-main event of the Joe Joyce-Joseph Parker card at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, it was announced Tuesday. It’s the first fight at featherweight for