4:31 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN At long last, Keith Thurman is set for his ring return. Thurman and Mario Barrios have struck a deal for a welterweight fight that will headline a PBC on Fox PPV on Jan. 29, sources told ESPN. A location has not been finalized. Thurman, 33, will end a careerlong 30-month
Boxing
1:43 PM ET Associated Press GENEVA — Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were set a target of about 18 months on Thursday to make changes in order to keep their status as Olympic sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The governing bodies of boxing and weightlifting were described as problems by International Olympic Committee
2:40 PM ET Gervonta Davis didn’t look dominant in a decision victory over Isaac Cruz on Sunday, Dec. 5, but the win did earn him a spot on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings for the very first time. Davis (26-0, 24 KOs), 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, also benefited from Teofimo Lopez’s upset loss to George Kambosos Jr.
8:31 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Yordenis Ugas hoped to unify 147-pound titles with Errol Spence Jr. in his next fight, but he’s getting another tough challenge instead. Ugas, who’s coming off a victory over Manny Pacquiao, and Eimantas Stanionis agreed to a deal Wednesday to avoid a scheduled purse bid the following day in which
8:03 PM ET Champion boxer George Kambosos is vowing to reign for years to come after arriving home to a hero’s reception in Sydney. More than 200 fans mostly from the Greek community chanted “Georgie, Georgie, Georgie” when Australia’s newly crowned world lightweight champion paraded his IBF, WBO and WBA belts through the Sydney International
7:25 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Former lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko returns to the ring for his second fight of 2021, as he faces Richard Commey in the main event of a Top Rank boxing card at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+). Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs), of Ukraine, hoped to
5:02 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Tyson Fury has his sights set on his potential next opponent. The WBC on Tuesday ordered Fury to defend his heavyweight championship against Dillian Whyte, who was the organization’s No. 1 contender for more than 1,000 days without a title shot. Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) has one fight remaining on
3:53 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN When Roy Jones Jr. defeated James Toney for the super middleweight championship in 1994, they were two of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Eighteen years later, they’ll be enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame together. Jones and Toney, along with Miguel Cotto, highlight the Boxing Hall’s
8:49 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 After fighting the likes of Errol Spence and Manny Pacquiao earlier in his career, Chris Algieri said he is now a more educated fighter
8:30 AM ET Tommy Fury has withdrawn from his upcoming fight against Jake Paul, who confirmed the news on Monday, with Tyron Woodley stepping in. Fury and Paul were set to fight in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 18, but reports said Fury — half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury — was injured and Paul later