7:51 AM ET Steve KimESPN On June 15, Oscar De La Hoya tweeted Golden Boy Promotions’ plans for its first card since the coronavirus pandemic shut down boxing cards in mid-March, and in it he defined the hierarchy of his prospects. Due to Ryan Garcia not accepting a July 4 bout, we will return in
Boxing
Jul 24, 2020 Steve KimESPN I have covered hundreds of boxing events in my life, but none quite like Tuesday’s Top Rank card at the MGM Grand Convention Center. I hadn’t seen a live fight since late February, when I went to Frisco, Texas, for the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas card, and I was anxious to
8:18 PM ET Steve KimESPN The anticipated bantamweight unification fight between Naoya “Monster” Inoue and John Riel Casimero might not happen if Casimero doesn’t take a reduction of his original purse, according to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum. Inoue and Casimero were scheduled to meet April 25, but the fight was canceled because of the
4:42 PM ET The year 2020 continues to surprise. On Thursday, it was announced that Mike Tyson, 54, will face 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition in California on Sept. 12. Tyson hasn’t stepped foot in the ring since 2005. Jones Jr. last fought professionally in 2018. “It’s because I can do it.
12:14 PM ET Steve KimESPN Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is making a comeback. Tyson will fight Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition on Sept. 12. The bout will be broadcast on pay-per-view as well as multimedia platform Triller. According to a news release, there will also be a 10-part docuseries on Triller
9:14 AM ET Steve Kim 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 Vergil Ortiz Jr., the 2019 prospect of the year, returns to the ring on Friday for his first fight of 2020. Ortiz
2:43 PM ET Associated Press Boxing and mixed martial arts competition may resume in California after the state athletic commission approved new safety regulations for the coronavirus pandemic. The commission will require a “quarantine bubble” around participants in every event, including referees and judges. The events also must be held without fans. Golden Boy Promotions
10:09 PM ET Steve KimESPN As the first set of fight cards concluded Tuesday night inside the bubble at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the next round of Top Rank bouts inside that venue were announced for late August. On Aug. 22, there will be a WBO light heavyweight title eliminator bout between Joe
12:42 PM ET Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions announced a stacked boxing schedule on Wednesday with nine cards that will run from August through December. The slate will feature two pay-per-view cards. The first will be headlined by Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz for the WBA junior lightweight and lightweight titles on October
5:51 PM ET Steve KimESPN Former WBO featherweight world titleholder Oscar Valdez defeated Jayson Velez by 10th-round TKO in the main event of a Top Rank card Tuesday at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. It was Valdez’s first time in the ring since November, when he defeated late replacement opponent Adam Lopez