Nick ParkinsonFeb 23, 2025, 04:00 AM ET Close Reports on boxing for ESPN.com and has been covering British boxing for over 25 years. Open Extended Reactions Joseph Parker beat Martin Bakole in two rounds on Saturday. Mark Robinson/Getty Images Despite quickly flattening dangerous contender Martin Bakole, Joseph Parker might still miss out on a world title
Boxing
Open Extended Reactions Dmitry Bivol avenged his 2024 loss to Artur Beterbiev, defeating his rival by majority decision for the undisputed light heavyweight championship early Sunday morning at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The rematch was set 133 days after Beterbiev won a narrow majority decision in October, and the second fight was every
Feb 22, 2025, 08:57 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Dmitry Bivol became the undisputed light heavyweight champion with an impressive majority decision victory in a rematch against Artur Beterbiev on Saturday. And while the margin on the scorecards wasn’t that big, Bivol dominated Beterbiev for long parts of the fight. While many thought he also
James Regan Feb 22, 2025, 05:40 PM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Joseph Parker beat Martin Bakole with a vicious Round 2 knockout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) sent Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) crashing to the canvas after an overhand right struck the top of his
Feb 22, 2025, 03:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Artur Beterbiev makes the first defense of his undisputed light heavyweight championship against Dmitry Bivol, in the main event of a jam-packed boxing card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) unified all four major titles with a majority decision victory against Bivol
James Regan Feb 21, 2025, 02:17 PM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Joseph Parker weighed in at a career-heaviest 267 pounds on Friday while his new opponent Martin Bakole was still on his way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bakole was called up to replace IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who is ill,
Timothy Bradley Jr. Feb 21, 2025, 07:07 AM ET Open Extended Reactions In boxing, rematches usually reflect much of the first battle, with maybe a few added twists and turns. Dmitry Bivol, just four months removed from his controversial loss to Artur Beterbiev back in October for the undisputed light heavyweight title, will be looking
James Regan Feb 21, 2025, 04:07 AM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Josh Padley, who before this week was largely unknown outside of British boxing circles, has said he can “definitely” beat lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson on Saturday. Padley (15-0, 4 KOs) got the call on Tuesday night asking if he
James Regan Feb 20, 2025, 04:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Promoter Ben Shalom told ESPN he has “never made a fight that quickly” after arranging for Martin Bakole to fight Joseph Parker on Thursday as a late replacement for Daniel Dubois. Dubois was supposed to defend his IBF heavyweight belt
Feb 20, 2025, 03:32 PM ET American boxer Claressa Shields, the undisputed world champion in three weight classes, has been suspended and is under investigation after testing positive for marijuana following her victory over heavyweight Danielle Perkins in Michigan. The Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission suspended the 29-year-old athlete from competing in the state after an