3:40 AM ET NEW YORK — Gennady Golovkin entered the ring to face unheralded Steve Rolls on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden well aware of what had transpired one week earlier when huge underdog Andy Ruiz Jr. pulled a massive upset by knocking out England’s Anthony Joshua. Rolls said all week that he was
Boxing
9:26 AM ET WBO featherweight world titleholder Oscar Valdez faces contender Jason Sanchez on Saturday at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada, in a fight that airs live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes in the United States at 10 p.m. ET. Valdez (25-0, 20 KOs) won the title by defeating Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda
8:08 PM ET Light heavyweight Tristan Kalkreuth, a 17-year-old standout amateur from Duncanville, Texas, is turning professional after signing a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions on Friday. The 6-foot-4 Kalkreuth is only the second 17-year-old Golden Boy has ever signed. The other was junior welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr., who is now one of boxing’s
9:14 AM ET Teddy Atlas has had two distinct careers in a life spent in boxing. He is a successful trainer, having served as an apprentice to the late, great Cus D’Amato before working with numerous top boxers, including his crowning moment when he guided Michael Moorer to the heavyweight championship in his upset of
Jun 6, 2019 “I’ve been waiting for that bright sunshine to show up and shine in my backdoor someday.” –Luther Allison Buddy McGirt has certainly enjoyed his share of sunny days, far more than most who toil in boxing’s meat grinder. Even so, for more than two decades he yearned to bask in the light
Jun 5, 2019 Steve KimESPN When former unified middleweight world titleholder Gennady Golovkin decided to move on with the final chapters of his career without longtime trainer Abel Sanchez, with whom he had a long and successful partnership, the announcement came as a bit of a shock. In as the new trainer is Johnathon Banks,
10:21 PM ET The homecoming title defense junior lightweight world titlist Gervonta “Tank” Davis has wanted is now a reality. Davis will make his second defense against mandatory challenger Ricardo Nunez on July 27 (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET) before a home crowd at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe announced
5:52 PM ET The pay-per-view undercard for the Manny Pacquiao-Keith Thurman welterweight world title fight is set. Premier Boxing Champions made the supporting bouts official on Thursday for the card that will take place on July 20 (Fox PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. In the co-feature, Yordenis
9:48 AM ET Steve KimESPN The Top Rank on ESPN card in Stockton, California, on May 4 was headlined by two world titleholders, Jerwin Ancajas and Artur Beterbiev, but it was lightweight local sensation Gabriel Flores Jr. who was responsible for packing the house with more than 11,000 fans. Flores (13-0, 6 KOs) didn’t disappoint,
10:35 PM ET Monday morning quarterbacking, perhaps, but former unified middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin said he was not all that surprised that unheralded Andy Ruiz Jr. defeated Anthony Joshua last Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. Ruiz authored one of boxing’s greatest upsets when he knocked Joshua down four times and