11:46 AM ET Steve KimESPN It would only be a slight exaggeration to say that there’s nothing that gives Brandon Rios — who fights Humberto Soto on Saturday in Tijuana, Mexico — as much pure exhilaration as the sport of boxing. For Rios, there is his family, first and foremost. “Being home with my kids,
Boxing
10:06 PM ET Two-time lightweight world titleholder Brandon Rios was in what turned out to be a 19-month retirement when he made the decision to return to the ring in mid-2017. He is 2-1 since and said Thursday that he believes a victory on Saturday will position him to fight for a world title for
2:28 PM ET Anthony Dirrell is conflicted about boxing. He is 34 years old and has been fighting since he was 9, and he has made it very clear he does not want to be a fighter who hangs around too long and suffers health issues because of the ring later in life. He has
10:23 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 James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr will be fighting to keep their careers alive on Saturday as it is hard to see a future
1:17 PM ET Steve KimESPN In what was a stunning turn of events, it was announced on Monday that Tyson Fury and his promoter, Frank Warren, had signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank, that will see his bouts air live on ESPN airwaves. This landmark deal also calls for a minimum of two bouts
12:41 PM ET Heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev will headline the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on March 23, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN. The card will take place at either The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California, or the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, but Pulev still needs an opponent.
10:00 PM ET Pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko will defend his unified lightweight world title against mandatory challenger Anthony Crolla on April 12 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after their camps made a deal on Tuesday night. The deal for the fight, which will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card to coincide
7:12 PM ET Heavyweight contender Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller wasn’t much of a welcoming host when he met unified world titleholder Anthony Joshua on his turf for the kickoff news conference on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The boxing big men will fight for Joshua’s three major belts at the famed arena
7:33 PM ET A lawsuit can now proceed against Gerard Varlotta, a ring doctor for the 2013 bout that left heavyweight boxer Magomed Abdusalamov with permanent brain damage, after a New York State Supreme Court judge reversed her earlier dismissal of the suit. In a ruling last week on an appeal of her September 2018
4:44 PM ET Opening Bell: Santa Cruz sweepstakes Leo Santa Cruz, as expected, easily retained his featherweight world title for the third time, outclassing late-replacement opponent Rafael Rivera on Saturday night at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Then the conversation picked back up about whom he might fight next. All three