Boxing

9:14 PM ET Steve KimESPN Alejandra Jimenez, who won the WBC and WBO super middleweight titles by defeating Franchon Crews-Dezurn on Jan. 11, tested positive for a banned substance, the WBC announced Friday. The WBC said an “A” sample from a drug test administered by the Volunteer Anti-Doping Association (VADA) on Jan. 10 tested positive.

In a surprise, promoter Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing on Friday won the purse bid for the fight between unified junior welterweight world titlist Josh Taylor and mandatory challenger Apinun Khongsong. Lewkowicz, Khongsong’s co-promoter, bid $1.32 million to gain promotional rights to the bout, beating the only other bidder, new Taylor promoter Top Rank, which

6:00 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 Promoter Frank Warren is working on matching unbeaten British fighters Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce for the European heavyweight title. Both Londoners are climbing

Heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, aiming to reinvigorate his career after multiple failed drug tests last year that cost him a world title shot and millions of dollars, has finalized a co-promotional deal with Top Rank. Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which had been in the works for months and nearly fell apart

Middleweight world titlist Demetrius Andrade has taken care of an important piece business outside of the ring a week before he attempts to handle important business inside the ring. Andrade has signed a four-fight contract extension with Matchroom Boxing, announcing the deal on Thursday, a week before he will defend his 160-pound crown against Luke

UFC superstar Conor McGregor has made no secret of his interest in trying his hand at boxing again, be it in a rematch with Floyd Mayweather or perhaps a showdown with another legend, Manny Pacquiao, both of whom have also shown interest in facing him. But Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has another idea for

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Olympic qualifying events in two sports were moved from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Wednesday because of an outbreak of a deadly viral illness. A four-nation Asian qualifying group for the women’s soccer tournament was switched from the city at the center of the health scare to Nanjing. The Asia-Oceania

Middleweight contender Esquiva Falcao will fight Ainiwaer Yilixiati in a 10-round bout that will serve as the co-feature of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Feb. 1 (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET), Top Rank announced on Thursday. Falcao (25-0, 17 KOs), a 30-year-old southpaw and 2012 Olympic silver medalist, and Ainiwaer (17-1, 12 KOs),

10:05 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 Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has dismissed Anthony Joshua’s claim he has held talks with rival world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder about a fight

In an unusual decision, the WBO has ordered two elimination bouts, after which the winners will be ordered to meet each other, in order to fill the light heavyweight world title that Canelo Alvarez vacated in mid-December. The WBO on Monday sent letters via email to the representatives of all four boxers, ordering former super

In an unusual decision, the WBO has ordered two elimination bouts, after which the winners will be ordered to meet each other, in order to fill the light heavyweight world title that Canelo Alvarez vacated in mid-December. The WBO on Monday sent letters via email to the representatives of all four boxers, ordering former super

Unified heavyweight world titlist Anthony Joshua likely will face Kubrat Pulev, one of his mandatory challengers, after a deadline to make a deal was extended. The IBF, which ranks Pulev as No. 1 contender, has given Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing and Pulev co-promoters Top Rank and Epic Sports an extension of what

PHILADELPHIA — The junior middleweight division is as fun, interesting and unpredictable as any in boxing. This time it was unheralded Dominican Jeison Rosario who turned the 154-pound weight class on its head with his wholly unexpected fifth-round knockout of Julian “J Rock” Williams in what had been a very competitive action fight. Rosario, 24,

12:24 AM ET Dan Rafael Close ESPN Senior Writer 2013 BWAA Nat Fleischer Award winner for excellence in boxing journalism ESPN.com boxing writer since 2005 Five years at USA Today Steve Kim Jeison Rosario, a 25-to-1 underdog, stopped Julian “J Rock” Williams in the fifth round in a major upset on Saturday night at the

12:27 AM ET Steve KimESPN A relatively tame and forgettable bout came to an explosive finish as light heavyweight Eleider Alvarez scored a seventh-round knockout of Michael Seals at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. The finish came near the end the round, with both men throwing right hands simultaneously, but

PHILADELPHIA — Jeison Rosario’s only defeat came against an opponent Julian “J Rock” Williams had beaten easily, but that meant nothing when they met each other. In a major upset, Rosario stopped Williams in the fifth round of Williams’ homecoming fight to take his unified junior middleweight world title in the Premier Boxing Champions on

Tyson Fury is just a month away from one of the biggest fights of the year in boxing — a rematch with Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22. But for one night, at least, his attention was turned to mixed martial arts and Conor McGregor. Fury was a guest on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on ESPN

Jan 18, 2020 Steve KimESPN Felix Verdejo defeated Manuel Rojas by unanimous decision in a 10-round lightweight bout Saturday night, on the Eleider “Storm” Alvarez-Michael Seals undercard at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. All three judges gave the fight to Verdejo, with scores of 99-91, 97-93 and 98-92. This was Verdejo’s first