One of the fights in the works for the Top Rank on ESPN PPV undercard of the Terence Crawford-Amir Khan welterweight world title fight on April 20 is a heavyweight bout between contender Kubrat Pulev, in his first fight since signing a co-promotional deal with Top Rank, and Robert Helenius, a source with knowledge of the discussions told ESPN on Thursday. Pulev (26-1, 13 KOs), 37, of Bulgaria, is one of the mandatory challengers for three-belt unified titlist Anthony Joshua. Helenius (28-2, 17 KOs), 35, of Sweden, has won three in a row since a decision loss to Dillian Whyte in October 2017.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer8h ago

Junior welterweight Mikkel LesPierre (20-0-1, 9 KOs), 33, of New York, has gotten the call. He will challenge junior welterweight world titlist Maurice Hooker (25-0-3, 17 KOs), 29, of Dallas, on March 9 (DAZN) on the card headlined by the fight between light heavyweight world titlist Dmitry Bivol and Joe Smith Jr., Hooker co-promoter Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sports told ESPN on Thursday. The deal with LesPierre promoter Lou DiBella was agreed to and is being put to paper. Hooker will make his second title defense. LesPierre will step up to face by far the most notable opponent of his seven-year pro career.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer9h ago

Weights from Verona, New York, for Friday night’s Top Rank on ESPN+ card at the Turning Stone Resort Casino: Bryant Jennings 225.25 pounds, Oscar Rivas 234; Shakur Stevenson 125.5, Jessie Cris Rosales 124.5; Jason Sosa 131, Moises Delgadillo 133; Carlos Adames 156, Juan Ruiz 155.5; Robson Conceicao 130.5, Hector Ambriz 130.5; Fazliddin Gaibnazarov 141.5, Ricardo Garcia 142; Cassius Chaney 250, Michael Glasscox 212; Vikas Krishan 151.75, Steven Andrade 152.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer10h ago

Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs will meet to unify their 160-pound world titles on May 4 on DAZN at a venue to be determined, though the fight it is likely to be at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer13h ago

Weights from New York for Friday’s DAZN card at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden: Demetrius Andrade 159.8 pounds, Artur Akavov 160 (for Andrade’s middleweight world title); Jorge Linares 139.4, Pablo Cesar Cano 139.6; TJ Doheny 121.8, Ryohei Takahashi 121.8 (for Doheny’s junior featherweight world title); Chris Algieri 140, Daniel Gonzalez 139.4; Amanda Serrano 114.2, Eva Voraberger 114.8 (for a vacant women’s junior bantamweight world title).

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer15h ago

Former junior middleweight world titlist Liam Smith (26-2-1, 14 KOs), 30, of England, who signed a three-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, last week got his opponent Thursday for the first fight of the deal, which takes place March 30 at the M&S Bank Arena in his hometown of Liverpool, England. Smith will face countryman Sam Eggington (23-5, 15 KOs), 25, who is coming off a second-round knockout loss against Hassan Mwakinyo in September but is best known for sending former two-division titlist Paulie Malignaggi into retirement via eighth-round knockout in May 2017.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer19h ago

Promoter Frank Warren on Wednesday announced a March 8 card on which England’s Daniel Dubois (9-0, 8 KOs), 21, an elite heavyweight prospect, will step up his opposition by facing former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu (16-5, 9 KOs), 31, of Romania, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The card will stream live on ESPN+ in the United States. Dubois and Cojanu were supposed to meet in December but the bout was called off because Dubois was ill. Also on the show, two-time British Olympic gold medalist Nicola Adams (5-0, 3 KOs), 36, of England, will challenge women’s flyweight world titlist Arely Mucino (27-3-2, 10 KOs), 29, of Mexico.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer1d ago

The Shawn Porter-Yordenis Ugas welterweight world title bout scheduled to headline the Premier Boxing Champions card on Fox on March 9 was announced for Las Vegas but likely will move to Southern California, a PBC source told ESPN on Wednesday. The source said the co-feature, which has not been announced yet, will match Edwin Rodriguez (30-2, 20 KOs), 33, of Worcester, Massachusetts, against Poland native Andrzej Fonfara (30-5, 18 KOs), 31, of Chicago, in a cruiserweight bout. In addition, heavyweight prospect Efe Ajagba (8-0, 7 KOs), 24, a 2016 Nigerian Olympian fighting out of Houston, will appear in another televised bout.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer1d ago

The March 2 Showtime card will be Cuban boxing night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, In addition to the expected main event of secondary junior middleweight titlist Brian Castano (15-0, 11 KOs), of Argentina, defending against ex-titlist Erislandy Lara (25-3-2, 14 KOs), a Houston-based Cuban defector, the co-feature is supposed to involve Miami-based Cuban heavyweight contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (30-1, 26 KOs), according to a source with knowledge of the card, which hasn't been announced yet. Ortiz’s foe likely will be Germany’s Christian Hammer (24-5, 14 KOs), who has won two fights in a row since a decision loss to Alexander Povetkin in December 2017.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer1d ago

Premier Boxing Champions on Tuesday announced the lineup of televised preliminary fights that will air on FS1 (6 p.m. ET) from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Jan. 26 in the lead up to the main card on Fox headlined by welterweight titlist Keith Thurman’s defense against Josesito Lopez. Junior lightweight Chris Colbert (9-0, 3 KOs) will fight in his hometown against Josh Hernandez (8-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder; junior lightweight and 2016 U.S. Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell (7-0, 7 KOs), younger brother of featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr., will face Roberto Almazan (7-8, 2 KOs) in a six- or eight-rounder; and junior middleweight prospect Chordale Booker (13-0, 7 KOs) will fight Juan De Angel (21-9, 19 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer2d ago

Junior welterweight world titlist Maurice Hooker (25-0-3, 17 KOs), 29, of Dallas, will make his second defense on the undercard of the fight between light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol and Joe Smith Jr., which is scheduled for March 9 at a site to be determined on the East Coast. “Maurice is on the show and we are working on an opponent. We hope to have the opponent locked in by Friday,” Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sports, which co-promotes Hooker with Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, told ESPN on Tuesday, shortly after Bivol-Smith was announced.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer2d ago

Unable to find an opponent that was cleared by the New York State Athletic Commission, heavyweight contender, Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs) will not be part of this Friday nights card at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Miller says now that the plan is for him to return in late February. "We're going to take a week off, I've been training since Thanksgiving. It's a little disappointing but it is what it is. We'll be ready for what comes next."

Steve Kim, ESPN3d ago

If light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol retains his belt vs. Joe Smith in March, Bivol manager Vadim Kornilov told ESPN that Bivol intends to move down to super middleweight to look for another title. “Bivol is interested in a world title at 168 and unification at 175 when other 175-pound champions are hopefully ready and willing to unify," Kornilov said.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer3d ago

Promoter Lou DiBella on Tuesday won the purse bid for the middleweight world title eliminator between his fighter, Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-1, 10 KOs) and Jack Culcay (25-3, 13 KOs). DiBella bid $425,515 to beat the only other offer of $397,713 made by Culcay promoter Aegon Promotions. The winner of the fight will become the mandatory challenger for titlist Daniel Jacobs, who narrowly outpointed Derevyanchenko by split decision to win the vacant belt in October. Culcay is entitled to 65 percent of the winning bid ($276,584.75) and Derevyanchenko gets 35 percent ($148,930.25). DiBella told ESPN the fight would take place in March or April and probably will be on a Premier Boxing Champions card.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer3d ago