Junior bantamweight world champion Juan Francisco Estrada’s first title defense is slated for Aug. 24 at a site to be determined in Mexico in the main event of a DAZN card, multiple sources with knowledge of the plans, which haven’t been announced yet, told ESPN on Tuesday. The card is also supposed to include hot heavyweight prospect Filip Hrgovic, who claimed a 2016 Olympic bronze medal for Croatia. The opponents are to be determined. Estrada, a former unified flyweight titlist, won the junior bantamweight championship by unanimous decision in an action-packed rematch against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on April 26 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer20h ago

The WBA announced Wednesday that it has stripped “regular” junior middleweight titlist Brian Castano of his secondary belt because he didn't sign a contract to face mandatory challenger Michel Soro in a timely fashion. On May 28, a purse bid was held for the fight and Univent Production won with an offer of $810,000 and scheduled it for July 20 in Marseille, France, Soro’s home country. According to the WBA, Soro signed the contract but Castano, of Argentina, did not -- even after being given additional time to do so. That resulted in Castano being stripped. Soro has been ordered to fight for the vacant belt against former titlist Erislandy Lara, though that seems unlikely since Lara, who drew challenging Castano in March, is scheduled to face Ramon Alvarez on Aug. 31.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer6h ago

Blue chip lightweight prospect Otha Jones III, 19, of Toledo, Ohio, will be back in action just one week after his previous fight. Jones needed just 100 seconds to knock out Michael Horabin on June 21 in London, so Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has added him to the undercard of middleweight world titlist Demetrius Andrade’s hometown defense against Maciej Sulecki at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Jones (2-0, 1 KO) will participate in a six-rounder against an opponent to be named on the preliminary portion of the DAZN broadcast.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer2h ago

Former heavyweight world titlist Charles Martin, who is coming off a disqualification victory over Gregory Corbin on March 16 on the Errol Spence Jr.-Mikey Garcia undercard, will face journeyman Daniel Martz on July 13 (FS1) in a scheduled 10-round bout at The Armory in Minneapolis, Premier Boxing Champions has announced. The fight will be one of the televised preliminary bouts on the card headlined by Minneapolis native and welterweight contender Jamal James’ 10-rounder against former lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco. The co-feature pits heavyweight Robert Helenius and former world title challenger Gerald Washington.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer21h ago

The Aug. 10 Top Rank Boxing on ESPN show, a featherweight card due to feature former featherweight and junior featherweight world titleholder Carl Frampton in his Top Rank debut in the main event and former junior featherweight titlist Jessie Magdaleno in the co-feature, will take place at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, a source with knowledge of the plans told ESPN. A win by Frampton would set up a likely title shot against Oscar Valdez later this year. Magdaleno will be returning to the arena where he lost his world title by 11th-round knockout to Isaac Dogboe April 2018.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer1d ago

Organizers have announced the co-feature of the Amir Khan-Neeraj Goyat welterweight fight on July 12 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Heavyweight Hughie Fury, the cousin of lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, will take on long-faded former world titlist Samuel Peter, who is 2-1 in low-level fights this year after returning to the ring for the first time since third-round knockout loss to Kubrat Pulev in December 2016. Former world title challenger Fury has won his only bout since a decision loss to Pulev in an October eliminator.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer1d ago

Andrew Cancio, who defended his WBA "regular" junior lightweight belt on Friday, works as a full-time construction technician for a gas company in Southern California. "I'll be back at work on Monday," he said after the fight.

Andres Ferrari, ESPN Editor5d ago

Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions on Tuesday won the purse bid at the IBF offices in Springfield, New Jersey, for the right to promote the fight between strawweight world titlist DeeJay Kriel, of South Africa, and mandatory challenger Sammy Salva, who is from the Philippines and promoted by Pacquiao. MP Promotions, which was the only bidder, won with an offer of $25,000. Kriel is entitled to 65 percent ($16,250) and Salva gets 35 percent ($8,750). MP Promotions’ Sean Gibbons told ESPN the fight will take place Aug. 24 in Manila, Philippines. Kriel will be making the first defense of the 105-pound belt he won by 12th-round knockout of Carlos Licona in February in Los Angeles.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer8d ago

Featherweight Shakur Stevenson, a 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist and one of boxing’s elite prospects, is in need of a new opponent for his Top Rank Boxing on ESPN 10-round main event on July 13. Initial opponent, the unbeaten Hairon Socarras, is out of the fight over various issues, according to Top Rank, which is in the process of securing a new foe for what will be Stevenson’s first professional fight in his hometown, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer8d ago

Weights from Chiba, Japan, for Wednesday’s UFC Fight Pass main event (8 a.m. ET): Kazuto Ioka 115 pounds, Aston Palicte 115 (for a vacant junior bantamweight world title).

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer8d ago