I was just lamenting the fact that Floyd Mayweather doesn’t fight Japanese guys who will genuinely try to knock him out anymore, but it turns out I was holding out for the wrong hero. Last night’s RIZIN MMA show included the announcement that Manny Pacquiao will meet kickboxing and MMA standout Chihiro Suzuki in a
Associated Press Jun 9, 2024, 06:38 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Ricky Hatton laughed his way through his Hall of Fame induction speech, marveling at the places boxing took him and the thousands of his fans that would always follow. “I had some wars, didn’t I?” Hatton said Sunday. “When I think back at the
Gary Antuanne Russell is aiming to win his first title, even if it is an interim title, in honor of his late father and coach, Gary Russell Sr. Russell will face undefeated former WBA junior welterweight titleholder Alberto Puello for the interim WBC junior welterweight title on June 15 as part of the Gervonta Davis-Frank
By: Sean Crose Ryan Garcia was reportedly arrested by Beverly Hills police for felony vandalism at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Beverly Hills on Saturday. The story was broken by TMZ, which included video of the fighter presumably being led away by police. TMZ quotes Garcia’s lawyer as saying the fighter known as King Ry
Jeff Wagenheim Jun 9, 2024, 01:26 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Xander Zayas has been touted as a contender since he was a teenager, and he showed why on Saturday night in New York City, dominating Patrick Teixeira in a unanimous decision victory to remain undefeated as a junior middleweight prospect. Zayas (19-0, 12 KOs),
Multiple outlets report that Ryan Garcia was arrested yesterday after allegedly causing an estimated $15,000 of damage at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Per TMZ, one of Garcia’s (25-1, 20 KO) family members called police for a welfare check the previous Wednesday. Though no incidents arose and the police left without issue, TMZ alleges that
AT first, it seemed like a pipe dream. Sounding ridiculous on the surface and still only slightly less ridiculous when inspected in greater detail. That’s usually the case until Turki Alalshikh gets involved by disclosing his interest in a fight, then putting one-half of it on his own promotion (August 3, when Riyadh Season packs
BRUCE Carrington cemented his fringe world-level credentials by removing Brayan De Gracia in round eight of their scheduled 10-round featherweight scrap. ‘Shu Shu’ was chief support to Xander Zayas’ lopsided decision victory over Patrick Teixeira in the main event. The Brownsville native used his telephone pole jab early on to measure De Gracia, who agreed
At 21, Xander Zayas doesn’t have to fight like a world champion at this point in his career. What he accomplished Saturday night by effectively pitching a shutout on a former world champion, by filling the Madison Square Garden Theater on a New York holiday weekend and by flashing his aggression and precision in an
By: Sean Crose Rising junior middleweight Xander Zayas ground out a game win over the gutsy Patrick Teixeira in a ten round battle at New York’s Hulu Theater on Saturday. The fight was the main event of a Top Rank/ESPN card. Zayas started fast while Teixeira worked to maintain range and to keep away from
Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing InsiderJun 9, 2024, 12:09 AM ET Close Mike Coppinger has covered boxing since 2010 with roles at USA Today, Ring Magazine and The Athletic before he joined ESPN in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger Open Extended Reactions Boxing star Ryan Garcia was arrested Saturday for felony vandalism after
21-year-old prospect Xander Zayas emerged victorious in his first ESPN main event, outclassing former champion Patrick Teixeira over 10 rounds. Zayas (18-0, 12 KO) looked poised for an early finish, snapping Teixeira’s (34-5, 25 KO) head back with most of his shots and complementing them with heavy body blows. Teixeira, who had not weighed in
THE RESULT: Xander Zayas delivered a shut-out win against former 154lbs world champion Patrick Teixeira at the Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York. A Puerto Rican carnival atmosphere played its part in ensuring Zayas’s dream of headlining the venue was a memorable one. And the 21-year-old’s dominance in the fight was reflected on the
Add one more dispute to the ongoing saga of the Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney fight. Hours after both Garcia and Haney questioned where their earnings from the bout are, Golden Boy Promotions shot back with a written response accompanied by a backhanded slap at the fighters’ social media work. Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs), who knocked down
By: Sean Crose Adrien Broner returned to the ring for the first time in nearly a year on Friday night. His opponent was the widely unknown but determined Blair Cobb. The scheduled ten round affair went down at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida and was broadcast live on pay per view. The 35-5-1 Broner
Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing InsiderJun 8, 2024, 03:02 PM ET Close Mike Coppinger has covered boxing since 2010 with roles at USA Today, Ring Magazine and The Athletic before he joined ESPN in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger Open Extended Reactions A Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios WBC welterweight title fight is being explored
TOP class sparring, early finishes and highlight reel moments. So far, heavyweight Moses Itauma has ticked every prospect box when it comes to momentum, activity, keeping good company and creating a buzz with crushing finishes. Itauma, 19, was last seen smashing away opponent Ilja Mezencev on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed victory over Tyson
It wasn’t the prettiest fight, but former undisputed super middleweight champion Savannah Marshall emerged victorious in her mixed martial arts debut against Mirela Vargas. Marshall (13-1, 10 KO Boxing, 1-0 MMA) was predictably vicious on the feet and inept with her leg kick defense and leg kick defense against the hand-picked Vargas (1-3 MMA); Marshall