Golden Boy Promotions and HBO are finalizing a tripleheader for July 21 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the promoter and network told ESPN on Wednesday. It would be headlined by junior middleweight world titlist Jaime Munguia (29-0, 25 KOs), 21, of Mexico, making his first defense against mandatory challenger and former titlist Liam Smith (26-1-1, 14 KOs), 29, of England. Smith was supposed to challenge Sadam Ali for the belt but dropped out because of illness and was replaced by Munguia, who knocked him out in the fourth round on May 12 and inherited the mandatory obligation. The co-feature would be junior lightweight world titlist Alberto Machado (19-0, 16 KOs), 27, of Puerto Rico, making his first defense against mandatory challenger Rafael Mensah (31-0, 23 KOs) of Ghana. The opener would be an all-southpaw middleweight bout between former two-time junior middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade (25-0, 16 KOs), 30, of Providence, Rhode Island, and Brazil’s Yamaguchi Falcao (15-0, 7 KOs), 30, a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer21h ago

Welterweight world titlist Errol Spence Jr.’s second defense, a first-round knockout of mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo in a homecoming fight Saturday night at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, was quick but averaged 683,000 viewers for Showtime’s live broadcast, according to Nielsen Media Research. The audience peaked at 726,000 for the 3-minute fight. That’s the third biggest average audience and peak audience for a fight on Showtime so far this year behind Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz and Adrien Broner-Jessie Vargas. Junior featherweight titlist Danny Roman’s lopsided decision over Moises Flores in the co-feature averaged 478,000 viewers and peaked at 547,000. The Adrian Granados-Javier Fortuna junior welterweight opener, which ended in a fourth-round no decision, averaged 396,000 viewers with a 441,000 peak.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer2d ago

Top Rank announced on Tuesday that it has signed former two-time interim junior lightweight titlist Bryan Vasquez (36-3, 20 KOs), 30, of Costa Rica. Vasquez has boxed on previous Top Rank cards, including a close majority decision loss to Ray Beltran last August. Vasquez bounced back for a win in February. The first fight of his Top Rank contract has not been set. “I feel really happy. I feel blessed to be signed by the biggest company in the sport of boxing,” said Vasquez, who is married to unified women’s junior middleweight titlist Hanna Gabriels. “I want to rule the 130-pound division. I'm ready for big names, whether it’s Christopher Diaz or (featherweight titlist) Oscar Valdez. They better watch out now that I'm with Top Rank. I will show everyone that Vasiliy Lomachenko is beatable, and in the near future, I want the rematch with Ray Beltran with proper notice now that I have a real promotional company behind me. I'm happy and motivated.”

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer2d ago

With Dillian Whyte withdrawing from a heavyweight title elimination fight against Kubrat Pulev after the purse bid had been held to instead take a July 28 fight against former world titlist Joseph Parker, the IBF ordered Pulev and Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller to negotiate for the elimination fight that will produce one of the mandatory challengers for unified titlist Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) on Monday. But on Friday, the IBF said it received written notice from Pulev’s team declining to negotiate and asking for an immediate purse bid, which was scheduled for June 25 at noon at the sanctioning body offices in Springfield, New Jersey. The sides could still make a deal until 15 minutes before the bids are opened. Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs), 37, of Bulgaria, has won five fights in a row since suffering a fifth-round knockout loss challenging then-unified world champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. Miller (21-0-1, 18 KOs), 29, of Brooklyn, New York, beaten three former world title challengers in a row, Gerald Washington, Mariusz Wach and, most recently, Johann Duhaupas on April 28.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer6d ago

Scotland’s Ricky Burns (41-7-1, 14 KOs), 35, the only fighter from his country to win world titles in three divisions (junior welterweight, lightweight and junior lightweight) returns Saturday on the Matchroom Boxing card at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England, looking to shake off a two-fight losing skid in his 50th pro bout. Burns will face Ivan Njegac (10-5, 3 KO), 25, of Croatia, in a six-round junior welterweight fight. Burns lost both of his 2017 bouts by decision, losing his junior welterweight belt to Julius Indongo and a lightweight fight to ex-titlist Anthony Crolla. But Burns said he's aiming to win another title and to get his return off to a good start. “The Ricky Burns story is not finished just yet,” he said. “I’ve got no regrets in my career. I’ve lived it. I’m proud to say I’m a three-weight world champion and still think there’s a couple of big fights in me. That being said, I have a job to do on Saturday night for those to come to fruition.”

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer7d ago

Top Rank announced on Wednesday that it has signed featherweight Chris “The Boy” Zavala, 18, of Long Beach, California, to a multi-year promotional agreement. Zavala was 125-9 and among the top amateurs in the United States. He won 2015 National Golden Gloves title at 125 pounds. He will make his professional debut on the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card June 30 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on the undercard of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez’s super middleweight world title defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo. ESPN+ will stream the entire card, including Zavala’s debut, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. “As a fighter, signing with Top Rank is a dream come true,” Zavala said. “And to have Richard Anthony as a manager, I could say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. My family and I together, we’ve all worked hard to get exactly to this point. They are the reason why I fight and why I get up every day morning and train as hard as I do.” Since he was 9, Zavala has been trained by Manny Robles, who also trains featherweight titlist Oscar Valdez and former junior featherweight titlist Jessie Magdaleno.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer8d ago

Having stripped unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin of its belt for failing to meet mandatory challenger Sergey Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KOs), 32, a 2008 Olympian from Ukraine, the IBF on Monday ordered Derevyanchenko to face former secondary titlist Daniel Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs), 31, of Brooklyn, New York, for the vacant belt. The IBF sent a letter to Derevyanchenko promoter Lou DiBella and Jacobs promoter Eddie Hearn ordering them to commence negotiations immediately. According to the letter, if the sides don’t make a deal by July 11 a purse bid will be ordered. The purse split would be 50-50. Jacobs is also a possible opponent for Canelo Alvarez. Hearn has been talking to Golden Boy about the fight for Sept. 15 if there is no Golovkin-Alvarez rematch. “I’ve made both Danny and Sergey aware of the IBF’s decision ordering them to start negotiations to fight for the vacant title,” Keith Connolly, who manages both fighters, told ESPN. “I will down with each guy over the next few days to try to make as friendly a deal as possible. I will also be communicating with Eddie, Al (Haymon, Derevyanchenko’s adviser) and Lou. In the meantime I will also see if the Canelo option is really a viable option.”

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer10d ago

Heavyweight Joe Joyce (4-0, 4 KOs), 32, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist for Great Britain, will make the first defense of his Commonwealth title against Ghana's Richard Lartey (12-1, 9 KOs) on Friday at York Hall in London, but he's looking for bigger fights. With Philadelphia contender Bryant Jennings (23-2 ,13 KOs), 33, looking for an opponent for his Aug. 18 fight in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card at the Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Joyce’s team said they want the fight. “Hear that Bryant Jennings is looking for an opponent. Joe Joyce is ready,” Joyce promoter Richard Schaefer of Ringstar Sports told ESPN. “I had (Ringstar Sports matchmaker) John Beninati reach out to (Top Rank vice president) Carl (Moretti). We are serious and would do the fight.” Jennings needs an opponent because former world titleholder Joseph Parker elected to face Dillian Whyte rather than finalize a deal with Jennings the camps had agreed to.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer9d ago