LAS VEGAS (AP) — Teofimo Lopez made a triumphant return to the ring, stopping Pedro Campa in the seventh round Saturday night at Resorts World Events Center.
Lopez made his debut as a 140-pound junior welterweight in his first fight since suffering the only loss of his career.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Former boxing world champion Johnny Famechon has died in Melbourne after a lengthy illness. He was 77.
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame announced Famechon's death in a statement on Thursday.
BOSTON (AP) — Bill Russell redefined how basketball is played, and then he changed the way sports are viewed in a racially divided country.
The most prolific winner in NBA history, Russell marched with Martin Luther King Jr., stood with Muhammad Ali and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jake Paul's boxing match at Madison Square Garden next week has been canceled after his promotional team said opponent Hasim Rahman Jr. did not intend to honor the contracted weight limit.
DALLAS (AP) — Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from his 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight title fight was sold at auction on Sunday for $6.18 million.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A World Boxing Council championship belt belonging to former South African President Nelson Mandela has been stolen from a museum in Soweto, according to police.
The belt was given to Mandela by American boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard during one of his visits to South Africa.
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— Netflix’s “The Sea Beast” brings a “Moby Dick”-like tale down to kid size.
LONDON (AP) — Anthony Joshua admitted he is “definitely desperate” to become world heavyweight champion again when he faces Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 20.
Usyk will be defending the IBF, WBA and WBO titles he claimed from Joshua in beating the British fighter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.
NEW YORK (AP) — A split draw in the first fight and then a majority decision in favor of Canelo Álvarez in the second.
So, how about a knockout in the third chapter to settle once and for all the fierce rivalry between the Mexican superstar and Gennady Golovkin?
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Canelo Álvarez is hurting after his first loss in nearly a decade, and he's still angry about everything that's happened during five years of fighting and arguing with Gennady Golovkin.
DALLAS (AP) — Welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. has pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while intoxicated after crashing his speeding Ferrari in 2019, prosecutors said.
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — David Pocock didn’t sound too concerned over the phone from the Australian capital of Canberra, despite it being more than two weeks since the country’s federal election and the retired rugby star still didn’t know if had a new day job in politics.
VERONA, N.Y. (AP) — Reduced to tears at a banquet on the eve of his big day, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday, just a tinge of emotion in his voice as he accepted the honor.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame might have to build a new wing to host all the inductees after this weekend’s ceremonies.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. alone makes Sunday’s event one of the most anticipated in years.
TOKYO (AP) — While Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue was winning his title bout against Nonito Donaire, burglars were breaking into his home.
Inoue stopped Donaire in the second round Tuesday night, unifying three bantamweight world titles.
SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Naoya Inoue stopped Nonito Donaire midway through the second round Tuesday night, emphatically winning their rematch and unifying three bantamweight world titles.
Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs) wasted no time in his second meeting with Donaire, knocking down the veteran champion at the end of the first round and again midway through the second.
TOKYO (AP) — Toru Takahashi, a Tokyo-based photo editor and photographer for The Associated Press who spent his long career meticulously capturing images and sharing his wealth of knowledge with colleagues, has died.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — American Devin Haney made it official — and unanimous — on Sunday. He's the undisputed world lightweight boxing champion.
Haney retained his WBC lightweight title and added three more from the weight class after his unanimous points decision over Australian George Kambosos.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian boxer George Kambosos made the weight on his second attempt Saturday for his world lightweight unification title fight against American Devin Haney.
The U.S.-based Kambosos missed the 135-pound limit initially, weighing in at 135.36 pounds.
It’s a lightweight unification fight that Australian boxer George Kambosos has the most to lose, but ultimately the most to gain.
The 28-year-old Australian will put his WBA, IBF and WBO belts on the line on Sunday at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium against American Devin Haney, who has the WBC lightweight version — the one Kambosos covets.
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Before Jalen Green joined the Houston Rockets, becoming the highest-drafted Asian American player in the NBA, he'd already experienced close up how passionate the people of the Philippines were about the game he loved to play.
NEW YORK (AP) — Gervonta Davis seemed annoyed enough by all Rolando Romero's talking to lightly shove him off the stage at their weigh-in.
He hit Romero a lot harder Saturday.
Davis regained his knockout power and retained his lightweight title Saturday night, stopping Romero in the sixth round.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Canelo Álvarez and Gennady Golovkin will complete their memorable fight trilogy in September.
Álvarez and Golovkin will resume their rivalry Sept. 17 after a four-year break, promoters Matchroom Boxing announced Tuesday.
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Jermell Charlo had to exercise incredible patience during his quest to become the first undisputed super welterweight champion.
After a split draw in his first bout with Brian Castaño last year was followed by a three-month postponement of their rematch because of an injury for Castaño, Charlo had to wait again Saturday night because Castaño showed up late to the arena.
GENEVA (AP) — With boxing’s status at the Olympics in doubt, the IOC was not impressed on Saturday with the leadership election of the sport’s governing body which was stripped of recognition in 2019.
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Jermell Charlo and Brian Castaño both fell agonizingly short of becoming the first undisputed super welterweight world champion when they fought to a split draw 10 months ago.
LONDON (AP) — Former unified light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan announced his retirement from boxing after a career that also included a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
“It’s time to hang up my gloves,” the 35-year-old Khan said Friday on Twitter.
GENEVA (AP) — The challenger to the Russian incumbent in a presidential election at the troubled International Boxing Association was ruled ineligible Thursday, a day before the vote.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted Philippine dictator, declared victory Wednesday in this week’s presidential election and faced early calls to ensure respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities will not file criminal charges against former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson after he was recorded on video punching a fellow first-class passenger aboard a plane at San Francisco International Airport last month, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Canelo Alvarez paused on his way to the ring to pose with his right fist high in the air, basking in the adulation of thousands of his frenzied fans expecting nothing more on this Cinco de Mayo weekend than another big win by a fighter already considered one of Mexico’s all-time greats.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — It didn’t matter that Dmitry Bivol entered Saturday night’s title defense with the WBA light heavyweight belt.
He walked to the ring first, amidst boos, and allowed challenger Saul “Canelo” Alvarez a grand entrance filled with a Mariachi band, fireworks, and boxing’s pound-for-pound great on a raised platform.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — More than three decades after a largely peaceful “People Power” revolt overthrew Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his son and namesake has emerged as the top contender in Monday’s presidential election based on most voter-preference surveys.
LONDON (AP) — Kell Brook is retiring from boxing.
The 36-year-old Briton, who was world welterweight champion from 2014-17, said in an interview with British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph: “It's over for me.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Saul “Canelo” Álvarez remains supremely confident as he moves back up to the heaviest weight of his career for another hefty challenge.
Álvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) is favored to take the WBA 175-pound title from unbeaten Dmitry Bivol on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — WBO champion Shakur Stevenson handed Oscar Valdez the first loss of his career Saturday night in a junior lightweight championship bout.
What some thought could be a fight of the year candidate turned into a one-sided boxing clinic.
NEW YORK (AP) — Minutes after they traded punches during a slugfest of a final round, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano embraced each other and the moment.
With most of the sold-out crowd that watched the first women’s boxing match to headline at Madison Square Garden still standing, Serrano delivered a message.