Dan Rafael
1,538 articles · USA Today
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Oscar De La Hoya: Canelo-GGG ‘is my gold medal as a promoter’
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- Oscar De La Hoya looked content. The chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, which he founded in 2001 while still active during a Hall of Fame boxing career…
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Amir Khan looking forward to Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin
By Dan Rafael
Like most boxing fans, former junior welterweight world titleholder Amir Khan is looking forward to seeing Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin battle for the unified middleweight world championship on Saturday night (HBO…
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Naoya Inoue shines, stops Antonio Nieves to retain junior bantamweight belt
By Dan Rafael
CARSON, Calif. -- Junior bantamweight world titleholder Naoya Inoue is nicknamed "The Monster" in his native Japan and that's just what he looked like in his American debut on Saturday night. Inoue,…
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Gennady Golovkin takes to rare trash talking of Canelo Alvarez ahead of bout
By Dan Rafael
Unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, though an assassin in the ring, has always come off as charming outside of it, thanks to his boyish grin and easygoing demeanor. While Golovkin has been…
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Ringside Seat: The complete guide to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez
By Dan Rafael
When Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez faced Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on March 18 at New York's Madison Square Garden on the Gennady Golovkin-Daniel Jacobs undercard he walked to the ring as the undefeated pound-for-pound…
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Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin’s middleweight title fight to be shown in theaters
By Dan Rafael
Canelo Alvarez versus Gennady Golovkin, one of the year's biggest fights, is coming to the big screen. Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) and Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) meet for the unified middleweight world…
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Terence Crawford vacates IBF 140-pound world title he won on Aug. 19
By Dan Rafael
Terence Crawford's run as the undisputed junior welterweight world champion did not last long. Only 11 days, to be exact. With a purse bid looming for a mandatory defense against Sergey Lipinets…
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Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin draw distinction between title fight and Mayweather-McGregor
By Dan Rafael
Now that the massively hyped Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight is in the books and the circus has left town, boxing fans can turn their attention to the real fight: Canelo Alvarez vs.…
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Healthy, wealthy and wise, Mayweather strolls into retirement
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- Father Time will always be undefeated, but Floyd Mayweather, who closed out his legendary career on his own terms Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, came about close as any…
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Floyd Mayweather’s purse at $100M, Conor McGregor’s $30M biggest of career
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- For the second time in three fights Floyd Mayweather will earn a guaranteed purse of $100 million. Mayweather, coming out of a two-year retirement, will earn that sum as…
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Floyd Mayweather uses exposure of Saturday’s Conor McGregor fight to promote Gervonta Davis
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather has briefly put his retirement on hold in order to face UFC star Conor McGregor, but even as he steps back into the ring Saturday night, Mayweather…
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Floyd Mayweather issues ‘100 percent’ guarantee he’ll KO Conor McGregor
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather's reputation is as one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time. As the highest-paid fighter in history, he has grossed nearly $1 billion in large part…
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Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor pull back on barbs ahead of bout
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- After the wild, crazy, profane and totally over-the-top four-city media tour that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor embarked on last month to promote their megafight -- in which they…
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Terence Crawford KOs Julius Indongo, unifies four major titles
By Dan Rafael
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Terence Crawford, with one crushing left hand to the body, became the undisputed junior welterweight champion of the world on Saturday night. Crawford, fighting just outside of his hometown…
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Vasyl Lomachenko dismantles Miguel Marriaga in 7th-round TKO
By Dan Rafael
LOS ANGELES - Junior lightweight world titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko has his eyes on being the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world - and he's not far away from that lofty status…
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Raymundo Beltran edges Bryan Vasquez via majority decision on Lomachenko undercard
By Dan Rafael
LOS ANGELES -- Lightweight contender Ray Beltran moved a step closer to a coveted world title shot but, more significantly perhaps, put the finishing touches on the resume he is building to…
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All eyes on Vasyl Lomachenko in fight against Miguel Marriaga
By Dan Rafael
LOS ANGELES -- From the day Vasyl Lomachenko turned professional in 2013 following perhaps the greatest amateur boxing career in history, a run that included a 396-1 record (loss avenged) and Olympic…
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Ray Beltran fighting for money, world titles and a permanent home
By Dan Rafael
Most boxers fight for money and world titles, and while they are certainly on the agenda of lightweight contender Ray Beltran there is so much more to why he fights. Born into…
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Garcia-Lomachenko bout unlikely to happen despite mutual interest
By Dan Rafael
A dream fight for boxing fans surely would be one between lightweight world titleholder Mikey Garcia and junior lightweight titlist Vasyl Lomachenko -- but don't go holding your breath waiting for it.…
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Takashi Uchiyama, Takashi Miura, two Japanese greats, announce retirements
By Dan Rafael
Former junior lightweight world titleholders Takashi Uchiyama and Takashi Miura, two of Japan's best fighters in recent years, announced their retirements from boxing over the weekend. Both held 130-pound world titles simultaneously…