Dan Rafael
1,538 articles · USA Today
-
Winter storm not a problem for Golovkin, Jacobs
By Dan Rafael
The blizzard that hit the East Coast on Tuesday played havoc with the fight week schedules for the two fight cards in New York this weekend, but the participants are just rolling…
-
Irish Olympic star Michael Conlan ‘completely excited’ for pro debut
By Dan Rafael
Michael Conlan, the 2016 Irish Olympic star, said he always imagined his professional debut would be a big deal. But the main event? In New York? On St. Patrick's Day? Never in…
-
Bob Arum: Top Rank’s April PPV will feature sport’s ‘new faces’
By Dan Rafael
Top Rank is teeming with talented fighters, but with longtime broadcast partner HBO dramatically cutting back on its commitment to boxing and dealing with severe budget cuts, the promotional company has been…
-
Top Rank releases Nonito Donaire from promotional contract
By Dan Rafael
The successful eight-year run between Nonito Donaire and Top Rank has come to an end. With about a month remaining on his promotional agreement, Top Rank agreed to release Donaire from the…
-
Healthy again, Gilberto Ramirez ready to defend his title
By Dan Rafael
Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez, one of Mexico's best up-and-coming fighters, made it to the big stage last April when he got a mandatory super middleweight world title shot against division stalwart Arthur Abraham.…
-
Bob Arum: ‘Khan won’t be Manny’s next opponent’
By Dan Rafael
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum spent considerable time putting together a deal for welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao to defend his belt against Australia's Jeff Horn in April in Brisbane, Australia, but Pacquiao…
-
What’s next for Thurman? ‘I have no clue, man’
By Dan Rafael
NEW YORK -- More often than not, whenever there is a major fight there is also another one that may loom for the winner. That potential fight will get talked about and…
-
Keith Thurman beats Danny Garcia by split decision to unify titles
By Dan Rafael
NEW YORK -- Keith Thurman fulfilled one of his childhood boxing dreams to unify world titles Saturday night in one of the year's most anticipated fights. Though he didn't finish strong, Thurman…
-
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum: Nothing finalized for Pacquiao-Khan
By Dan Rafael
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum remains unsure if the proposed Manny Pacquiao-Amir Khan fight in the United Arab Emirates will happen, but he said that if it does it will not be…
-
Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan eye fight in United Arab Emirates
By Dan Rafael
Welterweight world titleholder Manny Pacquiao announced on Wednesday night that he is negotiating his next fight to be against Amir Khan. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, has made a…
-
Vasyl Lomachenko to face Jason Sosa April 8 after ‘cowards’ balk
By Dan Rafael
Junior lightweight world titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko, a two-time Ukrainian Olympic gold medalist and one of the best fighters in the world pound for pound, has a hard time getting top opponents to…
-
Scorecard: Felix Verdejo returns with victory but fails to impress
By Dan Rafael
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world: Saturday at London, England Chris Eubank Jr. TKO10 Renold Quinlan Super middleweight Records: Eubank Jr. (24-1, 19 KOs); Quinlan…
-
Carl Frampton first Irishman to receive BWAA fighter of year award
By Dan Rafael
Featherweight world titleholder Carl Frampton made it a clean sweep for 2016 fighter of the year honors on Friday, when he was announced as the winner of the Boxing Writers Association of…
-
Kell Brook hoping to fight Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao
By Dan Rafael
NEW YORK -- Welterweight world titleholder Kell Brook is a frustrated man not quite sure what to do as he ponders his future. On the one hand, Brook wants to continue to…
-
Fights we’d like to see on ‘Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN’
By Dan Rafael
With the announcement Thursday of the deal between ESPN and Golden Boy Promotions to launch the new live boxing series ?Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN? -- which airs on ESPN2 and ESPN…
-
Michael Conlan excited for relationships with Top Rank, Madison Square Garden
By Dan Rafael
Heralded Irish amateur Michael "Mick" Conlan, a two-time Olympian, and the team around him, Top Rank and manager Matthew Macklin, no doubt see a lot of green in their future. Green, as…
-
Mayweather opens up about McGregor, Canelo, more
By Dan Rafael
Floyd Mayweather may be retired from the ring, but the man has no shortage of opinions when it comes to boxing, the sport he dominated throughout a 19-year career in which he…
-
Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, Gennady Golovkin to appear on same card
By Dan Rafael
The top two boxers in the world pound-for-pound -- Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez and Gennady Golovkin -- will once again fight on the same card. Gonzalez, the pound-for-pound king, will defend his junior…
-
Miguel Cotto sees 2017 as last of his boxing career
By Dan Rafael
Aging fighters, and even some younger ones, often talk about retiring from the ring. They all do eventually, but not necessarily when they say they will. To be a boxer is usually…
-
Jerwin Ancajas to defend title vs. Jose Alfredo Rodriguez on Jan. 29
By Dan Rafael
Junior bantamweight world titleholder Jerwin Ancajas, the first Manny Pacquiao-promoted boxer to win a world title, will make his first defense against Jose Alfredo Rodriguez on Jan. 29 at the Studio City…