Dan Rafael
1,538 articles · USA Today
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Manny Pacquiao def. Jessie Vargas, UD (114-113, 118-109, 118-109)
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- There was high drama before Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas threw a single punch Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. That is because Floyd Mayweather, the retired…
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Floyd Mayweather sits ringside for Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas fight
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- There was an unexpected guest ringside for Manny Pacquiao's welterweight title challenge against Jessie Vargas on Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather, who is…
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Disciplined Pacquiao juggles dual roles entering Vargas bout
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao has earned hundreds of millions of dollars over his legendary boxing career, yet he is still working two jobs. He is a professional prizefighter, one of the…
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Manny Pacquiao’s future a balance of boxing and politics
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- When Manny Pacquiao announced his retirement in April, following his resounding victory against rival Timothy Bradley Jr. in their third fight, few believed he would stay away from the…
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Manny Pacquiao’s brief retirement was no surprise
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- Even Top Rank?s Bob Arum, whose job is to sell events, refused to promote Manny Pacquiao?s third fight against Timothy Bradley Jr. in April as his final one, even…
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Nonito Donaire plans to use experience, power against young Jessie Magdaleno
By Dan Rafael
Nonito Donaire has been a professional fighter for 15 years. Jessie Magdaleno has been getting paid to punch for just six years. Donaire is a former fighter of the year (2012) and…
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How Pacquiao is training for his fight against Vargas
By Dan Rafael
Since Sen. Manny Pacquiao began his current training camp on Aug. 29, it has been an unusual one with more structure than ever before. Pacquiao was elected to the Senate in the…
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Oscar De La Hoya happy with Canelo Alvarez-Liam Smith PPV numbers
By Dan Rafael
Canelo Alvarez's return to the junior middleweight division against Liam Smith last month generated close to 300,000 pay-per-view buys, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya told ESPN.com. Headlining an HBO…
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Oscar Valdez honored by comparison to his idol Erik Morales
By Dan Rafael
Oscar Valdez is one of boxing's top rising stars. He won a vacant featherweight world title, and accomplished what most expected of the two-time Mexican Olympian, when he knocked out Matias Adrian…
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Canelo Alvarez knocks out Liam Smith in 9th, wins 154-pound title
By Dan Rafael
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Most boxing fans would have preferred to see lineal middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez fight fearsome unified titleholder Gennady Golovkin in what many believe would be boxing's biggest fight, but…
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Even with Smith next, Alvarez can’t escape Golovkin
By Dan Rafael
ARLINGTON, Texas-- Immediately after Canelo Alvarez retained the middleweight championship by brutally knocking out Amir Khan in May, he invited an interested spectator into the ring. Unified titleholder Gennady Golovkin climbed through…
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Diego De La Hoya stepping up opposition on Canelo card
By Dan Rafael
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Diego De La Hoya has a name and connections that have opened doors for him in boxing. But it is now time to find out if the 22-year-old can…
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Scorecard: Big wins for Golovkin, Gonzalez, Jacobs and Easter
By Dan Rafael
This past weekend was filled with great fights. Miss any of it? Here's what you need to know: Saturday at London: Middleweight Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) TKO5 Kell Brook (36-1, 25…
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Kell Brook aims to make British history by beating Gennady Golovkin
By Dan Rafael
LONDON -- To see middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin and welterweight titlist Kell Brook stand face to face to pose for photos -- and then shake hands like the true pros that they…
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Gennady Golovkin’s WBA title not at stake in Kell Brook fight
By Dan Rafael
Gennady Golovkin will defend his middleweight world title belts against welterweight titleholder Kell Brook next Saturday (HBO, 5:30 p.m. ET/PT) at the O2 Arena in London, but one of his three major…
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Notes: Donaire defense to be added to Pacquiao card
By Dan Rafael
A few notes from around the boxing world: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com that the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas card would include four world title fights on the pay-per-view telecast --…
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Canelo loves the Lone Star State
By Dan Rafael
The first time Mexican star Canelo Alvarez fought in Texas he outpointed Austin Trout to unify junior middleweight belts before a crowd of some 40,000 at the Alamodome in San Antonio in…
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Former HBO Sports boss Hershman lands new gig
By Dan Rafael
A few notes from around the boxing world: Former HBO Sports president Ken Hershman, whose duties included responsibility for the network?s boxing franchise during his tenure, which ran from January 2012 until…
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Enormous audience for Spence-Bundu good for boxing
By Dan Rafael
Premier Boxing Champions mastermind Al Haymon?s purchase of time on NBC for a fight immediately following the network?s coverage of the Rio Olympics gold-medal basketball game, which turned out to be the…
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Welterweight Errol Spence Jr. sizes up major opportunity
By Dan Rafael
Welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr. is on the doorstep of a world title shot. Spence, the 2015 ESPN.com prospect of the year, will meet Leonard Bundu in a world title elimination fight…