Dan Rafael
1,538 articles · USA Today
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Mikey Garcia daring to be great in goal to jump divisions to fight Errol Spence Jr.
By Dan Rafael
Mikey Garcia looked good Saturday night as he cruised past Robert Easter Jr. to unify two lightweight world titles at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and then reiterated his goal: to…
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Mikey Garcia ready to move up two weight classes to fight Errol Spence Jr.
By Dan Rafael
LOS ANGELES -- Mikey Garcia is not kidding about his desire to move up to welterweight for a November or December fight with world titlist Errol Spence Jr., who said he would…
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Champion versus champion, the way it should be
By Dan Rafael
LOS ANGELES -- Lightweight world title unification fights are rare. There have been only 10 in boxing history, the last taking place nearly a decade ago when Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out…
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Superfly 3 to feature top 115-pounders Juan Francisco Estrada, Kazuto Ioka, Donnie Nietes
By Dan Rafael
The Superfly 3 card is coming together. The third installment of the popular series from promoter Tom Loeffler and HBO, which will take place on Sept. 8 at The Forum in Inglewood,…
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Jose Sulaiman welterweight semis set for Aug. 25 in Toronto
By Dan Rafael
The semifinals of the Jose Sulaiman World Invitational welterweight tournament will take place Aug. 25 at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing has announced. No. 2 seed Chris…
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Anthony Joshua set to face Alexander Povetkin in September, putting Deontay Wilder bout on hold
By Dan Rafael
After Deontay Wilder retained his heavyweight world title by brutal 10th-round knockout of Luis Ortiz in a fight of the year contender on March 3, he again called for a unification bout…
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Deontay Wilder ready to sign contract for Anthony Joshua showdown
By Dan Rafael
Heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder is ready to sign a contract to face unified titlist Anthony Joshua for the undisputed championship this fall provided there are what co-manager Shelly Finkel described as…
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Boxing hits summer break, but with some good fights on the horizon
By Dan Rafael
Opening Bell: Summer break There have been several excellent and important fights in the first half of 2018. A few that come to mind are unification bouts between heavyweights Anthony Joshua and…
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Bob Arum eyes fall fight for Terence Crawford; Vasiliy Lomachenko rehabbing in Ukraine
By Dan Rafael
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum promotes numerous top fighters and elite prospects, but the best of the bunch are lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and welterweight world titlist Terence Crawford, who rank…
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Errol Spence Jr.-Terence Crawford collision course could be a long road
By Dan Rafael
Opening bell: Spence-Crawford collision course On back-to-back weekends, fans saw the best boxers the United States has to offer, and they just so happen to be in their primes and reside in…
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Errol Spence Jr. makes quick work of Carlos Ocampo with first-round KO
By Dan Rafael
FRISCO, Texas -- Welterweight world titleholder Errol Spence Jr. wanted to dazzle in his first hometown title defense against mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo. He also wanted to send a message to the…
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Danny Roman dominates Moises Flores, retains junior featherweight
By Dan Rafael
FRISCO, Texas -- Win or lose, junior featherweight world titlist Danny Roman could not lose his belt because Moises "Chucky" Flores failed to make weight and was stripped of his interim title…
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Spence-Ocampo provides a champion with a hometown showcase
By Dan Rafael
FRISCO, Texas -- Welterweight world titleholder Errol Spence Jr. has looked virtually flawless since he turned pro following a stint on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. He was widely considered the best…
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Terence Crawford stops Jeff Horn by TKO to claim welterweight world title
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS -- Terence Crawford put the welterweight division on notice in a major way. Crawford, one of boxing's best pound-for-pound performers and already a winner of world titles in two weight…
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Crawford-Horn all about weight, perception and potential
By Dan Rafael
LAS VEGAS - Undefeated former two-division world champion Terence Crawford is universally recognized as one of the top boxers on the planet, and he is moving up in weight to seek a…
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Is a junior bantamweight unification fight between Jerwin Ancajas and Kal Yafai next?
By Dan Rafael
The opening bell: the little big men Last September, promoter Tom Loeffler and HBO hit pay dirt with a terrific card featuring the best of the deep 115-pound division, which is called…
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Jerwin Ancajas, Khalid Yafai focused on title defenses, not each other
By Dan Rafael
Junior bantamweight world titleholders Jerwin Ancajas and Kal Yafai are being featured in defenses on the same card on Saturday night as a prelude to a possible unification fight later in the…
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Vasyl Lomachenko stops Jorge Linares with TKO in 10th round
By Dan Rafael
NEW YORK -- Pound-for-pound king and junior lightweight world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko entered the Madison Square Garden ring on Saturday aiming to carve out yet another piece of boxing history. And now…
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Lomachenko primed for more history with win against Linares
By Dan Rafael
NEW YORK -- Vasiliy Lomachenko fashioned a historic career in boxing's unpaid ranks. He fashioned a hard-to-fathom record of 396-1, avenging the loss multiple times, and won back-to-back Olympic gold medals for…
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Predictions: Jorge Linares vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko
By Dan Rafael
At this point, it's the only question worth asking: Who will win Saturday night's world lightweight title fight between Jorge Linares and Vasiliy Lomachenko? Our experts make their picks. Dan Rafael ESPN.com…