ESPN Adds Vasyl Lomachenko, Terence Crawford to Summer Boxing Schedule

A day before one of the greatest boxers of his generation is slated to climb through the ropes to let his lethal hands loose on ESPN, the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” has announced that two potential all-time greats will also fight on the cable giant.

Manny Pacquiao is set to fight unbeaten Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday night, and ESPN announced Friday afternoon that Vasyl Lomachenko and Terence Crawford have been added to its schedule of events throughout the summer.

Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a man considered by more than a few experts as one of the greatest pure boxers to ever have laced up the gloves, will defend his WBO junior lightweight title against Miguel Marriaga on Saturday, Aug. 5. The two will meet at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KOs) was rumored to be taking on Orlando Salido in a rematch of their controversial first bout that saw Lomachenko lose a split decision. Instead, he’ll take on Marriaga, a former world title challenger who is coming off a decision loss to Oscar Valdez in April.

Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs) has already captured the WBO lightweight title and then added both the WBO and WBC super lightweight straps to his resume. “Bud” has been tearing everybody apart and looked sensational again by stopping Felix Diaz in the 10th when they fought in May. Crawford will take on little-known but supremely talented Namibian Julius Indongo on Aug. 19 at Pinnacle Bank in Lincoln, Neb. On top of Crawford’s two 140-pound crowns, Indongo’s IBF and WBA titles will be at stake as well.

Additional information on these two cards will be announced in the coming weeks.