Amanda Serrano to Share Fight Card with Jake Paul in Return to Madison Square Garden in August

Amanda Serrano is returning to the ring this summer…

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler will once again share a fight card with Jake Paul when they fight on August 6 at Madison Square Garden in what they’re labeling “two main events.”

Amanda SerranoThe fights will be on Showtime Pay Per View. It’s the second straight fight for Serrano at MSG and Paul’s first in the iconic venue.

Serrano will fight at featherweight, where she’ll defend her WBO and WBC belts for the first time since her August 29, 2021 fight against Yamileth Mercado.

Serrano, one of two clients of Paul’s management and promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions, last fought on April 30 at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in a fight considered one of the best in women’s boxing history in a split-decision loss to Katie Taylor for the undisputed lightweight championship.

This will be the fourth fight for Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KO) attached to Paul. She first fought as the co-main event on Paul’s first fight against Tyron Woodley last August.

She signed with his promotional company a month later and fought as the co-main event on Paul’s second fight against Woodley in December.

She then fought Taylor in April, which was co-promoted by Paul and Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Boxing.

There was thinking that Serrano’s next fight would be a rematch against Taylor in Ireland later this year — Serrano and Paul both said they would be open to it immediately after the April fight — but Hearn told multiple outlets in the past couple of weeks that such a fight would not take place in Ireland in the immediate future.

Paul (5-0, 4 KO) last fought in December, knocking out  Woodley. He said he was going to take a break after fighting four times in 13 months between November 2020 and December 2021, then announced an August return to the ring the day after Serrano fought Taylor at MSG in April.

“Back in the gym, back to training and excited, more excited and motivated than ever,” Paul told ESPN back in March. “You know, that was Chapter 1 of my boxing career, that was my rookie season, and now I get to go on another chapter here.”

Paul had initially said he was returning to the ring on August 13, but has now moved it up a week.

Amanda Serrano to Fight Katie Taylor in First Women’s Boxing Match to Headline at MSG

Amanda Serrano is ready to take part in the biggest fight in women’s boxing history.

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, a seven-division world titlist, will face undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor.

Amanda SerranoThe bout between Taylor and Serrano, ESPN‘s No. 1 and No. 2 in the pound-for-pound rankings, has been scheduled for April 30.

They will headline a card in one of the most iconic boxing venues in the world, the main arena of Madison Square Garden. It is the first women’s boxing match in history to headline at MSG.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to be possible, but for this fight to headline at Madison Square Garden would truly be the pinnacle of the sport,” Taylor told ESPN recently. “So much of boxing’s history is linked to MSG, and I’ve been fortunate enough to fight there already on a couple of occasions.

“It’s such an iconic venue so to be part of the first ever women’s fight to main event there would be truly special.”

This fight has been talked about for years — and booked in the past before falling apart. Now, though, with a major venue, a headline attraction and major paydays for both fighters, it is locked into happening.

Both fighters knew the possibility was coming in December, before they won their last fights of 2021. Taylor won a unanimous decision over Firuza Sharipova on Dec. 11 and a week later, Serrano picked up a unanimous decision against Miriam Gutierrez.

Now, Taylor (19-0, 6 KO), 35, and Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KO) will end up in the ring against each other.

“It is the megafight for women’s boxing,” Serrano said after she beat Gutierrez. “You have pound-for-pound top three, however you look at it.”

It’s a long way from when Serrano’s sister, Cindy, lost to Taylor in a unanimous decision in Boston in 2018. The paydays then were much smaller. It is expected to be the biggest payout of Amanda Serrano’s career on the biggest stage as well as the largest payday in women’s boxing history.

“After the Katie Taylor fight, I’ll be able to sit down and say, ‘This is what boxing has done for me,'” Serrano told ESPN. “And be comfortable.”

It’s also a fight between two of the latest pioneers in the sport. Taylor, when she was 15, fought in the first sanctioned women’s boxing match in Ireland. After turning pro in 2016, working with Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Boxing, Taylor helped push women’s boxing into the mainstream.

Serrano, who for years had been considered one of the best knockout fighters in the sport, received even more attention and notoriety over the past six months among a broader base of fans after she began fighting as the co-main events of Jake Paul‘s last two fights.

The fight, which will be put on by Matchroom Boxing and Paul and Nakisa Bidarian‘s Most Valuable Promotions, could be a boon for women’s boxing, which has been trying to get more in the conversation of mainstream sports. It’s also being announced almost two years to the day after Paul fought his first pro fight — on the same undercard as Serrano.

“We need to do more big fights like this for women,” Paul told ESPN last month. “What I’m excited about is using my creative ability to tell a story about why people should care about Amanda Serrano, specifically, but also women’s boxing and also this fight against Katie Taylor.

“Because people should care, and people do care. A lot of people care but I think a lot more women should care and a lot more people in general should care.”

Bobby Cannavale to Voice DAZN’s New Documentary Series “40 Days”

Bobby Cannavale’s best days are here…

The 47-year-old half-Cuban American actor will voice rising sports streaming outlet DAZN‘s 40 Days, a new documentary series co-produced with LeBron James and Maverick Carter

Bobby Cannavale

The plan is for him to recur as the series evolves into an umbrella for various behind-the-scenes sports series.

These types of follow docs are a sports media mainstays especially with the rise of digital video — similar to 24/7Hard Knocks, and Tom Vs. Time.

But 40 Days, which is named for the eight Monday-to-Friday weeks of training for a boxing match, is aiming to give the series a bit more flair, with individual episodes and series being directed by different filmmakers. 

The show premieres with a boxing focus on Tuesday night on DAZN, which recently launched in the U.S. after successfully bringing soccer, basketball and ring sports to fans in Europe and elsewhere.

The streaming service also operates in Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Japan, with a launch in Brazil up next.

In addition to the company’s channels and DAZN, 40 Days will air the following day on UnivisionNBC Sports Networkand regional sports networks including MSG.

The first edition of 40 Days will spotlight the build-up to the May 4 matchup between Canelo Alvarezand Daniel Jacobs. A screening of the show is planned for May 2 in Las Vegas ahead of the fight.

Canelo Alvarez to Challenge Rocky Fielding in an Attempt to Win a Second World Title

Canelo Alvarez is aiming to win another belt…

The 28-year-old Mexican boxer, still celebrating his majority decision victory over Gennady Golovkin to win the unified middleweight world title in their September 15 rematch, will be back in the ring before the end of the year and in a new weight division trying to win another belt.

Canelo Alvarez

Alvarez will move up to the super middleweight division and challenge Rocky Fielding for his secondary world title on December 15 in his first fight at famed Madison Square Garden in New York.

“I’m very excited to announce my next fight. Next December 15th at the New York MSG,” Alvarez wrote on social media. “Taking a big challenge. I will fight for the world title at 168 pounds versus Rocky Fielding, the current WBA champion!”

Alvarez and his team were planning for a possible December 15 fight even before the fight with Golovkin as long as Alvarez came out of the fight healthy.

Although Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 Kos) suffered a nasty cut over his left eye against Golovkin, Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told ESPN that Alvarez had been told by his doctor that he would be fine to fight in December and would soon be permitted to return to training.

So while Alvarez plans to fight again this year, it is unclear whether he will do the fight with his longtime broadcast partner HBO, which has had him under contract since 2015. A Golden Boy spokesman told ESPN that no decision on a broadcaster has been made yet. HBO announced last week it was giving up its boxing franchise after 45 years of covering the sport.

New York Knicks Play Tribute Video for Carmelo Anthony’s Homecoming

It’s a bittersweet homecoming for Carmelo Anthony

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player received a mostly warm welcome from New York Knicks fans Saturday night in his first game at Madison Square Garden since joining the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Carmelo Anthony

There were loud cheers for Anthony during his introduction, and some noticeable boos.

The Knicks played a tribute video for Anthony before his name was called during the traditional starting lineup introductions. The video showed some of the big shots and highlight games during Anthony’s 6½ seasons in New York and was met with a loud ovation from the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Anthony said he was surprised by the video and thanked the organization for the gesture.

“That was big-time, and for me that goes a long way,” Anthony said, who admitted the clip brought a mixed bag of emotions as it reminded him of the Knicks’ shortcomings during his tenure.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling for me — coming back here, knowing the goals that I had, what I wanted to accomplish here and falling short in that category,” he said.

Anthony, playing the second night of a back-to-back after logging 47 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers, was held to 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting Saturday. He went scoreless in the second half, and the Knicks spoiled his return by topping the Thunder 111-96.

The 10-time NBA All-Star was booed throughout the game when he touched the ball and when he subbed out of the game near the end of regulation. He said afterward that he wasn’t surprised by the reaction.

“They can’t cheer for me. I’m on another team,” Anthony said. “They’re cheering for their team. They boo for the other team. That’s something that I expected.”

During Anthony’s tenure in New York, the Knicks advanced past the first round of the playoffs just once and failed to reach the postseason the past four seasons. Teammates have credited Anthony for how he handled the off-court drama of trade speculation and critiques — both direct and indirect — delivered by former Knicks president Phil Jackson throughout the 2016-17 season.

Anthony declined to say whether his return would have felt different if Jackson were still in New York, saying he has put his issues with Jackson behind him.

“I try not to think about that,” Anthony said.

Anthony was dealt to the Thunder in late September in exchange for Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott, ending months of drama with the Knicks that began when Jackson publicly stated his desire to trade the All-Star forward. With a list narrowed down to only a few teams, Anthony waived his no-trade clause to accept a deal to the Thunder.

After Saturday’s loss, he spoke about how he wanted to be remembered as a Knick.

“Somebody who wanted to be here, came here, did what he had to do night in and night out whether people liked it or not, remained positive through all the negative situations and all the negative times,” Anthony said. “Somebody who stayed professional throughout my seven years here and somebody who had hopes and dreams of winning the championship here in New York and fell short at that.

“So that’s something that I will always hold over my head as far as it comes to that. But I will always be kind of part of this culture here. For me it’s different than any other basketball player that comes through here, that played with the Knicks. It’s deeper than basketball when it comes to me and this city.”

The Knicks (16-13) have exceeded expectations in their first season without Anthony. They have relied on ball movement and a solid approach to team defense in the first two months of the season. New York entered Friday ranked 15th in defensive efficiency (up from 25th last season) and 11th in assist ratio (up from 23rd).

“I like what I see,” Anthony said of the Knicks’ potential going forward. “I like the potential they have. For me, to see those guys having fun again, knowing it wasn’t fun, to see them having fun bringing the energy and love back to the Garden. I’m happy for those guys when it comes to that.”

Romeo Santos Adds Third Madison Square Garden Show

Romeo Santos will be spinning more gold…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American urban bachata singer-songwriter is planning a third show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

Romeo Santos

Santos’ new February 17 show was added after tickets for his initial two MSG dates sold out within 24 hours.

The pre-sale for the new show, as well as added dates in Los Angles and Boston, opens Wednesday (December 6) at 10:00 am on Tickemaster, using the code GOLDEN.

Santos’ 18-city tour, which kicks off in New York on February 15, is named after his latest studio album, Golden, which was released earlier this year and earned the biggest sales week for a Latin studio album in over two years.

The album also marks Santos’ fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and his third top 10 on the Billboard 200.

Complete tour information can be found on promoter Live Nation’s site.

Louis C.K. to Perform at This Year’s Stand Up for Heroes

Louis C.K. is taking a stand…

The 49-year-old Mexican American comedian, actor, writer, producer, director and editor will take part in this year’s Stand Up for Heroes on November 1 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Louis C.K.

Presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival, it will mark the 10th anniversary of the annual event that’s raised more than $33 million for wounded, ill and injured veterans, service members and their families.

Louis C.K. joins an all-star roster that includes Jim GaffiganJerry SeinfeldBruce Springsteen and Jon Stewart.

“We look forward to Stand Up for Heroes each year not only because it’s grown into New York’s biggest night of comedy and music, but because a decade of laughter has translated into a lifetime of immeasurable support for our nation’s injured heroes,” said Bob Woodruff, co-founder and ABC News correspondent. “As we commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11 and the wars that have followed, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that a small percentage of our population stood up for us — it’s now our turn to stand up for them.”

Woodruff and wife Lee established the Bob Woodruff Foundation after the then-recently installed co-anchor of ABC News was critically injured in 2006 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The Woodruffs partnered with the New York Comedy Festival founders Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox to stage the first Stand Up for Heroes event in 2007.

“We could not be more proud to partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation to celebrate such an incredible milestone as the 10-year anniversary of Stand Up for Heroes,” says Caroline Hirsch, Bob Woodruff Foundation board member and founder of the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway. “The organization’s remarkable perseverance, passion and contribution to wounded soldiers and their families is outstanding. Nothing would be possible without the time and dedication from all of the performers and supporters of the organization over the years.”\

After its start at New York’s Town Hall and, later, the Beacon Theatre, the event moved to MSG in 2013.

J Balvin to Perform at DJ Alex Sensation’s La Mega Mezcla Live (Mega Mix) Show

J Balvin is preparing for a mega show…

The 29-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, who recently notched his first-ever No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart with “Ay Vamos,” is among the list of Latin urban acts announced to perform as part of DJ Alex Sensation‘s La Mega Mezcla Live (Mega Mix) show at Madison Square Garden on April 14.

J Balvin

In addition to J Balvin, the lineup includes appearances by Prince Royce, Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon, Plan B, Farruko, Maluma, Nicky Jam, French Montana and Maffio.

The show is produced by SBS Entertainment, the concert division arm of radio network SBS, which includes Mega 97.9 FM, New York’s top-rated Spanish language station and home to Sensation’s Monday-Saturday mix show, La Mega Mezcla.

Sensation has hosted his radio show for 15 years, amassing a major fan base that allows him to spin in clubs across the country. Along the way, he’s also mixed tracks for multiple artists — collaborating with the likes of J Balvin, Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam — and paired up with major brands. In 2011, Sensation launched his first live concert with friends at MSG. It has become an annual fixture and as of last year, branched out to Miami. There, Sensation’s Miami Bash takes place April 10 with a slightly different lineup.

This year’s roster of acts performing at the New York show is particularly impressive, which also includes J Álvarez, Zion & Lennox, Arcángel, De la Ghetto, Reykon, French Montana and pop singer Alejandra Guzmán.

The show is a precursor to Sensation’s next step as a recording artist. A first single, featuring Yandel and Shaggy, is due out this spring.

Sensation will be the moderator of the New Latin Urban Movement during the Billboard Latin Music Conference, taking place April 27-29 at the Ritz Carlton in Miami Beach.