Gabriela Fundora Remains Undisputed Flyweight Champion with TKO Victory Over Marilyn Badillo

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Gabriela Fundora is keeping her titles…

In a flawless performance, the 23-year-old Mexican American professional boxer retained her undisputed flyweight championship with a seventh-round TKO victory over Marilyn Badillo on Saturday at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.

Gabriela Fundora, Fighting for the first time in 2025, Fundora, a southpaw who had a six-inch height advantage and a four-inch reach advantage, had no problem landing her lead jab and lead hook against the shorter Badillo, who employed feints to get inside but couldn’t find the way to shorten the distance.

Badillo had a good Round 4, landing a left uppercut on Fundora and going low to try to get inside, but most of the time, Fundora’s straight left found Badillo’s chin, stopping her attacks. By the end of the round, Badillo had redness under her right eye and a big hematoma on her forehead due to an unintentional headbutt.

After the fight, Fundora said she found her rhythm during the first round. She said she saw Badillo was “doing her ducking thing, but [she was] still always there.”

In the seventh round, Fundora overwhelmed Badillo with a flurry of punches, accentuated by a powerful straight left that forced Badillo to take a knee. Referee Rudy Barragan gave her the count, but Badillo didn’t want to continue.

According to CompuBox, Fundora landed 99 of her power punches compared with only 21 for Badillo.

“I think I’m maturing,” Fundora, from Coachella, California, said of her performance. “I knew the stoppage was going to come. It just again, how I wanted to place it, and I think with this one it was more of a relaxed kind of tempo.”

Fundora (16-0, 8 KOs) came into the bout as ESPN‘s No. 1-ranked flyweight, while Badillo (19-1-1, 3 KOs) was ranked No. 3.

Fundora made history in November by knocking out Gabriela Celeste Alaniz in Round 7 to become boxing’s youngest undisputed champion ever at 22. In that fight, Fundora added the WBO, WBC and WBA women’s flyweight titles to the IBF title she already owned.

Badillo, whose 19-fight winning streak was snapped, had never fought outside of Mexico. This was just her fourth bout at 10 rounds and her first title fight.

Jorge Garcia Perez Pulls Off Upset Win Over Charles Conwell

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Jorge Garcia Perez has pulled off an upset…

The 28-year-old Mexican junior middleweight contender scored an upset with a split-decision victory over Charles Conwell on Saturday at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.

Jorge Perez After 12 rounds, two judges had the fight 115-113 for Garcia Perez, with the third scoring it 115-113 for Conwell.

“We did a great camp,” Garcia Perez said through an interpreter after the fight. “Every fight I feel that every fight we get better and better.”

Garcia Perez (33-4, 26 KOs) extended his winning streak to eight fights. Conwell (21-1, 16 KOs) had won eight of his past 10 fights by stoppage.

With a victory, Conwell was expected to challenge WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora.

Now, Garcia Perez, who is ranked No. 3 by the WBO and No. 12 by the WBC, said he would love the opportunity to fight for his first world title, saying that Fundora is “welcome” to be his next opponent.

“If it’s the other champion from the IBF,” Garcia Perez said, referring to Bakhram Murtazaliev, “he’s welcome here, too.”

Faith Torrez Helps Lead Oklahoma Sooners to NCAA Women’s Gymnastics National Championship

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Faith Torrez has helped propel the University of Oklahoma to another national title…

The 21-year-old Latina’s stellar performance helped lead the Oklahoma Sooners women’s gymnastics team to its seventh national title on Saturday.

Faith TorrezThe Sooners are now tied with UCLA for the third most team titles in NCAA history.

OU was in the lead heading into the final rotation, and though the team wasn’t quite as sharp as usual on bars, it was enough to edge UCLA for the title.

Audrey Davis, arguably the best bar worker in the country, earned a 9.9250 for her sky-high piked Jaegar, and Jordan Bowers scored a 9.8875 for a near-flawless routine with perfect handstands throughout.

UCLA ended the day in second, an enormous improvement from last year, when the Bruins didn’t qualify for nationals. Emily Lee led off the team with a massive 9.9250, then Jordan Chiles upped the ante with a 9.9375 with a stuck round-off double full dismount. Emma Malabuyo anchored the beam lineup with another 9.9375, but the Bruins had to count two scores in the 9.7s, so the title was out of reach.

Missouri ended in third, the highest finish in school history. Kennedy Griffin led the squad with a 9.95. Utah finished fourth after a mixed day on vault, but it was highlighted by Avery Neff, who stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.975.

Final results:

  1. Oklahoma: 198.0125
  2. UCLA: 197.6125
  3. Missouri: 197.2500
  4. Utah: 197.2375

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Arthur Fils to Reach Barcelona Open Final

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Carlos Alcaraz is one win away from his third Barcelona Open title…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star, the top seed of the tournament, beat No. 14 Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final.

Carlos Alcaraz,Alcaraz will next play Holger Rune for the Barcelona Open title.

No. 2-ranked Alcaraz holds a 2-1 record against the 13th-ranked Rune. The pair have yet to meet on clay. Alcaraz won their last meeting at 2023 Wimbledon.

Alcaraz won his first Monte Carlo Masters title last weekend and will be searching for his third title of the year and 19th of his career.

He won the Barcelona Open in 2022 and 2023.

Rune has four career titles.

“Since I was a little kid, I was here on Sundays watching the final,” Alcaraz said. “I played twice here, so being in a final here in Barcelona again means a lot. It’s been a really fun and great week, and let’s see if we can end tomorrow with a trophy.”

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to Fight Jake Paul This June

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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is returning to the ring for a high-profile fight…

Jake Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) will take the next step to becoming a world champion when he faces the 39-year-old former WBC middleweight champion on June 28 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.Most Valuable Promotions revealed details about the fight to ESPN on Friday.

The 10-round fight, which MVP will co-promote with Oscar De La Hoya‘s Golden Boy Promotions, will be contested at a weight limit of 200 pounds and air on DAZN pay-per-view.

“Five years ago, I stepped into the ring for my pro debut after a single amateur fight, and every fight since has been a step towards becoming world champion. I just defeated the baddest man on the planet, and now I’m going against a former champion who conman Canelo couldn’t finish,” Jake Paul, 28, said in a statement to ESPN.

“Chávez Jr. is Mexican, but I, El Gallo De Dorado, have the will and heart of the great Mexican fighters. On Saturday, June 28, live on DAZN pay-per-view, I will knock out Julio and make Chávez Sr. proud in ways Jr. never has. Another massive event from Most Valuable Promotions, with some Oscar De La Hoya seasoning added to the show. Viva La Puerto Rico.”

The fight announcement comes just months after a proposed fight between Paul and Canelo Alvarez fell apart at the eleventh hour in favor of a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. Paul then pursued a fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis. However, Davis’ controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. in March derailed those plans, as it is now expected that Davis will pursue an immediate rematch with Roach. With two blockbuster showdowns falling apart, Paul turned to a former world champion and the son of a boxing legend in Chavez.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., left, a former middleweight champion, defeated Uriah Hall by unanimous decision in a cruiserweight bout in July 2024.

“Chavez Jr. has always been on the short list of fighters that Jake Paul has targeted,” MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said to ESPN. “After the Tyson fight, the original plan was to fight Chavez Jr. next. However, the Canelo opportunity presented itself and we paused discussions with Chavez.”

Chavez will be the second former world champion Paul has faced, although the previous champion to lose to the former YouTuber won his first world championship more than a decade before Paul was born. In November 2024, Paul won a unanimous decision against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 58, in a record-breaking event on Netflix. Chavez last held a major world title in 2012. Since losing the WBC title to Sergio Martinez in 2012, Chavez’s career has been uneven and inconsistent, with the Mexican going 8-6 after starting with a 46-0-1 record.

Chavez’s performances have tailed off significantly, with a one-sided decision defeat to Alvarez in 2017 and an embarrassing loss to former MMA champion Anderson Silva in 2021. He was last in action on the undercard of Paul’s fight with Mike Perry last July when Chavez outpointed MMA fighter Uriah Hall in a six-round fight. Although Chavez is far from the form he had early in his career, the former champion believes that his issues are behind him and he will be able to turn back “El Gallo.”

“First of all, I will show what I can do now that everything is in the right place in my life – mentally and physically,” Chavez said in a statement. “I feel rejuvenated and 10 years younger. Second, I want to thank MVP for taking the risk of fighting me. Unfortunately for their Problem Child, they’re going to have a big problem this June-one they won’t know how to resolve. Hopefully, when I beat him, people won’t underestimate this win.”

Javier Bardem to Appear on Season Two of Max’s “Conan O’Brien Must Go”

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Javier Bardem must go…

The 56-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actor will be among the A-list celebrities set to join Conan O’Brien in his travels on Season 2 of Max’s Conan O’Brien Must Go.

Javier BardemIn the comedic travel series, O’Brien experiences local cultures and connects with fans he previously met on his podcast. 

In addition to Bardem, the husband of actress Penelope Cruz who won an Oscar for No Country for Old Men, Taika Waititi will appear in season two.

The three-episode season will debut new episodes weekly on Thursdays beginning on May 8 and concluding with the season finale on May 22.

In the first season of the show, which premiered last year, the comedian visited new friends he met through his Conan O’Brien Needs A Fan podcast, where he dives deep with listeners from around the world.

The first season saw the former host of The Tonight Show head to Norway, Thailand, Argentina, and Ireland.

Season 2 will see O’Brien visiting New Zealand, Austria and Spain.

Conan O’Brien Must Go is produced by Conan O’Brien , with Jeff Ross executive producing.

Anitta Teams Up with Kenia Os to Release Reggaeton Single “En 4”

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Anitta has found her four-m…

The 32-year-old Brazilian singer & songwriter has joined voices with Mexican pop star Kenia Os to release the new reggaeton single “En 4.”

Anitta, Kenia OsCombining Kenia Os’ pop-urban style with Anitta’s Brazilian funk, “En 4” is the first joint effort from the global artists.

It premiered on Kenia Os’ YouTube channel alongside an NSFW music video directed by Daniel Eguren.

The “En 4” visual is full of pixelated make out sessions and suggestive scenes, including nude, but pixelated, scenes of both women.

“If you don’t like it, don’t follow me/I look so pretty with my friend/We apply pressure and blow your mind,” Kenia Os sings in the introduction.

Anitta and Kenia Os teased the single with clips of the song’s visual treatment and also held an “exclusive after party” for their fan bases via YouTube following the video’s release.

“En 4” is Os’ first single of the year as the rising artist continues to build momentum in the United States, having just completed her “Pink Aura Tour,” and sharing a documentary film, or “Kenia OS: La OG.”

The release was accompanied by a live album that captured her concerts through 16 live performances.

Anitta also premiered a documentary of her own on Netflix called “Larissa: The Other Side of Anitta.”

She was originally scheduled to perform at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, but pulled out three weeks before the festival kicked off its first weekend due to “unexpected personal reasons.”

Jim Acosta Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for Representation

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Jim Acosta has new representation…

The 54-year-old half-Cuban American broadcast journalist, a former chief White House correspondent and anchor for CNN, has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for representation.

Jim AcostaAcosta joined CNN in 2007 after beginning his career in local radio and television and with CBS News, where he covered issues including the 2004 presidential election, the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina.

He covered Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns for the 2008 presidential election at the beginning of his time at CNN before becoming a national political correspondent and covering Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.

He was promoted to senior White House correspondent during Obama’s second term as president, then became chief White House correspondent in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term as president.

Acosta left CNN in January of this year, and has since pivoted to doing independent journalism on Substack, where he has more than 300,000 subscribers, more than 10,000 of which are paid.

There, he does daily live broadcasts, having featured guests including Pete Buttigieg and Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

On Tuesday, he hosted his first in-person event, a town hall featuring Don Lemon and Michael Cohen.

WME will work with Acosta on building out his independent journalism business through additional partnerships, digital distribution and live events.

Isabella Gomez to Appear in Recurring Role on Apple’s Comedy Series “Shrinking”

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Isabella Gomez’s resume is shrinking… in a good way.

The 27-year-old Colombian actress has joined the cast of Apple’s comedy series Shrinking in a recurring role.

Isabella Gomez,

Co-created by Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, Shrinking follows grieving therapist Jimmy (Segel), who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives … including his own.

In addition to Segel and Ford, Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell and Ted McGinley also star.

Jeff Daniels will guest star as Jimmy’s father.

Shrinking is produced for Apple TV+ by Warner Bros Television, where Lawrence and Goldstein are under overall deals, and Lawrence’s Doozer Productions.

Since its premiere, the series has received SAG Award nominations for Best Ensemble, as well as for performances by Segel and Ford; a Critics Choice Award win for Best Supporting Actor Urie; and nominations for Emmy Awards, and the WGA, among many others.

Gomez recently embraced her theater roots with a starring role in Gloria Calderon Kellett’s One of the Good Ones. She was also recently seen in ABC’s hit series The Goldbergs as Adam Goldberg’s love interest, Carmen, and had a starring role in Amazon’s With Love.

She’s best known for her award-winning role as Elena Álvarez in the critically acclaimed series One Day at a Time.

On the film front, Gomez was recently seen leading E’s romantic comedy Royal Rendezvous and starring in the coming-of-age drama Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

She also lends her voice to Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Disney Channel’s animated shows Big Hero 6: The Series and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Launches ‘México Canta’ Binational Contest Aimed at Creating Music That Doesn’t Glorify Violence or Drugs

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Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum is hoping to change the musical narrative…

The 62-year-old Mexican politician, scientist and academic, the 66th president of Mexico a and first woman to hold the office, is hoping to encourage young artists — especially those in the trending genre of corridos tumbados — to create songs that don’t glorify violence or drugs.

Claudia Sheinbaum,This week Sheinbaum announced México Canta, a binational contest aimed at shifting the focus of Mexican music to themes like “love, heartbreak and peace.” 

This is the first initiative launched by the Mexican government to use music as a way to counteract the glorification of violence and the fascination some young people have with joining criminal groups, drawn by the promise of a flashy, luxurious lifestyle — all happening amid the wave of violence affecting certain regions of the country.

“While the contest won’t solve this issue overnight, and we’re not neglecting the underlying causes — for that, there’s a whole national security program — we felt it was important to create creative spaces through culture for Mexican and Mexican-American youth who are passionate about music,” explains Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico’s Secretary of Culture, to Billboard Español.

In her opinion, many young Mexicans see their dreams of breaking into the music industry crushed, because they don’t have instruments or professional recording equipment.

“Organized crime takes advantage of this situation and starts funding musicians,” says the official. “No one hires you if you don’t have a solid music production to stand out. This program aims to provide that professional support.”

The presidential initiative is backed by a segment of the country’s music industry, including major players like Virgin Music Group and Fonovisa/Universal, the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers (SACM), the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms (AMPROFON), among others.

Registrations will be open at mexicocanta.gob.mx from April 28 to May 30.

The grand finale will take place on October 5 in the Mexican state of Durango.

Who can participate?
All young Mexican and Mexican-American performers between the ages of 18 and 34.

How can you participate?
With songs or performances in genres like mariachi, norteño, banda, corrido, tropical, duranguense, campirano, bolero, among others, as well as fusions with rap, rock, pop, and hip-hop. Participants can perform in indigenous languages, Spanish, or Spanglish, with original songs up to 3 minutes long.

In which cities will participants be selected?
In the U.S.: Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.
In Mexico: Tijuana, Mexico City, and Oaxaca. 

Where can the contest be followed?
On the Mexican government’s public channels and official social media platforms.

What are the prizes?
Regional winners will receive mentorship from a group of specialists.
For Best Song, the prize is a contract with a national, international, or independent record label.
The Best Performer will be awarded a record deal and the opportunity to record an album.
The winner of the Jury Prize will receive a record deal and the opportunity to record an EP (6 songs).