Category Archives: Deportes

Pablo Andujar Upsets Roger Federer at Geneva Open

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Pablo Andujar is celebrating a major victory…

The 35-year-old Spanish professional tennis player beat a rusty Roger Federer 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at the Geneva Open.

Pablo Andujar

It was Federer’s official return to the ATP Tour at the claycourt tournament. He missed nearly the entire 2020 season after twice having knee surgery. He returned to the Tour at the Qatar Open in March, but hadn’t played since losing in the quarterfinals in Doha.

On Tuesday, Federer went toe-to-toe with Andujar in their first-ever meeting, showing plenty of encouraging signs with his shot-making and on-court movement ahead of the French Open.

After bouncing back in the second set, Federer looked poised to run away with the contest before an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration put an end to any hopes of an extended run at his home tournament.

Andujar, ranked 75th in the world, made a strong start, while Federer struggled to settle into his serving rhythm early on.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez to Make Golden Boy Debut Against Sullivan Barrera

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Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez is ready to make his Golden (Boy) debut…

The 29-year-old Mexican professional boxer, a former super middleweight world titlist, will face former light heavyweight title contender Sullivan Barrera on July 9 in Los Angeles, according to Golden Boy Promotions.

Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez

Ramirez (41-0, 27 Kos), of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, will make his Golden Boy debut after signing with the promotion in February.

Ramirez, who became the first fighter from Mexico to win a world title at 168 by defeating Arthur Abraham by unanimous decision in 2016 to win the WBO belt, defended the title five times before jumping up to light heavyweight. Since then, he has TKO victories over Tommy Karpency and Alfonso Lopez.

“I’m excited to be headlining this show in Los Angeles with Golden Boy Promotions,” Ramirez said via news release. “It’s going to be a great night of boxing with fans back in the stands. I’ve always enjoyed fighting here, and I can’t wait to put on a show to continue my hunt for the light heavyweight championship.”

Barrera (22-3, 14 KOs), 39, of Guantanamo, Cuba, lost his only attempt to win a world title against WBA light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol in 2018. He has fought twice since then, a decision win against Sean Monaghan in November 2018 and a decision loss to Jesse Hart in June 2019. “I know that my opponent is a former world champion with a lot of experience and that he will come very much prepared,” Barrera said. “However, I feel that I have faced much better opposition. I’ve also spent my entire career in the light heavyweight division, something that will be totally new for him. It will be a difficult fight, but I will walk away with my hands raised in victory.”

Rafael Nadal Defeats Novak Djokovic to Claim 10th Italian Open Title

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Make than 10 for Rafael Nadal…

The 34-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated Novak Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to earn a record-extending 10th Italian Open title on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal

With whipping forehands that produced an average of 54 revolutions per second — to Djokovic’s 45 — Nadal’s biggest weapon was in top form.

“I have been playing better and better with my forehand the last couple of weeks, getting to the confidence point,” Nadal said. “That’s a huge improvement for me, very important shot. Especially on clay, it [gives] me confidence.”

The title reestablished Nadal as the overwhelming favorite for the French Open, where he’ll be aiming for his 14th title starting in two weeks.

But Nadal preferred to focus on his achievement in Rome — at least for the moment.

“To have this trophy in my hands for the 10th time is something hard to believe,” Nadal said, recalling how he won his first title at the Foro Italico in 2005 as an 18-year-old, when he beat Guillermo Coria in a match lasting more than five hours.

“Now, 16 years later, to play in the final again is incredible,” Nadal said in Italian during the trophy presentation. “It’s difficult to describe. Without a doubt this is one of the most important places in my career.”

Three forehand winners helped Nadal produce the decisive break in the third set, when Djokovic’s energy level appeared to dip.

The top-ranked Djokovic spent nearly five hours on court Saturday, when he had to rally for a rain-delayed quarterfinal victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas before winning another three-setter over local favorite Lorenzo Sonego in the semifinals.

Nadal played only once Saturday, beating Reilly Opelka in 1½ hours.

“He managed to break my serve and played better. That’s it,” Djokovic said. “I had my shot to win it, but wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t feel fatigue. Actually, I was very happy with the way I felt on the court. I could have gone for another few hours.”

It was the 57th meeting between Nadal and Djokovic, which is the most matches between two men in the Open era. It was their ninth meeting in Rome, where they have played more than anywhere else.

Djokovic now holds a slim edge in the all-time series 29-28, while Nadal holds a 6-3 advantage in Rome overall and 4-2 in Rome finals.

Charles Oliveira Defeats Michael Chandler via TKO to Become UFC Champion

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Charles Oliveira is finally a UFC champion.

The 31-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist finished Michael Chandler via TKO at 19 seconds of the second round on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 262 at Toyota Center. With the victory, Oliveira captured the vacant UFC lightweight title.

Charles Oliveira

“I told you I was going to knock him out, and I came and knocked him out,” Oliveira said in his postfight interview through an interpreter. “I proved to everybody I’m the lion of lions.”

In the opening seconds of the second round, Oliveira dropped Chandler with a left hook and then poured it on with strikes on the ground. Chandler tried his best to get away, but he could not. Oliveira landed until referee Dan Miragliotta pulled him off, ruling it a TKO.

Oliveira quickly climbed out of the cage to celebrate after the finish and came right up to UFC president Dana White.

At the postfight news conference, White said Oliveira told him, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Tonight was the biggest opportunity for my life.”

“That was an incredible main event,” White said. “Both guys had an unbelievable performance in that fight. Oliveira pulled it out.”

Brandon Figueroa Knocks Out Luis Nery to Capture WBC Title

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Brandon Figueroa is officially a WBC titleholder…

In a career-best effort, the 24-year-old Latino boxer knocked out Luis Nery in the 7th round to become a legitimate titleholder in the 122-pound division.

Brandon Figueroa

Their two-belt title fight ended with Figueroa putting Nery down for the count in their Showtime main event on Saturday evening at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

A right uppercut followed by a left to the body forced Nery to the canvas via delayed reaction knockdown, with referee Thomas Taylor counting him out at 2:18 of round seven.

“It feels amazing,” Figueroa stated after claiming Nery’s WBC 122-pound title while defending his secondary WBA belt. “It’s a dream come true that I’ve had since I was seven years old. Now I’m here living it.”

The pair of unbeaten junior featherweights did their best to live up to lofty pre-fight public expectations of a slugfest. As much was expected by Nery and Figueroa from the moment they posted wins in separate bouts on the September 26 Showtime Pay-Per-View event in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Tijuana’s Nery became a two-division titlist that night, outpointing countryman Aaron Alameda to win the WBC junior featherweight strap. Figueroa tore through Damien Vazquez in a 10th round stoppage to defend his secondary WBA title to pave the way for a showdown with Nery.

Figueroa—born and raised in Weslaco, Texas—improves to 22-0-1 (17KOs). The unbeaten titlist landed 177-of-648 total punches (27%), including 173-of-533 power punches (32%). None were bigger than the left hand that put Nery down and done for the night.

“I know everybody doubted me, but it’s all hard work,” Figueroa noted. “We did our homework. We took our time and just took it to him. Joel (Diaz, Figueroa’s trainer) kept telling me to pressure him, that he wasn’t going to last. I did just that.”

Figueroa was ahead 58-56 on the scorecard of Zachary Young at the time of the stoppage, while Dr. Lou Moret had it 59-55 in favor of Nery. Edward Hernandez Sr. saw the action even at 57-57, with Figueroa ultimately taking it out of the judges’ hands.

The win comes two weeks after older brother Omar Figueroa suffered a knockout loss to Abel Ramos in this very venue. The younger Figueroa also came through for his family in August 2019, scoring a 4th round knockout of Javier Chacon at home which came one month after Omar suffered his first career defeat.

This arena holds a special place in Figueroa’s heart, having won the WBA interim junior featherweight title in an 8th round knockout of Yonfrez Parejo in April 2019. He was eventually upgraded to “World” champion though still secondary to WBA “Super titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev (9-0. 7KOs).

Figueroa now holds the WBC belt and has a chance to add the WBO strap when he faces defending champ Stephen Fulton (19-0, 8KOs) on September 11. Fulton will be the favorite heading into the bout, though Figueroa is already used to that as the majority of industry insiders pegged Nery to prevail.

Rafael Nadal Defeats Reilly Opelka to Reach Italian Open Men’s Final

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Rafael Nadal is hoping to extend his record…

The 34-year-old Spanish tennis star, who has won the Italian Open a record nine times, will seek his tenth title on Sunday.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal ended the surprise clay-court run of big-serving American Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-4 in their semifinal match on Saturday.

“I played the match that I had to play,” Nadal said. “I had two breaks [in] two sets. That’s a positive thing for me. [Being] in the final again here means a lot.”

A day earlier, Nadal snapped a three game losing streak against Alexander Zverev in straight sets.

“In terms of preparation for Roland Garros, I consider the job done,” Nadal said. “Tomorrow is not at all preparation. … [It’s] a final, an important one, and I want to be competitive.”

Nadal will play World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the men’s final. Nadal and the Serbian player have met an Open-era record 56 times, with Djokovic leading the series 29-27. Their previous meeting came in last year’s French Open final, where Nadal won in straight sets. It will be the sixth time they meet in the Rome final, with Nadal holding a 3-2 edge.

“Definitely my biggest rival of all time,” Djokovic said. “Even after all we have been through in our careers, there is still this excitement when we have to face each other. That’s going to be the case as long as we play each other on this level.”

Djokovic has five titles at the Foro Italico to Nadal’s nine.

Albert Pujols Reportedly Heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers

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Albert Pujols will be heading back to the field sooner than expected…

The 41-year-old Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter, a future MLB Hall of Famer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly agreed on a major league contract, according to ESPN.

Albert Pujols

The deal, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, isn’t expected to become official until Monday, a source said.

When it does, the Dodgers will pay Pujols only the prorated portion of the major league minimum salary for the rest of the season, roughly $420,000, a sum that will be subtracted from the $30 million salary that is being paid to him by the Los Angeles Angels.

Pujols, in the last year of his 10-year, $240 million contract, was designated for assignment by the Angels on May 6 and was officially released after clearing waivers on Thursday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declined to comment on Pujols prior to Saturday’s game because the deal hasn’t been officially announced.

With the defending World Series champion Dodgers, Pujols is expected to be mostly used as a late-game pinch hitter. But he could also get some playing time at first base with everyday first baseman Max Muncy capable of playing second and third base.

Only 41 of Pujols’ 12,486 career regular-season plate appearances have come as a pinch hitter, but the Dodgers expect him to help a young, inexperienced bench.

His right-handed bat might also help a team that entered Saturday with a .663 OPS against left-handed pitchers, 136 points fewer than its OPS against righties. Pujols is batting only .198/.250/.372 in 92 plate appearances this season and has been a below-average hitter by park-adjusted OPS since 2017. But he owns an .878 OPS against lefties in 2021, and his .513 expected slugging percentage suggests he has also been running into some bad luck.

In 18 plate appearances under what Baseball-Reference identifies as late-and-close situations, Pujols owns a .313/.389/.500 slash line.

Pujols, who hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing beyond 2021, ranks fifth in career homers (667), second in RBIs since they became an official stat in 1920 (2,112) and 14th in hits (3,253). He has won three National League MVP awards, two Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers and has been invited to 10 All-Star Games.

His first decade with the St. Louis Cardinals — consisting of a .331/.426/.624 slash line, 408 home runs and 1,230 RBIs — stands as arguably the greatest 10-year run in baseball history. In Year 11, he finished fifth in NL MVP voting and won his second World Series ring.

He becomes the fourth former MVP on the current Dodgers roster, joining Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, the Dodgers are the fourth team in MLB history to feature four former MVP winners, joining the 1978 Reds, 1982 Angels and most recently the 1996 Red Sox.

Rafael Nadal Snaps Losing Streak Against Alexander Zverev to Advance to Italian Open Semifinals

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Rafael Nadal’s skid is over…

The 34-year-old Spanish tennis star ended a run of three straight losses to Alexander Zverev with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win to reach the Italian Open semifinals on Friday.

Rafael Nadal

Zverev beat Nadal in straight sets at the same stage in Madrid a week ago and their latest meeting was also one-sided.

Nadal raced to 4-0 in the first set and saved all eight break points he faced in the second.

“I played more solid than Madrid. Conditions are different,” Nadal said, alluding to the fact that the high-altitude of the Spanish capital allowed Zverev to dominate more with his serve. “Here are little bit more normal conditions. I was able to control a little bit more.”

Nadal, aiming for a record-extending 10th Rome title, will next face big-serving American Reilly Opelka, who reached his first Masters semifinals by edging Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis 7-5, 7-6 (2).

David Luiz Reportedly Leaving Arsenal at End of the Season

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David Luiz is looking to switch sides…

The 34-year-olf Brazilian professional footballer will leave Arsenal when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to ESPN.

David Luiz

Luiz attended a meeting with senior figures at the club on Friday, which concluded without an extension to his existing agreement.

Sources say the Gunners have made clear their respect for Luiz’s contribution but are seeking to strengthen the centerback area with younger alternatives.

It’s unclear whether Luiz was offered any terms to stay but regardless the Brazil international is now focused on finding a new club, sources said.

He has claimed on several occasions that he wants to finish his career back at Benfica, adding in April last year: “In football everything changes — what is true today, tomorrow is a lie — but my feeling is not.

“I love Benfica. My dream is to step on the pitch of Estadio da Light in their colours. Benfica is bigger than any player.”

Luiz joined the Gunners from London rivals Chelsea in 2019 for £8 million. He has made 73 appearances for the club to date — including helping them win last season’s FA Cup Final against his former club — and has been viewed by manager Mikel Arteta as an influential leadership figure in the dressing room.

He’s suffering with a hamstring problem but will hope for one final appearance in Arsenal’s remaining two Premier League matches, against Crystal Palace and Brighton next week.

Major League Soccer’s Highest-Paid Player: LAFC’s Carlos Vela

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Carlos Vela has the biggest wallet in Major League Soccer…

The 32-year-old Mexican professional footballer, who captains MLS club Los Angeles FC (LAFC), is the league’s highest-paid player with a base guaranteed compensation of $6.3 million, according to salary data published by the MLS Players Association.

Carlos Vela 

Vela edged out Mexican compatriot and cross-town rival Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez of the LA Galaxy for the top spot. While Hernandez had a base salary of $6m compared to Vela’s $4.5m, the LAFC striker won out based on greater guaranteed bonuses, marketing bonuses and agent’s fees which are included in the calculations and annualized over the terms of a player’s contract, including option years.

Inter Miami CF‘s Gonzalo Higuain ($5.79m), Toronto FC‘s Alejandro Pozuelo ($4.69m), Atlanta United FC‘s Josef Martinez ($3.89m) and Toronto’s Jozy Altidore ($3.6m) rounded out the top six earners.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the salary report was the first to take place since September of 2019, with the data current as of the April 15 roster compliance date. The report is also the first since the two sides agreed on a series of Collective Bargaining Agreements with the latest revision taking place in February of this year.

The MLSPA stated that the average base salary for senior roster non-Designated Players has doubled over the last five years, and is currently $398,725. This figure doesn’t include players making the senior minimum ($81,375) or reserve minimum ($63,547) salaries.

The average guaranteed base compensation for the entire player pool is $423,232 up 2.72% from the September 2019 mark of $411,996. The median guaranteed base salary is $210,000. In a sign that the salaries of players at the bottom of the wage scale are improving, the league’s median guaranteed base compensation was $210,000, up 17% from the September 2019 mark of $179,498.

In terms of team payroll based on guaranteed base compensation, Inter Miami‘s is the highest at $17.8m followed by Toronto at $17m. The LA Galaxy ($16.8m), Atlanta United ($16.1m) and FC Cincinnati ($15.5m) completed the top five. The Vancouver Whitecaps had the lowest payroll at $8.7m followed by Austin FC ($9.1m), the Philadelphia Union ($9.3m), Houston Dynamo FC ($9.5m) and the Colorado Rapids ($10.1m).