Erislandy Lara to Defend Middleweight Title vs. Danny Garcia in August

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Erislandy Lara is preparing to defend his title…

The 40-year-old Cuban professional boxer will defend his middleweight title versus Danny Garcia on August 5, according to the WBA.

The Showtime main event is expected to take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, sources said, at a 155-pound catchweight.

PBC has been planning a fight between Lara and Garcia for months, but Michael Zerafa stood in the way. The 31-year-old Australian was the mandatory challenger to Lara’s title, but he agreed to step aside after he was offered an undercard slot, Zerafa’s manager, Elvis Grant, told ESPN.

“PBC were more than fair in reasonably working this out with Team Zerafa,” Grant said.

Zerafa (30-4, 19 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 10 middleweight.

The WBA stipulated that the winner must face Zerafa by December or face being stripped.

Lara, 40, was elevated as champion after Gennadiy Golovkin relinquished his title. A former 154-pound champion, Lara’s impressive résumé includes a controversial decision loss to Paul Williams, a split decision defeat to Canelo Alvarez and a victory over Austin Trout.

The Cuban’s split decision defeat to Jarrett Hurd in a 154-pound title unification was ESPN‘s 2018 Fight of the Year. Lara’s draw with Brian Castano the following year was one of the best fights of 2019.

Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) has competed four times since the Castano bout, all of them against domestic-level competition. Three of those four wins came inside the distance.

Garcia (37-3, 21 KOs) is a former unified 140-pound champion and 147-pound titleholder. He rose to prominence with an upset fourth-round TKO victory over Amir Khan in 2012 and followed up with an impressive victory over Lucas Matthysse the following year.

His lengthy résumé includes wins over Erik Morales, Zab Judah and Lamont Peterson, along with tight decision defeats to Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter. The 35-year-old Philadelphian made his 154-pound debut in July with a majority decision win over Jose Benavidez Jr.

That was Garcia’s first fight since a December 2020 decision loss to Errol Spence Jr.

Danny Garcia Agrees to Fight Jose Benavidez Jr. in Junior Middleweight Bout

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Danny Garcia is preparing to chase down a title in a third weight class.

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican boxer, a former two-division champion, has agreed to fight Jose Benavidez Jr. in a junior middleweight bout on July 30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to ESPN.

The PBC on Showtime main event will mark Garcia’s debut at 154 pounds after he captured titles at 140 and 147.

The Philadelphian fighter hasn’t boxed since a December 2020 loss to Errol Spence Jr. in a welterweight title fight. The 19-month layoff is the longest of Garcia’s career.

Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs) was a unified junior welterweight champion who owns wins over Lucas Matthysse, Amir Khan, Zab Judah and Erik Morales. His other two losses came against Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman in 147-pound title fights.

Benavidez (27-1-1, 18 KOs) suffered the lone loss of his pro career in 2018, a 12th-round TKO loss to Terence Crawford in a 147-pound title fight. The 30-year-old from Phoenix has competed only once since then, a November draw with the unheralded Francisco Emanuel Torres.

The brother of former super middleweight champion David Benavidez, Jose was still dealing with the effects of a gunshot wound to his right leg suffered in August 2016 when he fought Crawford.

Bad Bunny’s El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo Tops Billboard’s Monthly Top Tours Chart

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is officially a tour de force…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican rapper/singer’s El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo repeats at No. 1 on Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart.

Bad Bunny rules in March with El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo earning $64.8 million from 337,000 tickets across 20 shows, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

That makes him the first artist to ever reign over back-to-back months. And one month after claiming the second-highest monthly gross for an arena tour ($39.8 million in February), his March figures rewrite the record entirely, blasting pass Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s $47 million run in December 2019.

Overall, it’s the second-highest monthly total since the charts launched in March 2019. Only The Rolling Stones stand in Bad Bunny’s way with their $95 million stadium sum in August 2019. Still, Bad Bunny’s March arena earnings stand above chart-topping stadiums runs by Ed Sheeran (April ’19), BTS (May ’19), Spice Girls (June ’19) and P!nk (July ’19).

The gargantuan $65 million haul is more than double the gross of his next closest competitors this month.

As previously reported, Bad Bunny’s February dates in Inglewood, Calif., and Dallas, among others, set local records for per-night gross and overall earnings.

In March, he continued to set regional high marks, including the three-night run at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. (20 miles outside of Chicago), which grossed $11.2 million and sold 51,400 tickets from March 10 to 12. More records were set in San Jose ($7.9 million on March 3-4), Phoenix ($3.2 million on March 6), and Orlando ($5.6 million on March 30-31).

While it didn’t quite reach the top, Bad Bunny’s double-header at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center earned $7.2 million immediately after his $3.8 million take the night before at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. That adds up to $11.1 million over three nights in the New York area.

These and other shows from the tour flood the Top Boxscores ranking, where Bad Bunny takes up seven spots. The Rosemont, San Jose and Brooklyn shows hit the top 10 at Nos. 2, 8 and 10, respectively.

El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo wrapped after two months on April 3 with $116.8 million. Its final triple-header in Miami will likely be the run’s last appearance on next month’s Boxscore report before yielding to Bad Bunny’s own next tour — World’s Hottest Tour. His follow-up level-up to stadiums in North and Latin America launches later this year.

In March, Bad Bunny narrowly took the No. 1 spot on Top Boxscores over a Latin American festival, keeping Mexico City’s Electric Daisy Carnival at No. 2. One month later, despite the record-setting overall haul, he is dethroned by Sao Paulo’s Lollapalooza Brasil. The three-day event grossed $23.2 million with a weekend attendance of 267,000 over March 25-27.

London’s O2 Arena is the month’s top-grossing venue with earnings of $26.8 million. It’s the first venue outside the U.S. to take the top spot on the 15,001+ capacity chart since Mexico City’s Foro Sol ruled over March 2020. Before that, you have to go back to May 2019, when the O2 itself topped the list with a slightly less massive $22 million.

Rosalia Wins Second Consecutive “Best Latin” Moon Person at the MTV Video Music Awards

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Rosalia won’t olvidar this year’s MTV Video Music Awards…

The 28-year-old Spanish Grammy-winning singer and songwriter picked up her third career Moon Person at the MTV VMAs, which took place on Sunday from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Rosalia took home the Best Latin prize for her moody collaboration with Billie Eilish, “Lo Vas a Olvidar.”

It’s her second straight win in the category, following her win last year for “Con Altura,” which also won in the Best Choreography category.

Bruno Mars, who’d previously won three Moon Persons in his career, took home the prize for Best R&B.

The 35-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer won the award for “Leave the Door Open,” his Silk Sonic single with Anderson .Paak.

Newcomer Olivia Rodrigo won three Moon Persons during the ceremony — for Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Push Performance of the Year. Justin Bieber was also a multiple winner, scoring Artist of the Year and Best Pop Video for “Peaches” along with Daniel Caesar and Giveon.

Here’s the full list of tonight’s winners:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
Columbia Records

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Justin Bieber
Def Jam

SONG OF THE YEAR

Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license”
Geffen Records

BEST NEW ARTIST

Olivia Rodrigo
Geffen Records

BEST COLLABORATION

Doja Cat ft. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Kemosabe Records / RCA Records

BEST POP

Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar, Giveon – “Peaches”
Def Jam

BEST HIP-HOP

Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A. – “Franchise”
Cactus Jack / Epic Records

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear – “my ex’s best friend”
Bad Boy / Interscope Records

BEST K-POP

BTS – “Butter”
BIGHIT MUSIC

VIDEO FOR GOOD

Billie Eilish – “Your Power”
Darkroom / Interscope Records

PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Olivia Rodrigo
May 2021: “drivers license”

BEST ROCK

John Mayer – “Last Train Home”
Columbia Records

BEST LATIN

Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA – “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
Darkroom / Interscope Records

BEST R&B

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open”
Aftermath Entertainment / Atlantic Records

BEST DIRECTION

Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
Columbia Records – Directed by: Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Harry Styles – “Treat People With Kindness”
Columbia Records – Choreography by: Paul Roberts

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid – “BROWN SKIN GIRL”
Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records – Cinematography by: Benoit Soler, Malik H. Sayeed, MOHAMMAED ATTA AHMED, Santiago Gonzalez, Ryan Helfant

BEST ART DIRECTION

Saweetie ft. Doja Cat – “Best Friend”
Warner Records – Art Direction by: Alec Contestabile

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Lil Nas X – “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
Columbia Records – Visual Effects by: Mathematic

BEST EDITING

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic – “Leave The Door Open”
Aftermath Entertainment/Atlantic Records – Editing by: Troy Charbonnet

GROUP OF THE YEAR: BTS

SONG OF THE SUMMER: BTS – “Butter” – BIGHIT MUSIC
Monsta X – “Gambler” – Starship Entertainment

Maluma to Perform on This Year’s MTV Video Music Awards

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Maluma is preparing for the big show…

The 26-year-old Colombia singer has been added to the performers list for the MTV Video Music Awards.

Maluma, nominated in the Best Latin category for his J Balvin collaboration “Que Pena,” joins a roster of additional performers that includes The Weeknd, Roddy Rich and Latin boy band CNCO, their first-ever time performing on the awards show.

It’ll be Maluma’s second time performing on the MTV VMAs. He performed “Felices los 4” on the 2018 show. It’ll be CNCO’s first performance on the show.

Maluma won a Latin Grammy for best contemporary pop vocal album in 2018 for F.A.M.E. He was nominated for a Grammy earlier this year for best Latin pop album for 11:11.

J Balvin, the most-nominated Latino this year, BTS and Doja Cat were announced as performers last week.

The August 30 show, to be hosted by Keke Palmer, will be held at various outdoor sites in New York, rather than at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as originally planned. MTV is saying the show “will pay homage to New York with outdoor performances around the city.”

This will be the second year in a row that the VMAs will have multiple Latin performances. Last year, J Balvin teamed with Bad Bunny to perform “Qué Pretendes,” and Rosalía teamed with Ozuna to perform three songs — “A Ningún Hombre,” “Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi” and “Aute Cuture.” It’s a strong suggestion that Latin music is becoming a more

Additional performers to be announced soon.

Cardi B to Perform at Power 105.1’s Powerhouse Music Celebration

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Cardi B’s got the power…

The 24-year-old half-Dominican American hip hop artist is set to perform at Power 105.1‘s annual Powerhouse music celebration, which brings some of hip-hop’s biggest names to its stage.

Cardi B, whose breakthrough hit “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” notches a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, joins an elite roster that includes French Montana, Migos and Lil Uzi Vert.

The annual music event will take over the Barclays Center for the fifth consecutive year and will take place on Oct. 26. Aside from The Weeknd, DJ Envy will deliver his own “DJ Envy and Friends” set, possibly opening his set to Fetty Wap, who appeared on the DJ’s newest single “Text Ur Number.”

Last year’s Powerhouse performers included Bryson Tiller, Young M.A, Tory Lanez and Usher, who brought out Young Thug and Lil Jon during his headlining set.

Tickets for Power 105.1’s Powerhouse 2017 will go on sale on Thursday (August 31) at 10:00 am ET.

Gilberto Santa Rosa to Serve as NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade Grand Marshall

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Gilberto Santa Rosa is set to have a grand old time at this year’s NYC Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican singer and bandleader, known as “El Caballero de la Salsa,” will serve as the grand marshall of the annual parade on June 11.

Santa Rosa is a Grammy and Latin Grammy winner, who has been active in the music industry for approximately forty years.

But Santa Rosa isn’t the only superstar participating in this year’s parade.

Iris Chacón, the 67-year-old showgirl who came to fame in the 1970s as “the Puerto Rican bombshell” has been named godmother of the parade.

Ozuna will appear as the parade’s Rising Star, salsa singer Ismael Rivera has been named a Puerto Rican Day ambassador, and Latin alternative duo BuscaBulla will also join the parade.

This year’s Puerto Rican Day Parade marks the 60th time that “la parada” fills Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue with tropical music and Puerto Rican pride. Previous grand marshalls include Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin; Calle 13’s Rene Perez was crowned king of the parade in 2014.

Olympic gold medal gymnast Laurie Hernández, actress Lana Parrilla (Once Upon a Time) and 14-time MLB All-Star Iván Rodríguez will also participate in this year’s parade.

The event will also reference recent politics: it will honor former political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, who was pardoned by President Barack Obama in January after 35 years in federal prison, as National Freedom Hero. And this year’s parade coincides with 100 years since all Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship by a law enacted by President Woodrow Wilson.

“In this monumental year, we are showcasing our collective achievement and the legacy we have built by working in solidarity,” Puerto Rican Day Parade Board Chair Board Chair Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez said at a press conference. “And we will discuss key challenges that Puerto Rico is facing to help inform and engage our community. We also honor legendary figures and the next generation of stars that are already accomplished in their own right.”

Two music festivals preceding the parade will turn June 9-11 into a full throttle Puerto Rican party weekend.

The 2017 Soulfrito festival will feature a line-up of “club bangers and Latin trap” that includes urban stars Farruko, Zion y Lennox , Bad Bunny, Cosculluela and Ivy Queen starts the party in Brooklyn on Friday, June 9, at the Barclays Center.

Willie Colon, Eddie Palmieri and Tito Nieves lead the incredible line-up of the 33rd New York Salsa Festival, which takes place Saturday, June 10, also at the Barclay Center. Jerry Rivera, Grupo Niche, Fruko y Sus Tesos, Tito Rojas and DLG are also among the artists scheduled to perform.

Serrano Defeats Yazmin Rivas to Retain WBO Junior Featherweight Title

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Amanda Serrano is tightening her belt…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer defeated Yazmin Rivas by unanimous decision to retain the WBO junior featherweight title over the weekend in the first nationally televised English-language women’s world title bout in the United States since 2007.

The judges scored the fight 97-93, 98-92, 99-91 to give Serrano the victory at Barclays Center in her hometown of Brooklyn.

The Puerto Rico-born Serrano (31-1-1, 23 KOs) landed 33 percent of her punches while Rivas (35-10-1, 10 KOs) landed just 20 percent, according to CompuBox, as the two women went the distance in the 10-round bout.

“We wanted the knockout, but I was ready for 10 rounds,” Serrano said. “People who think I’m just a brawler saw that I’m a great boxer today.”

Rivas, who took home $15,000 for the fight, still has yet to be knocked out in her professional career, while Serrano, who took home $17,500, carried a knockout percentage of 72 heading into the matchup — a rate unrivaled among the top women fighting in the junior featherweight division.

Still, Serrano went after Rivas aggressively throughout the fight, throwing 431 power punches and landing 177 (44 percent), while Rivas threw nearly 100 fewer and landed only 29 percent (97 of 332).

“She hit hard, but I hit her harder,” Serrano said. “I could hear her breathing in between rounds and I knew I had her.

“It was a great night for women’s boxing, and I hope it keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

The three judges scored all 10 rounds within a one-point margin, with their scorecards reflecting Serrano’s dominance in the middle rounds and strong performance in the final round to close it out.

“It was an excellent fight,” Rivas said. “I knew everything was against me and to win I had to knock her out. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen today.”

Serrano’s victory aired on Showtime Extreme, a subnetwork of Showtime, on the undercard of the network’s doubleheader headlined by the Badou Jack–James DeGale super middleweight world title unification bout.

The last women’s world title fight on English-language television in the U.S. was Mary Jo Sanders‘ defeat of Valerie Mahfood by unanimous decision to retain her International Boxing Association female middleweight title on March 30, 2007, on ESPN2.

A week before that fight, Fox Sports Net televised Holly Holm defeating Ann Saccurato to win the IBA female world welterweight title, the WBC female world welterweight title, the WBA world female welterweight title and the International Female Boxers Association world welterweight title.

Serrano-Rivas also was the first women’s fight on a Showtime network (non-pay-per-view) since 2000.

Baez Among the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Joan Baez is celebrating a special feat…

The 75-year-old Mexican American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and activist will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Baez, a first-time nominee, will be joined by Pearl Jam, Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, Tupac Shakur and Yes as the shrine’s 2017 inductees.

Baez, whose contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest or social justice, began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status and stayed on the Billboard and other record album charts for two years.

Her songs of acclaim include “Diamonds & Rust” and covers of Phil Ochs‘ “There but for Fortune” and The Band‘s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“. She is also known for “Farewell, Angelina“, “Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word“, “Forever Young“,”Joe Hill“, “Sweet Sir Galahad” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Baez, who performed three songs at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, has displayed a lifelong commitment to political and social activism in the fields of nonviolence, civil rights, human rights and the environment.

“I never considered myself to be a rock and roll artist,” said Baez, who received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011, in a statement. “But as part of the folk music boom which contributed to and influenced the rock revolution of the 60’s, I am proud that some of the songs I sang made their way into the rock lexicon. I very much appreciate this honor and acknowledgement by the Hall of Fame.”

The 32nd annual Rock Hall induction ceremony will take place on April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. SiriusXM will broadcast the ceremony live and it will again be filmed for a later telecast on HBO.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in Cleveland will open a special exhibit on March 30 to honor the 2017 inductees.

Marc Anthony & Carlos Vives Announce Their Joint “UNIDO2” Tour

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Anthony and Carlos Vives are joining forces…

After joining voices on their hit single “Cuando Nos Volvamos a Encontrar,” the 46-year-old Puerto Rican salsa singer and the 53-year-old Colombian singer have announced plans to tour together in an outing they’ve dubbed UNIDO2, a play on words meaning “United” part 2.

The tour will be presented by Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), which has long produced and booked Marc Anthony’s performances worldwide.

Anthony and Vives, two of Latin music’s biggest stars, will perform in 11 U.S. markets. The tour will also include additional solo performances by Marc Anthony in seven other markets.

UNIDO2 kicks off with two shows at Puerto Rico’s Coliseum on Sept. 11 and 12, followed by dates in Las Vegas, Canada and Chicago, among other cities.

The pair will play two nights at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater and two nights at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

Anthony and Vives have both been touring as solo acts in the past year.

Anthony even came in as the highest-grossing Latin touring act of 2014, according to Boxscore, bringing in $26.8 million ticket sales for 32 reported shows in North America. A total of 20 of those came from U.S. venues and 12 from Mexico.

Tickets for the tour go on sale April 10 at 1:00 pm ET, with the exception of the Barclays Center concert in New York, which goes on sale April 17. Puerto Rico sale dates will be announced separately.

TOUR DATES AND VENUES FOR “UNIDO2”2015

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11^TH – PUERTO RICO, COLISEO JOSE MIGUEL AGRELOT – MARC ANTHONY ONLY www.ticketpop.com

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12^TH – PUERTO RICO, COLISEO JOSE MIGUEL AGRELOT – MARC ANTHONY ONLY www.ticketpop.com

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14^TH LAS VEGAS, NV – MANDALY BAY ARENA – MARC ANTHONY ONLY www.ticketmaster.com

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23^RD – TORONTO, CANADA-MOLSON AMPHITHEATER – MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25^TH CHICAGO, IL – ALL STATE ARENA – MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27^TH -ATLANTA, GA – PHILLIPS ARENA – MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1^ST ORLANDO, FL-AMWAY CENTER-MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2^ND – MIAMI, FL – AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA – MARC ANTHONY ONLY www.ticketmaster.com

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3^RD MIAMI, FL – AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA – MARC ANTHONY ONLY www.ticketmaster.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8^TH -NEW YORK, NY – BARCLAYS CENTER – MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9^TH – BOSTON, MA-TD ARENA-MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11^TH – WASHINGTON DC- PATRIOT CENTER-MARC ANTHONY ONLY www.ticketmaster.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15^TH – DALLAS, TX – AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER – MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16^TH – HOUSTON, TX – TOYOTA CENTER – MARC AND VIVES www.houstontoyotacenter.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18^TH – MCALLEN, TX-STATE FARM ARENA – MARC ANTHONY ONLY www.ticketmaster.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22^ND – LOS ANGELES, CA – NOKIA THEATER – MARC AND VIVES www.axs.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23^RD – LOS ANGELES, CA – NOKIA THEATER – MARC AND VIVES www.axs.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25^TH – SAN JOSE, CA – SAP CENTER – MARC AND VIVES www.ticketmaster.com

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