Saul “Canelo” Álvarez to Be Subject of Special Documentary by Unanimous Media

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Saul “Canelo” Álvarez’s life story will be getting the documentary treatment.

The 33-year-old Mexican professional boxer and global star with four division world championships, will be the focus on a special documentary by Unanimous Media.

Born on July 18, 1990, in Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico, Álvarez has captivated fans worldwide by representing his Mexican values and heritage with his amazing exploits in the ring.

The documentary will take an inside look at four division world champion and undisputed super middleweight champion of the world, icon of boxing, Saul “Canelo” Álvarez and his career-defining rivalry with fighter Triple G.

Alvarez will next fight against Jaime Munguia on Saturday, May 4 in Las Vegas

Stephen Curry & Erick Peyton will produce, while Karla Peraza De Diaz, Brian Testuro Ivie will serve as executive producers.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to tell the story of Canelo Álvarez, someone we have immense admiration and respect for,” said Erick Peyton & Stephen Curry of Unanimous Media. “We look forward to pulling back the curtains for audiences on Canelo’s legendary career, experiencing the moments and accomplishments that have cemented him as one of the greatest boxers of all time.”

Founded by four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry and multi-creative Erick Peyton in 2018, Unanimous Media is a multimedia company collaborating with underrepresented filmmakers, creators and writers across the entertainment industry. Unanimous Media aims to champion diverse voices and bringing a lens to narratives that need to be heard.

Pablo Sandoval Agrees to Contract with Staten Island FerryHawks

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Sandoval is headed to Staten Island…

The 37-year-old Venezuelan-American professional baseball player and former World Series MVP has agreed to a contract with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the independent Atlantic League.

The announcement comes nine days after he was released from a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants.

Sandoval, 37, hit .250 with two RBIs in 28 spring training at-bats for the Giants, the team he helped to World Series titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14.

A fan favorite nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, the two-time MLB All-Star was last in the major leagues in 2021 when he hit .178 with a .302 on-base percentage, four homers and 11 RBIs in 69 games with the Atlanta Braves.

Sandoval has a .278 batting average, .330 on-base percentage, .443 slugging percentage, 153 homers and 639 RBIs in 1,380 career games while primarily playing third base.

The veteran has also batted .338 with a .921 OPS in 42 postseason games, including a .426 average and 1.162 OPS in 12 World Series contests.

Adolis García Agrees to Two-Year Contract with Texas Rangers to Avoid Salary Arbitration

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Adolis García is staying put…

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball outfielder has agreed to a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers, the team announced this week.

The deal, according to multiple reports, is worth $14 million and avoids a salary arbitration hearing for the American League Championship Series MVP and the World Series champions. The deal through 2025 is pending a physical.

García was the only Rangers player eligible for salary arbitration who didn’t reach a deal before last month’s deadline. An arbitration hearing had been scheduled for Thursday before the agreement was reached.

The two-time MLB All-Star (2021, 2023) slugger, who set an MLB postseason record with 22 RBIs last fall, had requested $6.9 million and Texas offered $5 million. That was the widest gap among the 23 players around the league who exchanged salary proposals with their teams.

García had indicated through an interpreter before the team’s annual awards dinner two weeks ago that he was prepared for a hearing. General manager Chris Young had said then that there had been good dialogue with García and his representatives and described being encouraged by those.

Garcia, who turns 31 next month, made $747,760 last season when he set career highs with 39 home runs and 107 RBIs. He had 27 home runs and 101 RBI in the 2022 season. He was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time and isn’t set to become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2026 season.

An emotional leader with a big bat for the Rangers, García hit .357 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in the ALCS against the Houston Astros. He went deep in five consecutive postseason games, including his 11th-inning winner in Game 1 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But he missed the last two World Series games with an oblique issue.

García had said before the Rangers’ annual awards banquet on January 26 that he felt good. He said he took about a month off after the season before resuming his workouts.

The Rangers haven’t been to a salary arbitration hearing since 2000 with designated hitter Lee Stevens.

Amanda Serrano to Fight Nina Meinke in Puerto Rico This March

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Amanda Serrano is ready to battle in her homeland…

The 35-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, the boxing unified women’s featherweight champion, will headline a fight in Puerto Rico early next year — with Jake Paul in the co-main event, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) has announced.

Serrano will defend her belts against Germany’s Nina Meinke on March 2 in San Juan. Paul will compete against an opponent yet to be named in the co-headliner. And 17-year-old Javon “Wanna” Walton, an up-and-coming Hollywood star who has a role in the hit show Euphoria, will make his professional boxing debut on the card.

Serrano vs. Meinke is contracted for 12 three-minute rounds. It will be Serrano’s second straight bout competing over three-minute rounds, which is the men’s standard in boxing and is not regularly used for women. Serrano relinquished her WBC women’s featherweight title earlier this month because the sanctioning body would not let her defend the belt in bouts with three-minute rounds.

Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) has won four straight since falling in a close loss to Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in April 2022. “The Real Deal” successfully defended her titles against Danila Ramos on October 27. Serrano will be fighting in Puerto Rico for the first time since becoming undisputed champ.

Meinke (18-3, 4 KOs) has won six straight and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Laura Ledezma in October. She has never competed outside of Europe.

Paul (8-1, 5 KOs), a 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-prizefighter, just fought December 15, beating Andre August with a huge uppercut knockout in the first round. The fight in Puerto Rico will represent another lower-profile bout as he gains experience and seasoning en route to what he and his team hopes is a future shot at a boxing world championship.

Also on the card, WBO junior flyweight champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez will make his third title defense and 21-year-old Serrano protégé Krystal Rosado will compete in her third pro fight. Both also hail from Puerto Rico.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Wins National League’s Most Valuable Player Award in Unanimous Fashion

Posted on November 16, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ronald Acuna Jr. is the unanimous choice…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball player, an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, has been named the Most Valuable Player of Major League Baseball’s National League, in unanimous fashion no less.

In the American League, Shohei Ohtani was the unanimous choice for MVP.

Acuna and Ohtani’s unanimous wins are historic, since it’s an unprecedented occurrence in the 92-year history of the award.

Acuna beat out Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who came in second on all 30 ballots.

A force at the leadoff spot for a fearsome Braves lineup, Acuna combined 41 home runs with an NL-leading 73 stolen bases, easily becoming the first ever member of the 40-70 club.

He also led the NL in on-base percentage (.416), OPS (1.012), hits (217) and runs scored (149). His .337 batting average trailed only Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez (.354) for the major league lead.

Acuna did not attend his scheduled conference call with BBWAA members because he debuted for the Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan winter league shortly after claiming the award. The game was pushed back an hour to accommodate the announcement.

Acuna won the NL Rookie of the Year Award during his age-20 season in 2018 — Ohtani won the AL version that year — and finished fifth in NL MVP voting during his age-21 season in 2019, clearly establishing himself as one of the most dynamic forces in the sport. But he suffered a torn ACL in the middle of the 2021 season, forcing him to merely watch from the dugout while his Braves teammates won a championship later that fall. The following year, he was admittedly not himself. The explosiveness that helped elevate him to stardom was lacking. His timing in the batter’s box was off.

Acuna spent the ensuing offseason working diligently on his conditioning and trained with Fernando Tatis Sr., father of his good friend Fernando Tatis Jr., on slightly lowering his hands to lessen some of the moving parts in his swing and get his bat through the zone more quickly. Through six months of baseball’s regular season, Acuna’s OPS never fell below .900.

Acuna’s stolen-base total was aided by new rules that introduced a pitch clock, increased the size of bases and limited the number of pitcher disengagements, but he hit 13 more home runs than the next-closest player ever to 70 stolen bases and stole 27 more bases than the next-closest player ever to 40 home runs.

“I don’t know what to say — just super excited, happy,” Acuna, surrounded by family and friends in his native Venezuela, told MLB Network in Spanish. “Hopefully, by the grace of God, I can have an even better year next year than the one I just had.”

Ronald Acuna Jr. Named a National League MVP Finalist

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ronald Acuna Jr. has landed on the MVP finals list…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball player and Atlanta Braves outfielder is among the finalists for the National League MVP award, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced in a show televised on MLB Network.

Acuña had a record-breaking season for the Braves, becoming the first player to finish a season with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases.

The other two finalists for the award include former Braves star Freddie Freeman and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate, Mookie Betts.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is among the American League Rookie of the Year finalists include Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee.

The AL Cy Young Award will come down to three right-handers vying for their first plaque: the New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman and Minnesota Twins’ Sonny Gray, who officially hit free agency at 5:00 pm ET on Monday.

In the NL, left-hander Blake Snell — also a free agent — is the favorite to win his second Cy Young, while San Francisco’s Logan Webb and Zac Gallen of NL champion Arizona are seeking their first.

Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll is the distinct favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year and is a finalist alongside New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga and Dodgers outfielder James Outman.

The final BBWAA award, Manager of the Year, is headlined in the NL by Craig Counsell, who was hired away Monday from Milwaukee by the Chicago Cubs. He’s opposed by Atlanta’s Brian Snitker and the favorite, Miami manager Skip Schumaker, who led the Marlins to the postseason despite a -57 run differential.

The AL slate is led by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy — who last won the award in 1996 — along with two-time winner Kevin Cash of Tampa Bay and Baltimore’s Brandon Hyde, who led the Orioles to a 101-win season and the AL East title.

Rookie of the Year results will be announced next week, with Manager of the Year on November 14, Cy Young on November 15 and MVP on November 16.

Juan González Honored with Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Jacket in Pregame Ceremony

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Juan González has entered a special Hall…

The 53-year-old Puerto Rican former baseball player, a two-time American League MVP received his Texas Rangers Hall of Fame jacket in a pregame ceremony on Friday night, eight years after his induction and 20 years after his last game for the team.

One of baseball’s best sluggers in the 1990s, González is still the Rangers’ career leader with 372 home runs, 1,180 RBIs and 713 extra-base hits. He played for the Rangers from 1989 to 1999, during a stretch when they won their first three AL West titles, and the outfielder-designated hitter returned to the club from 2002 to 2003.

González threw a ceremonial first pitch in what was believed to be his first public appearance at a Rangers game since 2004, when he was playing for the Kansas City Royals.

During his first MVP season in 1996, when the Rangers won their first division title, González hit .314 with 47 home runs and 144 RBIs. He was the MVP again in 1998, when he batted .318 with 45 home runs and 157 RBIs in the club’s second playoff season.

Overall, Gonzalez hit .295 with 457 home runs and 1,273 RBIs in 1,689 career games that spanned from his debut at age 19 with the Rangers over the final month of the 1989 season to one game for Cleveland in 2005. He played for Detroit in 2000 after being traded in a nine-player deal then went to Cleveland in free agency in 2001, when he had 140 RBIs in 140 games before re-signing with Texas.

He is now a coach for the national team back home and was an assistant hitting coach for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

Diego Valeri Signs One-Day Contract with Portland Timbers to Retire as a Franchise Member

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Valeri is making his way into the ring…

The 37-year-old Argentine former professional footballer has signed a one-day contract with the Portland Timbers to retire as a member of the franchise.

Valeri, who spent nine seasons in Portland (2013-21), will be honored during pregame and halftime ceremonies of Saturday’s match against Columbus Crew.

Valeri will be inducted into the Timbers Ring of Honor, joining Clive Charles, John Bain, Jimmy Conway, Mick Hoban and Timber Jim.

“When I first came to Portland, the most important thing to me was to honor the club’s history and bring the highest prestige to the Timbers,” Valeri said. “Today, returning to retire a Portland Timber, I feel fulfilled about my journey and adventure with the club and am so thankful for the love the city gave to me.”

Valeri is the Timbers’ all-time leader in regular-season goals scored (86), assists (91) and points (263). He was named the MLS Newcomer of the Year in 2013, MLS Cup MVP in 2015 and Landon Donovan MLS MVP in 2017.

“It is only fitting that Diego Valeri will officially retire a Portland Timber,” owner Merritt Paulson said.

“He gave so much to our club and we can never give back what he has given us. It will be amazing for fans to have the opportunity to recognize Diego publicly Saturday when we induct him into the Ring of Honor.”

https://twitter.com/TimbersFC/status/1679907203258650625

Rodri Named Player of the Match After Leading Manchester City to Champions League Title

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rodri is ending his Champions League run with a bang…

The 26-year-old Spanish soccer player and Manchester City midfielder has been named the official Player of the Match after his historic goal won Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.

Rodri’s name was read out over the speaker system at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium following Manchester City’s 1-0 win over the Italian side.

He also received the highest rating on WhoScored.com – a site that uses a wide range of statistics to rank players.

In addition to his goal, Rodri made three interceptions – more than any other player on the pitch – and was on target with 92.4% of his 66 passes.

Rodri made more key passes, two, than any of his teammates on Saturday.

But he was not the only player who could have been chosen as the MVP.

Angel Rebollar Among Up-and-Coming Fighters on Jake Paul’s New Boxing Series “Most Valuable Propsects”

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Angel Rebollar is officially an MVP…

Jake Paul and his promotions team are launching a new boxing series called Most Valuable Prospects that will highlight top up-and-coming fighters, including the 19-year-old Mexican American boxer and former U.S. national amateur champion.

The series will begin with a card on May 26 in Orlando, Florida, and it will be headlined by Rebollar and rising star Ashton Sylve in an eight-round lightweight fight , officials tell ESPN.

Rebollar is 6-2, with three KOs.

Sylve, ESPN Ringside‘s 2022 prospect of the year who signed with MVP, is 8-0 with eight knockouts.

In all, there will be four cards this year, promoted by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and BoxLab Promotions and distributed by DAZN.

Paul and all-time great women’s boxer Amanda Serrano, another MVP-signed fighter, will be in attendance at the event.

“Having joined the boxing community in my 20s, I came to realize most professional athletes start training in the ring from the time they can walk,” Paul said in a statement. “It’s incredibly important to me and my team that we offer a platform and the tools necessary to help these young boxers achieve the success they’ve been working towards since they were kids.

“I was lucky enough to have a solid foundation when I entered boxing because of the people supporting me, and our goal with Most Valuable Prospects is to give others the same chance, on a global stage.”

The start of Most Valuable Prospects underscores the fact that Paul is further entrenching himself in boxing and combat sports.

“We have a wide array of athletes within the MVP family and our unique ability to market and promote them as individuals proves how different our company truly is,” MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a statement. “We have the ability to nurture boxing careers no matter what stage they are in, and our goal with this series is to identify and elevate the next generation of boxing icons.

“We want to help build the future of the sport and believe there is immeasurable potential out there.”

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