Canelo lived the Arabian Night of anti-boxing

▲ Canelo 's opponent, Cuban William Scull, forgot that he should not only avoid impacts, but engage in combat. AP Photo

Juan Manuel Vázquez

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 5, 2025, p. 9

Saúl Canelo Álvarez unified boxing fans on his first Arabian Night. The majority of the audience expressed disappointment over the lamentable performance of a figure—he is undoubtedly one—who has gained unprecedented notoriety in Mexican sports.

Saturday's performance in Riyadh, one of the four signed with the kingdom's authority, was a fiasco for almost everyone, including the Guadalajara fighter. The fight against Cuban William Scull in Saudi Arabia simply didn't exist, as if it were a fictional creation conjured up by the nocturnal urgency of Sherazade in The Arabian Nights .

The cold facts describe it with dispassionate precision: the Compubox website, which records punches at boxing matches, displays them as representatives of something that could be called anti-boxing, with the lamentable record of being the fight with the fewest punches since statistics began: 445. The Mexican threw the fewest, with only 152, while the Cuban landed 293. These numbers do nothing to improve the image of the man considered the face of boxing. A match lacking in spectacle for a debut in Saudi Arabia, a country that squanders millions of dollars from its oil reserves to invest in elite sports with the aim of changing its image worldwide, which has been widely criticized for human rights violations.

"It was a disastrous night, not only for Canelo , but for boxing," said Erik Terrible Morales, one of the most respected Mexicans for his fierce battles, considered among the best in the history of the sport. In his statement, the Tijuana native spoke with respect for a colleague, but considered that boxing demands even more loyalty than that shown to a fellow professional.

"Everyone blames the Cuban, but they already knew what he was like; it's not like he scammed them. In any case, the blame lies with whoever chose the rival, because they don't do it blindly; they study the situation and know who they're hiring ," added the Terrible .

During the fight, Canelo expressed the frustration growing inside him with gestures and movements, which surfaced with desperation. Scull bounced around on his toes, with the skill of an acrobat, but not with the conviction of a boxer. He said that in this sport, one of the principles is to avoid being hit, although he forgot that it also requires its complement: hurting the opponent.

The now undisputed super middleweight world champion, Canelo Álvarez, holds all the belts in the division, but social media was abuzz with criticism for winning the IBF title he was missing without throwing any punches.

"I apologize ," Álvarez responded, visibly frustrated at not being able to fight the escape artist, Scull. "I wanted to give it my all, but it takes two to put up a good fight ."

That dance metaphor did not go unnoticed by Terrible Morales, and his words flow from the former boxer who will be remembered for the heat of his battles.

"It's true that it takes two to dance. But if the person in front of you is a breakdancer and you're the king of cumbia, you have to find a happy medium to show that you know how to dance," Morales said.

"If you're in the ring and the star of the night, you're obligated to put on a good show for the audience that comes to see you; you have to prove why you're being paid so much money," he added with some impatience.

Morales is a critical observer of the profession to which he dedicated his life. While he noted that every fighter has his downturns, he couldn't ignore the fact that it's already known that Canelo suffers greatly when his opponent is skilled at moving around the ring. This is what happened with Floyd Mayweather, Dmitry Bivol, and now with William Scull.

It seems he can only shine when his opponent is standing still. So I don't understand why they chose an opponent who can move so much , wondered the Terrible .

“Everyone knows that Canelo isn't a proactive fighter, one who goes out of his way to get a fight, like Julio César Chávez did, or like I used to do. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but we have to find the tools to solve the puzzle we face, and Canelo didn't know how, perhaps because he doesn't have those resources, and he was left exposed,” Morales concluded.

El Terrib is fascinated by metaphors and believes that a good boxer is similar to an artist. And in a sense, he is, he explained, since he must deploy his technical mastery and touch something profound in his audience. And like a good performer, if the audience is apathetic or lacks connection, then he must find a way to communicate what he wants and make his performance a worthy act.

“And Canelo didn’t have that or doesn’t have that,” he said.

At the end of the night, Turki Al Sheikh, an advisor to the Saudi royal court and responsible for the multimillion-dollar investment to bring elite sport to the kingdom as a geopolitical tool, presented Canelo with a gold belt for the victory. The crowd at The Venue Riyadh Season in Riyadh booed the Mexican.

Al Sheikh didn't seem happy with what he'd seen, Morales sensed. He seemed more excited to announce Canelo 's upcoming fight against Terence Crawford, considered by many to be the best boxer at the moment, although two weight classes below the one the Guadalajara native defends.

I noticed Al Sheikh was angry, as if disappointed, because, if there is so much high-level boxing in the world, with the fight he saw, it's as if he was being given atole with a finger , Morales commented.

At the end of this Arab fantasy, Canelo won the title in the division he was missing, and he did it almost without a fight. Now, up to $100 million will be paid into his account for this fight, while Scull will pocket between $1 and $5 million. The promised boxing event? That never happened, as if it were a fable told by Sherazade.

▲ Mexican batter Jonathan Aranda drove in three runs in Tampa Bay's game against New York. AP Photo

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 5, 2025, p. a10

In baseball, one inning can define everything, and that's where its magic, glory, or tragedy lies. Diablos Rojos were looking to extend their winning streak, but Oaxaca also goes by the name Guerreros.

In the ninth inning, with the score at 7-7, the Verde Antequera team unleashed runs, scoring six times and leaving the scarlet team breathless with a 13-7 victory at the Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium. This not only broke the winning streak of the Pingos, who now have a 13-2 record this season, but also saved their honor in the third game of the series.

Diablos Rojos invites loyal fans and newcomers to enjoy afternoons and evenings of baseball at the Magdalena Mixhuca stadium, home of the Reds, which yesterday filled the seats with 20,000 fans.

This result halts the Red Devils' winning streak, which ended at 12 victories, and marks the eighth time in franchise history that they have won a dozen games in a row. The most consecutive wins in the history of the Scarlet Gang is 15, achieved in the 1940 season.

The game was rained out in the seventh inning with the score at 7-7; that's how they went into the ninth inning, where the Warriors exploded with a rally that ended in victory. In a day in which they collected 20 hits, their best hitter was Yonathan Daza, who went 4-for-6 with four RBIs and one run scored, while Alexi Amarista finished with five hits, two runs, and two RBIs.

Mexicans in the Major Leagues

For the second day in a row, the Tampa Bay Rays stormed the New York Yankees' home field yesterday with a 7-5 victory thanks to Mexican Jonathan Aranda, who drove in three runs.

The 26-year-old batter from Tijuana thus reached 50 RBIs in his four seasons in the Major Leagues.

Tampa Bay's 2-1 victory in the series at Yankee Stadium began with a run by American Travis Jankowski in the second inning.

In the third inning, Aranda hit his fifth home run of the season. The Mexican completed his run in the seventh inning with a single to right field that allowed Chandler Simpson and Taylor Walls to score.

In that game, Yucatecan Manuel Rodríguez pitched one scoreless inning for the Rays, thus accumulating six scoreless interventions.

The Mets lost 6-5 to the St. Louis Cardinals, who were helped by three RBIs from Venezuelan Willson Contreras.

With information from AFP

▲ The Australian celebrates his third straight victory. AP Photo

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 5, 2025, p. a10

McLaren is a thunderous force. The British team, which has produced legendary drivers such as Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, leads the Formula 1 championship as it did in its prime. At the Miami Grand Prix, Australian Oscar Piastri, who started from fourth place, extended his lead with his third consecutive victory, 4.6 seconds behind his teammate Lando Norris, who was in second place.

The McLarens imposed their dominance, leaving Britain's George Russell (Mercedes) third on the podium, almost half a minute behind the winner. The champion, Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), settled for a disappointing fourth place after struggling from the start to maintain his lead.

Piastri celebrated his fourth win of the season, the last three in a row, a streak no McLaren driver had achieved in 27 years. By uncorking the champagne, the Australian confirmed himself as the most in-form driver of the moment, as well as the leading contender for the title on the world's top circuit.

The race, the sixth of 24 on the 2025 F1 calendar, ended under the threat of a storm near the circuit, located near Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

Verstappen, a four-time world champion, started from pole position but had already succumbed to the speed of the McLarens before the first 20 laps. In the four editions of this race, no driver who started from pole position has taken victory.

Mad Max , winner in Miami in 2022 and 2023, also failed to break this curse in a Grand Prix he arrived at the last minute due to the birth of his first daughter.

The Australian dominated the race from lap 14, just as he did in April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where he took the lead in the championship for the first time in his career. He now has a 16-point lead over Norris and 32 over Verstappen.

As in previous years, the Miami International Raceway saw another large crowd, with sports figures such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Javier Mascherano, and Inter Miami coach and player Sergio Busquets in attendance.

O'Ward, sixth in Alabama

On the IndyCar circuit, Mexican Pato O'Ward finished sixth in the Alabama Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.

With this result, the Monterrey native from the Arrow McLaren team remained within the top 10 positions in the overall standings.

Spaniard Alex Palou, from the Chip Ganassi team, once again dominated the track.

With information from AFP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 5, 2025, p. a10

The Diving Superfinal in China concluded with Alejandra Estudillo as the national team's star. The Chiapas native earned two medals in the competition, bringing her total to four this season.

A student at the University of Texas for several months, Estudillo has improved his athletic level and demonstrated this in Beijing, where he won bronze in both the individual platform and mixed team events.

Alejandra, 19, who finished sixth in the springboard event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, is one of the strongest divers on the national team and a strong candidate for the 2028 summer competition in Los Angeles.

Mexico closed out its Superfinal with Randal Willars in the 10-meter platform. The Mexican failed to advance to the medal round.

In the head-to-head event, the 23-year-old Willars defeated German Jaiden Eikerman 211.25 to 210.20. In the semifinals, he failed to prove his status as the favorite, finishing last in his group with a total of 423.40 points.

Mexico left the competition with two bronze medals and a bittersweet experience after Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera received a zero following an error in the registration of their final dive in the synchronized springboard event.

The Superfinal had a novel format, as the individual events were contested as head-to-head eliminatory rounds with a preliminary round, semifinal, and final system.

The top 12 divers from the first two stages of the World Cup held in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Windsor, Canada, participated in the competition.

Artistic swimming team returns

Led by Diego Villalobos, the Mexican artistic swimming team returned to Mexico from the World Cup in Markham, Canada.

Villalobos collected silver and bronze medals to establish himself as one of the best in his discipline in the world.

The competition marked the start of the competitive year for the team following their seventh-place finish at Paris 2024, a competition in which Mexico qualified as a team after a 28-year absence.

▲ England striker Harry Kane will finally be able to celebrate his first career title. Photo: AFP

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 5, 2025, p. a11

Freiburg. The apparent curse that followed Harry Kane is over. The English striker will finally be able to celebrate the first title of his career after Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga champions yesterday, with a little help from Freiburg, with a 2-2 draw against second-place Bayer Leverkusen to establish an unassailable eight-point lead over the Munich team with two games left in the season.

Kane hadn't won a title in a career filled with runners-up medals and individual awards as top scorer with Bayern, Tottenham, and the England national team. This led some to consider a curse on a player considered one of the best strikers in the world.

Kane's arrival as Bayern's record signing in 2023 brought his club's first trophyless season since 2012. The Englishman was ready to celebrate on Saturday when Bayern looked set to beat Leipzig 3-2. But Yussuf Poulsen equalized with the final kick of the game to ensure the match ended 3-3 and postpone the championship celebrations.

"Next week, Harry! " wrote his partner Thomas Müller on Instagram. But he didn't have to wait that long.

Leverkusen played without conviction on their visit to Freiburg, knowing that second place was already secured and that they only had a mathematical chance of defending their title with Bayern, with a much superior goal difference.

Maximilian Eggestein put the home side ahead before halftime, but an own goal by Piero Hincapié put Freiburg firmly in control.

Leverkusen had to wait until the 82nd minute for Florian Wirtz to pull one back with his team's first shot on target. German Jonathan Tah equalized with another goal in stoppage time, but it was no different for the new tour winner.

This is Bayern's 34th league title, extending their record as the competition's most successful since the club's first title in 1932. All the others came after the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963.

In La Liga, Real Madrid survived a late scare but remains in contention to catch leader Barcelona ahead of next weekend's Clásico. Kylian Mbappé scored in each half as the Merengues held on to beat Celta Vigo 3-2, remaining four points behind their Catalan rivals.

The league is in Barcelona's hands, but we'll have more opportunities if we're able to win , said coach Carlo Ancelotti. We're going to prepare well, we're going to put up a fight in Sunday's game. I think it's going to be a near-decisive match .

In the English league, Manchester United suffered another defeat, falling 4-3 to Brentford, Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-1, and West Ham drew 1-1 with Tottenham.

In the Belgian Cup, Anderlecht, with Mexican César Huerta as a starter, lost 2-1 in the final to Club Brugge.

▲ Casper Ruud, 26, is the first Norwegian tennis player to lift the Masters 1000 trophy since at least 1990, according to the ATP. Photo AFP

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 5, 2025, p. a11

Madrid. Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 title after defeating Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the Madrid Open final.

Ruud rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the first set to seal victory after converting his only break at 2-2 in the third.

The 26-year-old shouted and raised both arms after securing victory on his first match point on the Caja Mágica clay court.

I've been trying to do this for a long time , Ruud said. This was one of my big goals as a young player, so it's an amazing feeling to have achieved it. Also, the way I performed, it was a great match. I knew Jack had been playing amazing all year, and especially in this tournament, so if I didn't play great, I was going to get beaten all over the court .

Ruud, ranked 15th, will return to the top 10 thanks to his campaign in Madrid, reaching number 7 in the rankings that will be announced today.

Luckily, I played really well , Ruud said. Jack has become an incredible player, on any surface... This is a huge boost for me, and I want to continue like this .

The 13-time tour champion is the first Norwegian to lift a Masters 1000 trophy since the series' inception in 1990, according to the ATP. It was Ruud's third such final, after losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo last year and Carlos Alcaraz in Miami in 2022.

Ruud has more titles (12) on clay than any other player since the start of 2020, according to the ATP. Draper won at Indian Wells in March. His quarterfinal victory in Madrid secured him a top-five debut.

You deserve it, Ruud. You've obviously worked incredibly hard and had some great years on tour... This sport is brutal, but I think this loss will make me better, so I'll keep trying , the Briton added.

The tournament in Madrid was interrupted early last week due to a massive power outage that paralyzed Spain and Portugal on Monday, causing the postponement of 22 matches.

Ruud needed to take a couple of painkillers during his semifinal victory over Francisco Cerúndolo after feeling discomfort in his ribs during his warm-up, but there were no signs of any injury yesterday. The men's draw was missing most of its best players early on. Carlos Alcaraz had to withdraw due to injury, and Novak Djokovic succumbed to Matteo Arnaldi in his opening match.

▲ América celebrates yesterday's 2-0 win over Guadalajara at the Ciudad de los Deportes stadium. Photo by Luis Castillo

Karla Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 5, 2025, p. a12

América took a big step toward its third Liga MX Femenil title after becoming the first finalist of the 2025 Clausura tournament, defeating Chivas 2-0 in the national derby corresponding to the second leg of the semifinals, played yesterday at the Ciudad de los Deportes stadium.

After a 2-2 draw in the first leg, the Eagles advanced in the title race with a 4-2 aggregate score.

The Coapa squad's goals were scored by Kiana Palacios, at minute 45+2, and Angelique Saldívar (48).

The blue-and-cream team dominated the ball from the start of the match and began to threaten the opposing goal with attempts from Scarlett Camberos, Saldívar, and Palacios; however, the strong performance of red-and-white goalkeeper Celeste Espino prevented them from opening the scoring in the opening minutes.

For its part, the Guadalajara squad, led by Spanish coach Antonio Contreras, was unable to trouble home goalkeeper Sandra Paños, who was unable to create any danger in the American penalty area.

Atletico's striker Alicia Cervantes was completely neutralized by the América defense, so she was unable to do any damage. The home side's momentum finally paid off in the final minutes of the first half, at 45+2, when Palacios received a pass in the box from her teammate Irene Guerrero and, after controlling the ball with her chest, finished with her left foot to make it 1-0 before halftime.

In the second half, América didn't let up and quickly created a dangerous play after Camberos, from the left wing, sent the ball into the center of the box, where Saldívar appeared to tap it into the back of the net and make it 2-0 in the 48th minute.

The goal lifted the more than 24,000 fans from their seats and completely crushed the hopes of the visitors, who were still unable to break down the Azulcrema defense.

In the 68th minute, tempers flared after Camberos and the red-and-white player, Kinberly Guzmán, got into a fight after hitting each other during a play, which resulted in a yellow card for both players. In the final stretch, both teams continued trying to invade the opposing goal, but the scoreboard remained unchanged, and the Águilas secured their spot in their sixth Liga MX Femenil final.

The second leg of the other semifinal, between Monterrey and Pachuca, will take place today at Hidalgo Stadium, where the Rayadas will have a slight advantage after winning 1-0 in the first leg.