Canelo Alvarez dominates Jaime Munguia in super middleweight bout
WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO undisputed 168-pound super middleweight world champion Canelo Álvarez dominated previously unbeaten Jaime Munguia on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to earn a unanimous 117-110, 116-111, 115-112 victory in his annual Cinco de Mayo weekend card.
Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) and his counter-punching prowess were on full display throughout the fight, but it was a right uppercut that set Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) down in the fourth round. Alvarez was the far more accurate puncher, landing 43.7% of his punches, compared to 25.6% by Munguia.
“This win means a lot,” said Alvarez. “I’m glad that I gave him this opportunity. Munguia is a great guy and a great champion. He’s gonna have a great career. I’m very proud that the whole world is watching us Mexicans.”
“There’s no doubt I would have beaten anyone else tonight,” said Munguia. “He has a lot of experience. I started well, but he’s a fighter who creates a lot of problems.”
“Munguia is a great fighter,” Alvarez added. “He’s strong and smart. But I have 12 rounds to win the fight and I did. I did really good and I’m proud of it. He’s strong, but he’s a little slow. I could see every punch. That’s why I’m the best.”
Alvarez has now gone five fights without winning by knockout or technical knockout. He last finished off an opponent in November 2021, when he defeated Caleb Plant by TKO in the 11th round. The punishment Alvarez has absorbed, especially in the loss to Dmitry Bivol and the first two fights of his trilogy against Golovkin, have taken a toll on the 33-year-old future hall of famer.
Japanese boxing superstar Naoya Inoue was dropped for the first time in his career by former two-division world champion Luis Nery in the first round of their clash on Monday, but Inoue got up off the canvas and conquered his opponent in the sixth round by TKO to retain his WBC, WBO, IBF, and WBA junior featherweight world championship.
“I appreciate Nery,” said Inoue, (27-0, 24 KOs, after handing Nery (35-2, 27 KOs) his second loss “That’s why I shook hands with him after the fight. The knockdown motivated me. I am thankful to have fought against a great fighter in Nery.”
A magnificent May for boxing continues as former champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr., clash on Saturday in a battle for the vacant IBF lightweight world championship. The following Saturday, on May 18, Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), who holds the WBO, IBF, and WBA heavyweight world championships, takes on lineal and WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) for the title of undisputed heavyweight world champion.
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Epiphanny Prince elevates to a new role with the Liberty
Brooklyn native Epiphanny Prince’s basketball history is woven into the fabric of New York City. She first played at Madison Square Garden as a preteen. Her 113 points in a high school game—during Murry Bergtraum’s string of 14 consecutive PSAL titles—broke Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller’s record. She was a valuable offensive presence for the New York Liberty from 2015–18 and returned last year as called upon to help the Liberty make it to the WNBA Finals.
Prince also played with the Chicago Sky, Seattle Storm, and Las Vegas Aces, as well as overseas, during her career.
Those would be her last games as a professional baller, but her association with the Liberty continues as she steps into her new role as director of player and community engagement. Prince said she knew the time to retire from playing was at hand when instead of delighting in her career, she started complaining about it. Being based in Brooklyn and settling into her new role is exciting. Now, she will work to elevate the Liberty’s outreach efforts, youth basketball programming, and social responsibility presence throughout the five boroughs.
“It means a lot; I’m excited to be home and try to make as big of an impact as possible in the community here in New York City and give the girls in the community an opportunity to see our players and know that they can do it,” said Prince.
Prince is eager to dive into local grassroots basketball. During her time playing with different WNBA teams and overseas, she would hear about grassroots basketball in NYC. “Now, I’m happy to be hands-on, trying to address the needs,” she said.
Some of the Liberty’s rookies are unfamiliar with the city, so she hopes to introduce them to a bit of street basketball. “If they’re interested in that, they should be able to come out and see our streetball culture in New York City,” Prince said. “I think it will be something that’s cool for them.”
The Liberty heads into this season with high expectations after achieving so many team milestones in 2023, including the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Prince looks forward to seeing familiar faces at Barclays Center.
“You miss things when you’re away,” she said. “Being able to reconnect with everybody—it’s been good. Everyone’s doing well in life and everyone’s happy for each other.”
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Injuries force the Knicks to plot a new course facing the Pacers
Less than 24 hours after their gripping 121-117 win against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals best-of-seven series, the Knicks publicly revealed that center Mitchell Robinson, who underwent surgery to his left ankle in December and missed nearly 50 games before returning in late March, has a stress injury in the same ankle is effectively out for the rest of this season.
Robinson sat out Game 4 on April 28 versus the Philadelphia 76ers due to soreness in his surgically repaired left ankle in an opening round series the Knicks ultimately won 4-2. Robinson will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks. The Knicks faced the Pacers in Game 2 last night (Wednesday) with Games 3 and 4 in Indiana tomorrow and Sunday respectively.
Injuries have been a major storyline and subplot for the Knicks as well as other playoff teams. New York’s All-Star and All-NBA forward Julius Randle had his season end of January 27 when he suffered a dislocated right shoulder versus the Miami Heat at the Garden. Then in Game 4 against the 76ers, key reserve forward Bojan Bogdanovic was injured diving for loose ball when his left foot was caught under Philadelphia forward Nicolas Batum, who also plunged to the court pursuing the ball. Bogdanovic subsequently had season-ending surgery on his foot.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau had already constricted the Knicks rotation to eight players, with Robinson and guard Miles “Deuce” McBride allocated the bulk of the minutes off of the bench with forward Precious Achiuwa, who has been highly productive when called upon, experiencing a markedly reduced role this postseason. Achiuwa played in only Games 3 and 4 in the Knicks’ previous series against the 76ers and just four minutes in Game 1 facing the Pacers. The Pacers bench had a massive advantage on Monday, as their four reserves outscored Robinson, McBride and Achiuwa 46-3.
Now, by necessity, Achiuwa will once again need to be a prominent piece to the Knicks altered lineup and Thibodeau will need to reach deeper down his bench as the series progresses. The challenge will be a continuation of the test of the Knicks’ will, resolve and physical fortitude as they have battled attrition for three-plus months.
The Knicks starters already log exhaustive minutes and logically will begin to show signs of fatigue. But guard Donte DiVincenzo, who played 44 minutes in Game 1 against Indiana, asserted the cumulative allotment has neither been prohibitive nor overly taxing.
“I think it’s maintainable,” said DiVincenzo. “Come in tomorrow, watch some film, take care of your body and be ready to go the next day. At this time of the year, it’s less about the wear and tear of your body [and] more about preparing for the next game mentally.
“Watching film, adjusting that way, kinda walking through plays rather than running through stuff. So minutes aren’t a factor right now…Minutes can fluctuate throughout the game [and] throughout the series.”
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MLB will celebrate Negro Leagues All-Star Game on Memorial Day Weekend
The National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum will celebrate the opening of its new exhibit, “The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball,” by hosting the inaugural Hall of Fame East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game on Saturday, May 25. Replacing the traditional Hall of Fame game, MLB has curated a collection of Black players who have made an impact on the game for decades to take part in this event.
Josh Rawitch, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, didn’t hide his excitement when speaking about the event: “We are thrilled to host many of the game’s biggest stars of the last two decades for the Hall of Fame East-West classic, a tribute to the heroes of Black baseball who showcased their talents for years in the annual Negro Leagues All-Star Game. The incredible enthusiasm from players participating in this legends game—players who faced their own challenges while helping to build on the diversity that has flowed through our national pastime for more than a century—will make this a must-see event in Cooperstown.”
This modern-day iteration of the historic East/West All-Star Game, which took place from 1933 until 1982, will be coached by Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Ozzie Smith. CC Sabathia, a Black Ace who will grace the HOF ballot for the first time in 2025, is the captain of the West Team, while former outfielder Chris Young will captain the East squad.
Sabathia, who works with Major League Baseball to continue growing its presence in the African American community, knows the importance of events like this to keep the legacy of Negro League legends alive.
Ryan Howard
Howard has the most career home runs of any participant, hitting 382 bombs in his 13-year career in Philadelphia. The 2006 NL MVP and 2008 World Series champion finished his career with 1,475 hits, 277 doubles and 1194 RBI. Howard set the Phillies single-season home run record in 2006 when he hit 56 homers and led the Majors twice.
Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle “D-Train” Willis burst onto the scene with the Florida Marlins in 2003 when he went 14-6 in 27 starts with a 3.30 ERA and 142 strikeouts. Willis earned an All-Star berth and Rookie of the Year honors en route to the first World Series championship in Marlins’ history.
Willis’s success started early, but his most dominant performance on the mound came in 2005. Willis punched his ticket into the Exclusive “Black Aces” club, going 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA and a league-leading seven complete games.
Curtis Granderson
The three-time All-Star Granderson is one of the best power hitters from the leadoff spot in MLB history. Curtis had 47 leadoff home runs in his career, enroute to 344 in his career. Granderson hit 20 or more homers 10 times in his career and topped 40 twice with the Yankees.
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MLB will celebrate Negro Leagues All-Star Game on Memorial Day Weekend
The National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum will celebrate the opening of its new exhibit “The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball” by hosting the inaugural Hall of Fame East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game, on Saturday, May 25, in Cooperstown, N.Y. In replacing the traditional Hall of Fame game, MLB has curated a collection of Black players who have made an impact on the game for decades to take part in this event.
Josh Rawitch, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, didn’t hide his excitement when speaking about the event.
“We are thrilled to host many of the game’s biggest stars of the last two decades for the Hall of Fame East-West classic, a tribute to the heroes of Black baseball who showcased their talents for years in the annual Negro Leagues All-Star Game,” he said. “The incredible enthusiasm from players participating in this legends game—players who faced their own challenges while helping to build on the diversity that has flowed through our national pastime for more than a century—will make this a must-see event in Cooperstown.”
This modern-day iteration of the historic East/West All-Star Game, which took place from 1933 until 1982, will be coached by Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Ozzie Smith. CC Sabathia, a Black Ace who will grace the HOF ballot for the first time in 2025, is the captain of the West Team, while former outfielder Chris Young will captain the East squad.
Sabathia, who works with Major League Baseball to continue growing its presence in the African American community, knows the importance of events like this to keep the legacy of Negro League legends alive.
Participating stars
Ryan Howard has the most career home runs of any participant, hitting 382 bombs in his 13-year career in Philadelphia. The 2006 NL MVP and 2008 World Series champion finished his career with 1,475 hits, 277 doubles, and 1194 RBI. Howard set the Phillies single-season home run record in 2006 when he hit 56 homers and led the majors twice.
Willis’s success started early, but his most dominant performance on the mound came in 2005, when he punched his ticket into the Exclusive “Black Aces” club, going 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA and a league-leading seven complete games.
Three-time All-Star Curtis Granderson is one of the best power hitters from the leadoff spot in MLB history. Curtis had 47 leadoff home runs enroute to 344 in his career. He hit 20 or more homers 10 times in his career and topped 40 twice with the Yankees.
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