This Week in Sportsball (4/26 - 5/3)
- lavozlatinatu
- May 4
- 8 min read
By Jael Hernandez
Word Count: 2123
Estimated Read Time: 8-9 minutes
The past week has been an eventful one. From Fernando Mendoza going #1 overall in this year’s NFL draft to a 9-goal thriller between European giants, to a Saturday full of combat.
Combat This Week
THE MONSTER IS REAL! David Benavidez puts on an absolute masterclass performance against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez to put him down by 6th round KO and unify the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, adding them to titles he already holds, the WBC and WBA light heavyweight titles. Benavidez dominated the entire fight, showing little difficulty to keep the speed he was known for at 168 and 175 pounds. Ramirez tried to walk Benavidez down to the ropes but to no avail. Benavidez was able to slip, roll and parry the attack, and push Ramirez back to the center of the ring. The first knockdown came in the closing seconds of Round 4. A blistering combination forced Ramirez to take a knee. Ramirez had a brief resurgence in Round 5, but it was Round 6 that, after a series of flurries hurt Zurdo, Benavidez closed the show, pounding away until Ramirez took a knee and was counted out at 2:59. Afterwards, it could be seen that his eye was almost completely swollen shut. I think at this stage, Benavidez could beat Canelo. But I’d prefer to see him fight Dmitry Bivol.
On the other side of the world, at 8AM ET, Naoya “The Monster” Inoue had a different kind of fight against fellow undefeated boxer Junto “Big Bang” Nakatani. Inoue started off the fight well, landing more punches, being faster, and coming out of the 6th Round, I had it 4-2 in Inoue’s favor. In the second half, Nakatani picked up some speed, landing combos, backing Naoya against the ropes. But a headbutt stopped the momentum in the 11th, and Naoya Inoue won the last few rounds to stay undisputed super bantamweight champion. As for what’s next for Inoue, I think it’s time to fight Bam Rodriguez.
Nearly 2 years after fighting Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight championship, Jaime Munguia is back fighting for a title. After switching to working with Canelo’s team for this fight, I can see clear improvement in his fighting as he takes Armando to a unanimous decision to become the new WBA super-middleweight champion.
THEY CALL HIM THE NIGHTMARE FOR A REASON! Oh my days, Carlos Prates puts an absolute beating on the former welterweight champ, Jack Della Maddalena. With some early leg kicks, Prates had JDM limping, nearly falling down a few times and got backed against the cage multiple times, allowing Prates to land multiple lefts, elbows and knees. It got to a point where Prates was looking for a highlight reel knockout, but after one more brutal leg kick to send JDM down, Carlos got on top and finished him off with elbows and the ref had to stop it. He wants a title fight next, and it’s not crazy to give it to him either. Most likely we’ll get another Russia vs Ireland matchup as reports say Islam Makhachev will be fighting Ian Machado Garry in August. But the real question is who to give the next title shot to after Garry. Prates, who’s currently the number 1 contender in the welterweight or the undefeated Michael Morales?
Soccer This Week
This is football heritage. Undoubtedly two of the best teams in Europe this season, PSG and Bayern went at it in Paris and did not disappoint. Harry Kane opens the scoring with a penalty in the first 20 minutes to make it 1-0 Bayern. Then Khvicha Kvaratskhelia equalizes it just 10 minutes later. Joao Neves later scores a head from a corner kick to put Paris up 2-1. Then later, nonchalant king Michael Olise scores to tie it all up at 2. Then a handball is called in the penalty area, giving PSG a penalty which Balon D’or winner Ousmane Dembele scores to make it 3-2 going into halftime. 10 minutes into the second half, Kvaratskhelia scores again to make it 4-2, and not even 5 minutes later, Dembele gets his second goal to make it 5-2. But Bayern weren’t done yet, not even close, because defender Dayot Upemecano scores off a free kick to bring the deficit down to 5-3. And the close it out, Luis Diaz scores a very, VERY close goal to cut it down to 5-4. After a VAR check, Diaz was found to still be onside, allowing the goal to stand. They go to Munich next week with the aggregate 5-4 for PSG, expect another classic.
This, on the other hand, is haramball at its finest. For those that don’t know, “haramball” is a term given to ultra-defensive tactics, parking the bus is an example, where a manager will put an entire team on their own half of the field to keep a lead, and prioritize winning over entertainment. Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta is known for this approach, and Atletico’s Diego Simeone has a history with this tactic as well. There really isn’t much to report, a penalty from both teams got them to tie. Atletico showed a little more attacking prowess but Arsenal was really standing their ground. If PSG vs Bayern was hydrogen bomb vs atomic bomb, this match was coughing baby vs comatose elder.
NFL This Week
Hey Alexa, queue Fernando by ABBA. Fernando Mendoza gets drafted first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cuban-American credits his upbringing as a reason for pursuing a pro career. And with the Raiders’ already large Latino fanbase (most of which was gathered from their time in Oakland), it’s looking like they’ll be the face of Hispanic/Latino representation in the NFL. Although I like Mendoza’s performances in college, I’m not sure how well it’ll translate to the pros. Only time will tell, and for his sake, I hope he does well, it’d be nice for a Latino man to shine
in an American sport.
What’s Next?
Here’s a few events to look out for in the month of May.
Although nobody’s been confirmed, I’ll still make a prediction. I’ve got a Bayern vs Arsenal final. The second leg is in Munich, and I think that Bayern will be able to get themselves a win and into the final. As for Arsenal, I think with their home advantage in the second leg, I believe they have a stronger attack than Atletico, so I have the Gunners in the final.
The final will be in the Puskás Aréna in Hungary. As for who I think will win, Bayern. Or PSG. Whoever wins between those two will win the Champions League. I might be a tad bit biased because I’m not much of an Arsenal fan, but I don’t think their defense can withstand either offense. Hell, even their own defenses can’t stop each other, that’s why it ended 5-4. Personally, I’ve got Bayern as UCL winners.
Our (maybe not-so) favorite loudmouth, trash-talking trailer park resident is back! After a statement win over Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, which came after a 6 month suspension for fighting someone, Strickland looks to retake his middleweight throne. Having previously lost it to Dricus Du Plessis and losing the rematch, Sean’s thrown into the title picture for another chance. But in his way is the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev, having been forced to move up to middleweight after a disastrous weight cut back in 2022, looks to retain his title. He dominated Du Plessis to take the middleweight title last year in an albeit very boring fight. Chimaev is an unrelenting, unstoppable force when it comes to wrestling, having only won by decision 3 times, submitting or knocking out everyone else, but Strickland has incredible takedown defense. Another factor in the fight is the trashtalk. Sean’s made multiple comments about Khamzat being a terrorist and a “goat fucker” for being a Chechen Muslim, and Khamzat has fired back with threats of jumping him and bringing up Sean’s rough upbringing. Dana White himself has said he has no intention of letting the two face off before fight night, and the entire event will have extra security. Khabib vs McGregor, we’re good. We got Chimaev vs Strickland.
Also on the card is a flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. Van, having won the title off of previous champ Alexandre Pantoja’s elbow injury, looks to make his first title defense while waiting for Pantoja to recover. In his way, is rising contender Tatsuro Taira, who’s coming off a TKO victory over Brandon Moreno, another former champ. This is the first title fight between two fighters born in the 2000s. The flyweight division is in good hands.
NBA Conference Semi-Finals
Now that the first round is done and dusted, let’s look at the next round.
Detroit Pistons (1) vs Cleveland Cavaliers(4)
After narrowly escaping the Orlando Magic and overcoming a 3-1 deficit, the Pistons need to definitely pick up their pace. This isn’t the shit you want to see from a first-seeded team. But I don’t even know if they can beat the Cavs. Fuck, I don’t even know if the Cavs can beat them either. Not much to say about this series, but… Cavs in 7?
New York Knicks (3) vs Philadelphia 76ers (7)
Knicks put down their “rivals” the Atlanta Hawks in 6 games, still yelling “Fuck Trae Young” even though he’s in DC now. And the 76ers managed to also overcome a 3-1 deficit over the favored Boston Celtics. Joel Embiid is playing the playoffs of his life, he’s once again proving why he won an MVP in 2023. But whether the Sixers can beat the Knicks… I don’t know. I think it depends on one man. Well not exactly, but I think if Mikal Bridges decides to show up and play instead of doing cardio, that’ll be the decider. The Knicks nearly got knocked out by the Hawks because of Bridges’ uselessness. But turning up in Game 6, he helped them close out the series. And can Embiid continue to stay at least semi-healthy? It’s a hard one to pick but… 76ers in 7.
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs Los Angeles Lakers (4)
The Thunder swept the Phoenix Suns in 4 games, easily disposing of them. The Lakers on the other hand, risked getting overtaken from a 3-0 lead by the Rockets but managed to win comfortably in Game 6. Fortunately for the Lakers, star man Luka Doncic might come back after being injured, bringing some much needed power to their team. Lebron James at 41 years of age is still balling and showing few signs of slowing down. Rui Hachimura has stepped up in recent games, as have Deandre Ayton and Luke Kennard. But can they stop the Thunder, featuring the (most-likely) two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his stacked team that includes Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and his lackey, Jaylin Williams. I don’t think so. Thunder in 5.
Minnesota Timberwolves (6) vs San Antonio Spurs (2)
The Timberwolves are the Nuggets’ kryptonite. Rudy Gobert in the big ‘26 shut down 3 time MVP Nikola Jokic and Jaden McDaniels had the series of his life, especially in Game 6 where he closed out the Nuggets with a 30 piece. All without Anthony Edwards, mind you. But the Spurs aren’t the Nuggets. While Gobert might be Jokic’s weakness, I don’t think the same can be said for Wemby. Victor Wembanyama, who’s burst onto the scene since the 2023-24 season, has had an electric start to his career. Only 22, he’s already pushed past the Portland Trail Blazers in 5 games. But this Spurs team is still inexperienced, and it’s many of the players’ first time in the playoffs. But I think with Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu and Donte DiVincenzo out, the Spurs have a chance. Spurs in 6.
And to close off the month, on May 23, unified and undefeated heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will fight Rico Verhoeven, one of the greatest kickboxers of all time in a crossover match. And even crazier, it’ll all be in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Usyk, the greatest heavyweight boxer of this generation, has already defeated the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Derek Chisora and Daniel Dubois. But Rico is no stranger to winning either, he hasn’t lost a fight since 2015. And he holds the record for Glory Kickboxing’s most wins in title bouts (14), most consecutive title defenses (13), most wins (28), and longest winning streak (27). But will it be enough to stop Usyk, who seems to run through everyone he faces?
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