Ronald Acuña Jr. Earns 2024 Espy Awards Nod for Best MLB Player

Ronald Acuña Jr. is in the running…

The 2024 Espy Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 26-year-old Venezuelan baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves earning a nod.

Ronald Acuña Jr.,
Acuña, who won the National League Most Valuable Player Award lin 2023, is up for Best MLB Player.

Alex Pereira has also earned a nod.

The 36-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer is nominated in the Best UFC Fighter category.

Pereira is the current UFC light heavyweight champion and a former UFC middleweight champion.

Seniesa Estrada is up for Best Boxer; Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí is nominated for Best Soccer Player, Carlos Alcaraz has earned a nod in the Best Tennis Player category and Kamilla Cardoso and her fellow South Carolina Gamecocks are up for Best Team.

Winners will be announced July 11 in a ceremony hosted by Serena Williams at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. It will air on ABC live at 8:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm PT.

Here is the complete list of 2024 nominees.

BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels / Los Angeles Dodgers
Scottie Scheffler, Golf
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Coco Gauff, Tennis
Nelly Korda, Golf
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces 

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Juju Watkins, USC Women’s Basketball
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
49ers Christian McCaffrey scores a TD for a record breaking 17 straight games
Caitlin Clark becomes NCAA’s All Time Scoring Leader breaking Pete Maravich’s Record
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford Women’s Basketball – gets 1,203rd win to pass Coach K for most by any coach in NCAA basketball history
Max Verstappen wins record 10th consecutive race with victory at Italian Grand Prix 

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Michigan’s Blake Corum and Will Johnson, 2024 College Football National Championship MVPs
Kayla Martello, Boston College Women’s Lacrosse
Midge Purce, NJ/NY Gotham FC – NWSL Championship MVP
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics 

BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE
Simone Biles, Gymnast
Paige Bueckers, University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans 

BEST PLAY
Jayda Coleman calls GAME sending Oklahoma to their 4th Straight Championship – NCAA Softball 6/4/2024
Anthony Edwards Dunk of the Year – 3/18/24 – NBA
Alabama scores on 4th & 31 to win vs. Auburn 11/25/23
Lamar Jackson Caught His Own Pass & Ran With it – 1/28/24 – NFL

BEST TEAM
South Carolina Gamecocks, NCAA Women’s Basketball
Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
Michigan Wolverines, NCAA Football
Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
University of Connecticut Huskies, NCAA Men’s Basketball
Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
Boston Celtics, NBA
Florida Panthers, NHL
Texas Rangers, MLB

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
Jayden Daniels, LSU Football
Zach Edey, Purdue Men’s Basketball
Ousmane Sylla, Clemson Soccer
Pat Kavanagh, Notre Dame Lacrosse 

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Basketball
Sarah Franklin, Wisconsin Volleyball
Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse 

BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Jaydin Blackwell World Champion Sprinter
Ezra Frech, World Champion High Jumper
Brenna Huckaby Snowboarding Champion
Oksana Masters, Cross-Country Skier/Hand Cyclist 

BEST NFL PLAYER
Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers 

BEST MLB PLAYER
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

BEST NHL PLAYER
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers 

BEST NBA PLAYER
Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics 

BEST WNBA PLAYER
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces 

BEST DRIVER
Ryan Blaney, NASCAR
Matt Hagan, NHRA
Álex Palou, IndyCar
Max Verstappen, F1

BEST UFC FIGHTER
Islam Makhachev
Sean O’Malley
Alex Pereira
Zhang Weili

BEST BOXER
Terence Crawford
Seniesa Estrada
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk

BEST SOCCER PLAYER
Aitana Bonmatí, Spain
Naomi Girma, USWNT
Vinicius Junior, Brazil/Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé, France/Real Madrid

BEST GOLFER
Nelly Korda
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
Lilia Vu 

BEST TENNIS PLAYER
Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic
Coco Gauff
Iga Swiatek

Seniesa Estrada Fighting Yokasta Valle Next Month to Crown First Undisputed Strawweight Champion

Seniesa Estrada is preparing to fight for all the marbles…

The 31-year-old Mexican American professional boxer will fight Yokasta Valle to crown the first undisputed strawweight champion in women’s boxing history on March 29 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Seniesa EstradaThe fight will be the co-main event on the card featuring the Oscar ValdezLiam Wilson junior lightweight bout.

Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs), of East Los Angeles, won the WBA belt by defeating Anabel Ortiz in March 2021. After moving up four months later to fight for the WBO junior flyweight title in a victory over Tenkai Tsunami, Estrada made two successful defenses before adding the WBC title in a victory over Tina Rupprecht in March. She defended the two titles in a unanimous decision win over Leonela Paola Yudica in July.

Valle (30-2, 9 KOs) won the IBF belt in August 2019 against Joana Pastrana, and after five defenses, she unified the WBO belt with a unanimous decision win over Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen in September 2022. This will be Valle’s fifth defense of her unified titles.

Estrada, ESPN’s No. 5-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, was promoted by Golden Boy until she left to sign a multiyear deal with Top Rank in July 2022, saying at the time, “I wanted more money, what I felt I deserved.”

Valle, the No. 2-ranked fighter in the division behind Estrada, is promoted by Golden Boy and has been on Estrada’s radar since the days when they had the same promoter.

“It’s not personal for her, but it’s personal for me for many reasons,” Estrada said during a news conference Wednesday to announce the fight. “I’m competitive. I’m hungry to become undisputed. This is the fight that I’ve been trying to make and wanting to make since I was with Golden Boy Promotions around the time they first signed me.”

Costa Rica’s Valle noted she has been working hard for this moment, fighting in different divisions to become one day undisputed, and added that the rivalry is not personal, it’s just business.

“I just want to be a champion,” Valle said. “I want to be undisputed. Seniesa has two titles. That’s what I’m looking for. Not her. Simply the world titles is what I’m looking for. That’s what I’ve been working towards for many years.”

Amanda Serrano Set to Make History in First Women’s Bout with 12 Three-Minute Rounds

Amanda Serrano is preparing for a historic bout…

When the 34-year-old Puerto Rican boxer, the undisputed featherweight champion, defends her WBA, IBF and WBO belts against Danila Ramos on October 27 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, the two will fight 12 three-minute rounds instead of the official 10 two-minute rounds for title fights in women’s boxing.

Amanda SerranoThis will be the first women’s unified championship fight ever fought under the same rules as the men.

Serrano will defend her titles against Ramos, the WBO mandatory challenger, in a fight approved by all three sanctioning bodies and the Florida Athletic Commission and put on by Most Valuable Promotions, run by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.

“This fight is about more than some belts,” Serrano said in a statement. “We have faced a long and hard battle, united as women, to achieve the same pay, respect, and recognition in boxing.

“Together, on Friday, October 27, we will make history and prove to the world once again how incredible women’s boxing is and that we are just as tough, dynamic, and capable as any man in the ring, if not more so. This is a fight for women everywhere to be treated the same as their male counterparts.”

The number of rounds and the length of rounds for championship fights have been issues in women’s boxing for years — often brought up by many of the top fighters in the sport. When Serrano fought Katie Taylor for Taylor’s undisputed lightweight titles in 2022 — a fight that became the biggest event in women’s boxing history — Serrano lobbied for three-minute rounds but mentioned it publicly only after contracts had been signed. Serrano-Taylor was fought with 10 two-minute rounds.

 

There have been women’s title fights with three-minute rounds before — notably when Seniesa Estrada stopped Marlen Esparza in the ninth round for the WBA interim flyweight title in November 2019, but Estrada-Esparza was 10 rounds. Other high-level fighters, including pound-for-pound No. 1 and current undisputed middleweight champion Claressa Shields, have advocated for 12 rounds or three-minute rounds — or both — in the past.

 

In 2021, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN, “if I could get three-minute rounds, I would sign a number of women.” He believes it could add more excitement and opportunity. Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe also told ESPN in 2021 that he believed the longer rounds would increase popularity in women’s boxing. Former Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz also told ESPN in 2021 that he felt world title fights should be three-minute rounds.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán told ESPN in 2021 that he would not sanction three-minute round fights because he considers it a safety issue. He said his organization, which sanctions Serrano’s featherweight title, would not change its stance until “there is clear medical research clearance to do any changes.”

In MMA, men and women fight the same number of rounds and same number of minutes — three five-minute rounds for undercard fights and five five-minute rounds for championship fights and main events. This is a step toward giving equal fighting balance to women in boxing too.

Serrano (45-2-1, 30 KO) last fought in August, when she defeated Heather Hardy by unanimous decision in Dallas to defend her undisputed featherweight title. The seven-division world champion will be making the sixth defense of her WBO title and second defense of her WBA belt. Other than a split-decision loss to Taylor as a challenger to Taylor’s undisputed lightweight championship in 2022, Serrano has not lost a fight since 2012, and she has never been beaten as a featherweight, her natural fighting weight.

Ramos (12-2, 1 KO), 38, became the mandatory challenger in August when she defeated Brenda Karen Carabajal by split decision in Buenos Aires. She has won her past four fights — but three have come by split or majority decision. She has fought for interim titles three times — beating Carabajal and losing to Katharina Thanderz and Elhem Mekhaled. Ramos has never been stopped in her career.

In this fight, Ramos will be part of history.

The last known major women’s fights of 12 three-minute rounds came in 2007, when Layla McCarter defeated Donna Biggers on January 5 and Melissa Hernandez on February 14, both in Las Vegas. Neither one went the distance, as McCarter stopped Biggers in the second round and Hernandez in the eighth round. Now, on a bigger stage — the fight will be televised as a main event on DAZN — a 12-round three-minute fight will be happening again.

“Fighting Amanda Serrano for 12 three-minute rounds for a unified championship is set to break the barriers that we women have been looking to do for many years,” Ramos said in a statement. “We will go down in history and in the books.”

Seniesa Estrada Beats Leonela Yudica by Unanimous Decision to Retain WBA & WBC 105-Pound Titles

Seniesa Estrada has successfully defended her titles…

The 31-year-old Mexican American professional boxer retained her WBA and WBC 105-pound titles with a unanimous decision victory over Leonela Yudica on Friday at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort.

Seniesa Estrada

All three judges scored the fight 97-93.

Estrada used her height and reach advantage to outbox Yudica, sometimes switching stances in a tough title defense. Estrada was able to dig hard shots to the body in a fight that featured a lot of exchanges and many rounds that were difficult to score.

“I knew coming into this fight that she was a boxer who would move away from me and not come forward much,” Estrada said. “In my preparation, I knew I had to show something different in myself.”

She added: “Going into this fight, I knew she was a natural flyweight, so she is a lot bigger than me physically. … I definitely had to use my footwork. … I had to use my feints and movements to make sure I was close enough to land punches and not get countered.”

Estrada (25-0, 9 KOs) captured a second minimumweight belt in March in a title-unification victory over Tina Rupprecht. From East Los Angeles, Estrada has made three title defenses at 105 pounds. Estrada also won a 108-pound title in July 2021 with a victory over Tenkai Tsunami but returned to 105 pounds afterward. She is ESPN‘s No. 6 pound-for-pound boxer.

Yokasta Valle, who holds the WBO and IBF titles at 105 pounds, was welcomed into the ring after Estrada’s win Friday night. A fight with Estrada could take place next for the undisputed minimumweight championship.

“I want Yokasta Valle,” said Estrada, who is No. 1 in ESPN’s division rankings, with Valle No. 2. “I’m the best in this division. I want to prove it by beating her. She can just hand me those belts right now because when we fight it’s going to be bad for her.”

Yudica (19-2-3, 1 KO), a longtime champion at 112 pounds, fought at 105 pounds for the first time.

The 34-year-old Argentine lost to Arely Mucino in October via split decision but rebounded to defeat Tamara Demarco in April, also via split decision. It was just her second fight outside of Argentina.

“I do not agree at all with the scorecards,” Yudica said. “I am convinced that nobody has hit her like I have hit her. If not, she can take off her hat and show how her face has been left.

“I did a very good job. … I exchanged when I needed to. It was a good fight, and it didn’t deserve this result.”

Seniesa Estrada’s Return to the Ring Moved Up By a Day

Seniesa Estrada is headed to the ring sooner than originally anticipated…

The 30-year-old Mexican American WBA and WBC strawweight champion’s next fight is on the move again — this time a shorter journey than before.

Seniesa EstradaEstrada will now headline an ESPN+ card on July 28 at The Palms in Las Vegas, the night before the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. megafight in the same city, ESPN reports.

The fight had been planned for July 29, but the announcement of Spence-Crawford meant it made sense to push it up if possible, especially with both bouts taking place in Las Vegas.

The opponent for Estrada (24-0, 9 KOs), who is ESPN’s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter and the WBA and WBC strawweight champion, is still being finalized. It is the first headliner appearance for Estrada since she signed with Top Rank last year.

Estrada last fought in March, when she beat Tina Rupprecht by unanimous decision to unify the WBA and WBC belts. It’s the second time in three fights that Estrada will be fighting in Las Vegas at The Palms; her first Top Rank fight, a win over Jazmin Gala Villarino, was held at the site in November.

Seniesa Estrada to Return to Boxing Ring in July

Seniesa Estrada is months away from her highly anticipated return…

The 30-year-old Mexican American WBA and WBC strawweight champion will make her return to the ring on July 22, according to ESPN.

Seniesa EstradaIt will be Estrada’s second fight of 2023.

The opponent and location for the fight have yet to be determined.

Estrada last fought in March, when she beat Tina Rupprecht by unanimous decision to become the unified champion at strawweight. It was Estrada’s second defense of her WBA title.

Undefeated Estrada (24-0, 9 KOs) is ESPN‘s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter and top-rated strawweight. She has held titles at strawweight and junior flyweight in her career and the interim world title at flyweight.

She said after her win over Rupprecht that she would like to become undisputed at strawweight, where she currently holds two belts. Yokasta Valle is the IBF and WBO strawweight champion.

“I want to tell the other champion at 105 pounds that I’m whupping you next,” Estrada said in March. “You can get it next. I am the best in this division, and I know it. I want to prove it by being undisputed.”

Seniesa Estrada Defeats Tina Rupprecht to Become Unified Strawweight Champion

Seniesa Estrada is a unified champion…

The 30-year-old Mexican American boxer defeated Tina Rupprecht by unanimous decision — 100-90 on all three cards – on Saturday night to become a unified champion at strawweight.

Seniesa EstradaIn addition to retaining her WBA championship, Estrada claimed Rupprecht’s WBC title.

It was a dominant performance from Estrada, ESPN‘s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter. She rarely let Rupprecht get comfortable and other than a couple of strong punches landed on Estrada’s face in the first three rounds of the fight, it was a clinical performance from the East Los Angeles native.

Walking out in her traditional cape — pink, this time — and to Alicia Keys‘ “Girl on Fire,” Estrada’s usual high-paced output began from the start and continued throughout. She landed at least 20% of her punches in all but one round and over 30% of her power punches in seven of 10 rounds.

Estrada (24-0, 9 KO) focused a lot on the body — 57% of her landed punches were body punches — and her 67 body punches landed were more than the 63 punches Rupprecht landed throughout the entire fight.

She almost doubled up Rupprecht (12-1-1, 3 KO) in punches landed (118-63) despite throwing a somewhat similar number of total punches (473-414). Rupprecht landed 10 or more punches in a round just once — the seventh round, when it was clear Estrada was in control and headed toward unifying the WBA and WBC belts.

The way Estrada moved her hands — constant, and not just at Rupprecht, but in unconventional movement all over the place to keep the angle and levels of her punches unpredictable, was unique. It helped open up windows for her to land body shots and combinations on Rupprecht, who suffered the first loss of her career.

“By taking away her right hand,” Estrada said in the postfight in-ring interview, “I took away her only weapon.”

Estrada said she wanted to focus on the jab in the fight, in part because of Rupprecht’s height at 4-foot-10, and she threw 178 jabs, landing 16 of them. She said she combined that with her power to put herself in the position to dominate the fight.

After the fight, Estrada made clear what she’d like next — Yokasta Valle retained her IBF and WBO strawweight titles in a unanimous decision win over Jessica Basulto in Costa Rica on Saturday night as well. Rupprecht and Valle fought in 2018 — with Rupprecht winning a unanimous decision in her native Germany.

“I want to tell the other champion at 105 pounds that I’m whooping you next,” Estrada said in the ring after the fight. “You can get it next. I am the best in this division, and I know it. I want to prove it by being undisputed.”

Seniesa Estrada to Fight Tina Rupprecht in March

Seniesa Estrada is headed back to the ring…

The 30-year-old Mexican American professional boxer and WBA strawweight champion will make her first appearance of 2023 when she fights in a unification bout against WBC champion Tina Rupprecht, according to ESPN.

Seniesa EstradaThe fight is expected to take place in the United States with a targeted date of March 25 as a co-feature fight, according to ESPN.

It will be Estrada’s second fight for promoter Top Rank after splitting with Golden Boy Promotions last year. She last fought in November — after an 11-month layoff — beating Jazmin Gala Villarino by unanimous decision.

Estrada (23-0, 9 KOs) will be making the third defense of her WBA strawweight title, which she won by defeating Anabel Ortiz in March 2021. Estrada, ESPN’s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter and No. 1 strawweight, has also held the WBO junior flyweight title and the WBA interim flyweight title.

Rupprecht (12-0-1, 3 KOs) defeated Rocio Gaspar by unanimous decision on December 10. She has held the WBC title since 2018, and before that, the interim WBC crown. This will be the fifth defense of her non-interim world title.

Rupprecht’s best win came against current IBF and WBO strawweight titleholder Yokasta Valle by unanimous decision for the interim WBC title in 2018.

This would be the second time Rupprecht has fought outside her native Germany as a pro and the first time in the United States. She defeated Yana Denisova in Russia in 2016.

Seniesa Estrada to Defend WBA Strawweight Title Against Jazmin Gala Villarino

Seniesa Estrada is going on the defensive…

The 30-year-old Mexican American boxer will defend her WBA strawweight title against Jazmin Gala Villarino in a co-feature bout on November 12, the first fight of her contract with Top Rank.

Seniesa EstradaEstrada (22-0, 9 KO) will be fighting for the first time in 2022.

She last fought on December 18, 2021, beating Maria Micheo Santizo by knockout in the fourth round in San Antonio.

This will be the second defense of her WBA belt after winning it from Anabel Ortiz in March 2021 by unanimous decision and then defending it against Santizo in December.

Villarino (6-1-2, 1 KO), from Argentina, has not lost since her debut in 2016 and beat Judith Vivanco by unanimous decision in her last fight in March. This will be Villarino’s debut in the United States. The exact location for the fight has not been announced.

Having fought the majority of her career in her native Argentina, her past two fights have taken place in Colombia and Mexico.

Seniesa Estrada Signs Multiyear Deal with Boxing Promotional Company Top Rank

Seniesa Estrada is switching promotional teams…

The 30-year-old Mexican American boxer, the WBA strawweight and WBO junior flyweight champion, has left Golden Boy and signed a multiyear deal with Top Rank.

Seniesa EstradaEstrada is the second female fighter to sign with Top Rank, joining Mikaela Mayer, who signed a three-year contract extension earlier this year.

“It’s awesome,” Estrada told ESPN. “It’s like, I’m excited to get back in the ring.”

Estrada’s first Top Rank fight will be later this year, with the possibility of being in November. She said her contract is similar in finances to that of Mayer, who signed a deal for seven figures over the length of the agreement.

Estrada said she and Mayer talked a lot about the financial side of their contracts — a first for Estrada in speaking with another fighter — and it gave her comfort in what she was asking for.

Mayer and Estrada have become friendly in recent months — Mayer even convinced Estrada to join Twitter in April — and now the two will be the main women’s faces for the same boxing promotion.

Money, Estrada said, was part of this. Golden Boy had been her initial high-level promoter and she had done well there, reaching a 22-0 record with nine knockouts — including a seven-second knockout of Miranda Adkins on July 24, 2020 that was the fastest in women’s boxing history.

Estrada, originally from East Los Angeles, had been an active fighter for much of her pro career other than longer breaks during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Estrada had hoped to be in the ring earlier this year — she was going to fight in August — but terms couldn’t be agreed upon.

Estrada said part of the reason for her departure from Golden Boy was “I wanted more money, what I felt I deserved.”

Estrada said she also spoke with Eddie Hearn at Matchroom Boxing when she sought a new promoter and almost went with the United Kingdom-based boxing promotion.

Hearn had given her a competitive offer, Estrada said, and the chance to main event and co-main event on DAZN cards. But Estrada said the Top Rank offer made more sense for her — in part because of the platform her fights would be on due to the deal between Top Rank and ESPN.

“Just the whole platform wise and exposure wise would be so much better for me so besides them giving me what I was happy with,” Estrada said. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to that. I’m excited about it.”

Estrada is also the rare women’s fighter who has fought a three-minute round fight as a professional — her technical decision win over Marlen Esparza on November 2, 2019 was a 10-round, three-minute-per-round contest that was stopped after the ninth round due to a cut Esparza suffered as part of an accidental head butt.

Estrada said Top Rank has told her she will often be the main event or co-main event on cards she is on. She also offers the promotion another chance to build fights in Los Angeles, where the No. 6 pound-for-pound fighter in ESPN’s ratings is a draw both because of her Mexican American heritage and because she grew up in and still lives in the area. The 5-foot-2 Estrada has fought 17 of her fights in California.

“That’s definitely something that they want, so I’m happy with that,” Estrada said. “Especially in L.A., they want to put on more shows here in L.A. and knowing that I’m from here, they are hoping I can be able to sell.

“…In L.A., definitely, yeah. I would like to get the chance to show that. That would be great.”