A gallant and gutsy performance from Jon Ryder was not enough to beat Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez in front of more than 50,000 people in Guadalajara, Mexico.
A bruised and bloodied Ryder lost by unanimous decision in a heroic effort against one of the world’s best fighters in front of a raucous crowd at Akron Stadium.
The judges scored the fight 120-107 on one card and 118-109 on the other two to improve Canelo’s record to 59-2-2 in his first fight in Mexico since 2011.
Both fighters used the first two rounds to feel each other before a Canelo jab caused blood to pour from Ryder’s nose.
Canelo then knocked down Ryder with a clean one-two in the fourth round and it looked ominous for the 34-year-old from Islington.
But he got back up and fought through the 12 rounds, coping vicious punches throughout the fight while spitting blood from his mouth but held on until the last bell.
Ryder had previously lost five career fights to Billy Joe Saunders, Nick Blackwell, Jack Arnfield, Rocky Fielding, and the most recent being Callum Smith in 2019 by unanimous decision.
The loss ended his four-fight win streak with his record now sitting at 32-6.
Jamaican club Frazsiers Whip blanked 5-0 by Mexico's CF Monterrey in Women's Champions Cup
Jamaican club Frazsiers Whip were handed a second-consecutive 0-5 defeat in Group A of the 2024/25 Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup, this time at the hands of Mexico’s CF Monterrey Femenil at Estadio BBVA in Mexico on Thursday.
After losing their opening matches, both Frazsiers Whip, who lost 0-5 to Costa Rican club Alajuelense, and Monterrey, who lost 0-4 to UANL, went in search of their first three points, and it came as no surprise that the spoils went to the Mexicans.
The tournament was always expected to be a tough one for Frazsiers Whip as Jamaica’s women’s league is woefully lacking in resources and quality when compared to others in the Concacaf region.
Lucía Garcia opened the scoring for Monterrey in the 15th before Carol Cazarez added another when she headed home in the 32nd.
Still, Frazsiers Whip, the Caribbean’s lone representative in the tournament, fought on and almost pulled one back in the 34th, but Davia Richards’ well-struck free kick came back off the crossbar.
From there, the host regained their momentum and extended the lead in the 51st courtesy of Marcela Restrepo, who fired home from Jermaine Seoposenwe’s assist.
Restrepo completed her brace in the 66th when she converted from close range after being allowed too much space deep inside the 18-yard box.
Monterrey’s captain Rebeca Bernal then capped her team’s first win of the tournament in the 87th when she lashed home from Ana Martinez’s cross.
With the win, Monterrey joined fellow Mexican club UANL, Alajuelense, and NWSL side NJ/NY Gotham FC on three points, with Frazsiers Whip the only team in the group yet to get on the board.
The St Catherine-based club will next host Tigres UANL Femenil on September 18 at Jamaica’s National Stadium.
Meanwhile, Monterrey’s next challenge will be against Gotham FC on September 19 at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.
Ngamba makes Olympics history as IOC refugee team set for first medal
Cindy Ngamba etched her name in history after guaranteeing a first medal for the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris.
The Britain-based boxer overcame French hope Davina Michel by a unanimous points decision to reach the 75kg semi-finals on Sunday.
With no third-place bouts at the Games, Ngamba is set for at least a bronze medal even if she loses to Panama's Atheyna Bylon on Thursday.
Having led the Refugee Team as the flagbearer at the opening ceremony just over a week ago, Ngamba secured another piece of history here – though the Cameroon-born fighter is intent on not finishing just yet.
"It means the world to me, to be the first ever refugee to win a medal," Ngamba said.
"I'm just a human, just like any other refugee, athlete and refugee all around the world. But I hope I can change the medal in my next fight.
"I was fighting a very tough opponent today. A lot of people were not cheering for me. But I listened to my team, I listened to my coaches and I listened to myself.
"I stuck to the tactics and I stayed calm and composed. I'm happy that I got the job done. Hopefully, in the next one, I will also get the job done. No, not hopefully. I will get it done."
Ngamba became the first refugee athlete to make the Olympics boxing tournament in May, and the first in any sport to earn a place in the Games by qualification rather than selection.
The 25-year-old was born in Cameroon but moved to England in 2009, though is unable to return to her homeland because she is homosexual, which remains a criminal offence in the country.
Team GB have supported her citizenship application but to no avail, leading Ngamba to represent the International Olympic Committee's refugee team in the French capital.
Young Reggae Boyz blanked 3-0 by Cuba to end Concacaf U-20 Champs pointless
Jamaica’s young Reggae Boyz ended their failed Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship campaign without a goal or a point after a 0-3 loss to Cuba in their final Group A fixture at the Estadio Leon in Mexico on Friday.
With the victory, Cuba finished third in the group on four points and booked their spot in the quarterfinal round as one of the two best third-place teams. They join group winners United States, who finished with maximum nine points following their 1-0 win over runners-up Costa Rica (four points).
The Jamaicans were again undone by poor defending and a lack of offensive intent, which basically summed up their presence in the tournament, as they showed very little quality from the start.
In fact, they had a slim opportunity to bring their campaign to life but needed to beat Cuba to make it possible. Instead, it was the Spanish-speaking Caribbean team that marched on, as Michael Camejo dazzled Jamaica’s defence with nippy footwork before firing home in the 35th minute.
Cuba doubled their lead in the 42nd courtesy of David Perez, who capitalised on a defensive error.
Romain Blake got Jamaica’s lone attempt on target in the 47th, but was denied by Yurdy Hodelin.
Karel Pérez then wrapped up victory for Cuba when he converted from the penalty spot in the 86th.
Cuba will face the Group B winner, Honduras, in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, United States, through an all-important strike from Nikolas Tsakiris, his second of the tournament, saw off 10-man Costa Rica.
After Aiden Harangi’s early effort was denied by the crossbar, Tsakiris then found the game’s solitary goal in the 37th to ensure three-time champions United States remained unbeaten heading into the knockout stage.
Costa Rica lost Alberth Barahona to a straight red card in the 50th minute.
United States, the reigning champions, will square off against the best third-place team from either Group B or C in the quarterfinal.
Elsewhere, Canada and Honduras also booked their spots in the quarterfinal after contrasting 2-1 and 5-2 victories over El Salvador and Dominican Republic in their final Group B encounters at the Sergio Leon Chavez Stadium.
Both Canada and Honduras ended on seven points each, but the latter secured top spot by virtue of a superior goal difference.
Canada await the runner-up of Group C.
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