This Sunday the Mexican Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez added one more achievement in his career within Formula 1 and with the third place in the Grand Prix of Mexico. Checo already has 25 podiums in his career in the highest category of motorsport.
The Czech phenomenon is wonderful. Mexico has always found in sport an escape to feel pride; Hugo Sánchez and his glories at Real Madrid; Fernando Valenzuela and his exploits in the Dodgers, and Julio Cesar Chávez, who filled the Angel of Independence when he fought.
Recently, Saúl Álvarez, Julio Urías and Checo are the ones who move, among other great athletes, the passion of the Mexican.
The Mexico City Grand Prix is great for our country and Mexico City. Full hotels, restaurants with maximum occupancy and an economic spill difficult to calculate. But not only is the economic, it is to reach all corners of the world teaching our nation.
This is how we will play next week, at a lower level, but with great pride. The world of boxing will gather in Acapulco to celebrate the 60th Annual Convention of the WBC. A host of champions, promoters, commissioners and officials representing the 170 affiliated countries will be arriving at the port for an intense week.
This past Saturday there was again great boxing activity in various rings. Again we could witness the power of women with two billboards in which they were the star fight. In England, Katie Taylor retained her world lightweight championships, defeating Argentina’s Karen Carbajal by unanimous decision.
In Mexico City, Yamileth Mercado retained her WBC super bantamweight title, beating Mariana Juárez.
In New York, Vasily Lomachenko returned; he achieved a unanimous victory against Jamaine Ortiz, winning the lightweight championship of the North American Boxing Federation, affiliated to the WBC.
Finally, in Phoenix, there was a fight that managed to attract the attention of millions of boxing fans, but more than that, ordinary individuals who follow in the footsteps of influencer Jake Paul.
This controversial youtuber, who found in boxing a passion and has dedicated himself body and soul to practicing this difficult sport, achieved his sixth victory in the professional field against the legendary former UFC champion, Anderson Silva.
Paul is controversial, many see him expecting him to lose and be ridiculed, but, to his surprise, he wins. On Saturday he showed that he is a real fighter. What he does outside the ring is his problem, but within stringing he has earned the respect of the boxing community.
Did you know…?
There have always been boxing matches involving celebrities from other sports or entertainment. The first of this kind occurred in Tokyo, when Muhammad Ali fought in 15 rounds against the recently deceased Antonio Inoki, who spent the entire fight lying on the canvas, throwing kicks, to end in a draw!
Cowboys star Ed Jones had six professional fight wins and retired; José Canseco, the baseball home run, got in the ring and received a beating leaving him without wanting to return; The Hollywood actor, Mickey Rourke, made several fights in Japan filling the arenas of his fans and so the story goes that there will always be interest in getting in the ring by personalities from other fields.
Today’s anecdote
Well, let’s continue with anecdotes of conventions. In 1988, in Mexico City, a big event was held. Don King brought Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, who was at the time the world heavyweight champion. Having them in Mexico was like a dream. After the opening ceremony at the defunct Hotel Aristos, the trucks left for the traditional Arroyo Restaurant.
In a truck came King, Tyson, Ali, Ratón Macías, Julio Cesar Chávez, Mantequilla Nápoles and more champions and members of the governing board, along with my dad. It turns out that the truck driver liked the bofe; I was a big fan and couldn’t believe what I was experiencing. Suddenly a taxi closes and they make words, because they get off to give themselves, and with the truncheon of the monarchs, the rooster of the truck put the black eye to the taxi driver!
That same day, when I arrived in Arroyo, my dad told me: “Mijito, I’ll charge Ali with you. Wait for me here, I’m going to put Tyson on his table and come back, because the crowd is pressuring you.” Obedient, I stood next to the greatest in history, who tells me that he is very hungry; innocently, I see a large pork crackling typical of Arroyo, cut a large piece and give it to him. After three bites, as I chewed and enjoyed that Mexican delicacy, he asks me “what is this?” Pig,” I reply, and he starts spitting and carving his mouth with his hand. I didn’t know that Muslims didn’t eat pork… Ali, seeing my great concern, hugged me and told me there was no problem…. To close with that historic day, all attendees went to the bullring of the restaurant, and some of the champions went down to the ring.
There, Don Chucho Arroyo taught Tyson how cockfights are, and he became a rooster against El Ratón Macías. Everything was joy until a door opened and from there came a heifer, began to jog, actually she was small and looked weak, but Tyson saw her ran and hit a spectacular jump reaching the grandstand and getting to safety.
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