Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson will start the Mexico City Grand Prix today (Sunday) from last position after his car was found to be in violation of the technical rules following qualifying yesterday (Saturday).
The New Zealand driver actually received a penalty for falling one place, starting from ninth place instead of eighth after colliding with Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen, during the testing sessions.
Lawson also apologized to four-time world champion Verstappen, who also received a penalty of falling one place from fourth to fifth for his role in the collision.
Lawson told reporters before being excluded: “I went to see Max to apologize to him. I certainly never intended to bump into him. “It is definitely not good for both of us, so yes, I will learn from this experience in the future.”
Verstappen criticized his former Red Bull teammate after the accident that occurred last Friday, questioning Lawson's wisdom. He pointed out that his behavior was unwise, especially since the New Zealand driver's future in Formula 1 was not guaranteed.
“In the end, only Max knows how he feels,” Lawson said. Like I said, it was never my intention to bump into him. “So I apologize for that.”
With his future in 2027 still uncertain, the 24-year-old said he is focused on making the most of his remaining opportunities.
He said: “(Formula 1) is a difficult sport, so I try to do my best. “I try to score points in every race I can.”
Mexican boxing legend Saul “Canelo” Alvarez regained the World Boxing Council super-middleweight title, after defeating Frenchman Cristian Mbelle by unanimous decision of the judges, in the main fight hosted by the “Kingdom Arena” in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, at dawn on Sunday, after a confrontation that extended to 12 rounds that witnessed French supremacy in periods of the first half, before the Mexican boxer imposed his experience and control in the decisive rounds, and returned to the world podium after losing his titles to the American Terrence Crawford 13 months ago.
The dream of Mbele, the interim World Boxing Council super-middleweight title holder (less than 76.203 kilograms), evaporated after he was unable to overcome the experience of Alvarez, who managed the fight competently and decided it in his favor on points.
In the presence of thousands of fans, led by Counselor Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Entertainment Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation, and elite football stars and officials, the three referees decided the result of the confrontation in favor of Alvarez with scores of 115 vs. 112, 116 vs. 111, and 117 vs. 110, making the 36-year-old Mexican world super-middleweight champion for the third time, after a performance in which he relied on the accuracy of rebound punches, smart movement inside the ring, and the ability to Dealing with the offensive pressure that his French rival was famous for.
Alvarez was deeply affected after the announcement of the result, after he returned to his possession one of the world belts that he had collected throughout his career spanning more than two decades, and he found it difficult to express his feelings in front of the members of his team who surrounded him to celebrate the victory.
“It is very difficult to explain this feeling, very difficult to describe,” Canelo said. It's unbelievable. It feels like my first title. Now, after 20 or 21 years of professionalism, and 16 years after winning my first world title, here I am winning the title again.”
The Mexican boxer's words came to reflect the importance of victory at a different stage in his career, after he lost the undisputed world championship to Crawford in Las Vegas 13 months ago, and entered the confrontation with Riyadh as a challenger for the title for the first time since 2022, in a test that pitted him against a younger champion who possesses physical strength and the ability to throw a large number of punches.
Alvarez thanked his coaching team, and specifically mentioned Eddy Reynoso and Tchipo Reynoso, who accompanied him during important stages of his career, saying: “I am very proud of my team. Eddy Reynoso and Tchipo Reynoso, who made me the person I am today and made me the champion I have become. Thank you so much for everything, Eddie.”
He also thanked his family in Mexico, before the interviewer joked with him that his wife warned him not to return home without the championship belt, to which he responded with a smile: “I won that title!”
When he was asked if he would change anything about his performance during the twelve rounds, his answer was brief and decisive: “No, I gave a perfect performance.”
The confrontation began with a calculated rhythm from both sides, after Mbele entered the ring first, despite entering as the defending champion, wearing red pants and a black shirt, before Alvarez appeared among his team and accompanied by the Mexican artist Tito Double B, in an entry that was characterized by calm compared to the celebratory performances that he used to present before his major fights.
The start of the confrontation was preceded by a ceremony playing the national anthems of Saudi Arabia, France and Mexico, before referee Hector Avo gave his final instructions to the boxers.
In the first round, Alvarez imposed his presence in the middle of the ring, and appeared calmer and more precise in choosing his strikes, taking advantage of his lateral movements and directing quick combinations of punches, including a powerful left hook, while Mbele needed time to enter the atmosphere of the confrontation.
CompuBox statistics revealed that the Mexican succeeded in landing ten punches out of 24 attempts during the opening round, compared to seven successful punches by the Frenchman out of 43 attempts, which reflects Alvarez’s superiority in accuracy despite his opponent’s more numerous attempts.
But Mbele began to regain his rhythm in the second round, after he increased the rate of offensive punches and succeeded in reaching his opponent more, while Alvarez relied on choosing the appropriate moments to deliver single strikes, in a close round in which the advantage tended to the Frenchman.
Mbele continued to improve during the third round, benefiting from his ability to combine punches and continuous pressure that pushed Alvarez to the ropes in some periods, but the Mexican showed clear skill in escaping from tight corners and moving away from danger areas, while maintaining the accuracy of his strikes.
The fourth round witnessed a continuation of the close competition, after the Frenchman focused on body strikes and increased the intensity of his attack, while Alvarez seemed relatively comfortable in the defensive position, but he did not throw a sufficient number of offensive punches, relying on evasion and searching for an opportunity to deliver an effective counterattack.
Mbili finished the round strongly, taking advantage of his speed and activity, but the Mexican maintained his presence through more precise strikes, in a confrontation that began to reveal a clear difference between two styles. One is based on intensity of attack and constant pressure, and the other is based on economy of movement and good choice of punch.
In the fifth round, Mbele returned to the offensive initiative, and succeeded in keeping Alvarez under pressure through successive sets of punches, while the two sides exchanged body blows without either of them being able to make a decisive shift in the course of the fight.
By the sixth round, Alvarez began to impose his style more clearly, after he presented a balanced defensive and offensive performance, taking advantage of his ability to fight while retreating, and to deliver accurate counter-blows that stopped his opponent’s rush.
The fight reached its midpoint amid a great convergence in level, as the unofficial card awarded both boxers 57 points after six rounds, an indication of the rivalry that preceded the decisive shift in the second half.
The seventh round came to announce the beginning of the Mexican's clear superiority, after he presented his best moments in the confrontation, and his stronger counter punches began to have a tangible impact on Mbele.
Alvarez succeeded in delivering a quick set of blows near the ropes, concluding with a strong upward punch with his right hand that directly hit his opponent and upset his balance, in one of the most prominent technical moments during the fight.
In the eighth round, the confrontation witnessed an arbitration decision that sparked controversy, after referee Hector Avo deducted a point from Mbele's score for directing a punch to the back of Alvarez's head, following protests from the Mexican boxer.
Alvarez also had an additional stop during the round, which disrupted the French champion's rhythm, and raised questions about the impact of refereeing decisions on the course of the confrontation, which was still close at that stage.
After deducting the point, the difference in the unofficial card widened to 77 versus 74 in favor of Alvarez at the end of the eighth round, after the Mexican benefited from his technical progress and the penalty imposed on his opponent.
In the ninth round, the attacking pressure that Mbele was famous for decreased noticeably, and Alvarez became able to impose the rhythm that suits him, after the intensity of the punches that gave the Frenchman an advantage in some of the first rounds had almost disappeared.
The Mexican took advantage of this decline to continue collecting points, at a time when Mbile seemed unable to regain the initiative or impose the physical confrontation he needed to overturn the result.
In the tenth round, Alvarez presented a technical display characterized by confidence and calm, using the front punch accurately, and directing calculated counter-blows, with short and effective movements that kept him out of the range of his opponent’s punches whenever he tried to advance.
The Mexican's experience was clear in managing distances and controlling the course of the fight, after he succeeded in reading Mbele's movements and anticipating his offensive attempts, entering the final two rounds with a comfortable lead.
In the eleventh round, Alvarez continued his control, while the Frenchman was unable to find technical solutions that would restore his superiority.
American coach Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, well-known in boxing circles, commented on Mbele’s performance, saying: “Mbele is lucky because this is not the Canelo we saw between 2018 and 2021, otherwise the fight would have already ended with him being stopped.”
He added that the French boxer did not perform well, considering that he overthought inside the ring at the expense of implementing his usual offensive style.
As the twelfth and final round began, Mbele needed a knockout to save his title, but he did not show the rush expected from a boxer who built his reputation on continuous pressure and attacking his opponents without stopping.
On the other hand, Alvarez seemed ready to receive and respond to his rival's attacks, and even left him spaces to advance, but the Frenchman remained hesitant to engage in strong exchanges, so the confrontation ended without a shift in the balance of control.
The unofficial card gave Alvarez the victory with a score of 117 to 110, which is the same result recorded by one of the official judges, while the other two cards came with a smaller margin, but they all confirmed the Mexican’s right to the crown.
Thus, Alvarez completed his return to the international podiums from Riyadh, after he succeeded in overcoming a younger competitor, and regained the World Boxing Council super-middleweight belt, adding a new chapter to a career that spanned more than twenty years and witnessed him winning world titles in four different weight categories.
Mexican boxer Jaime Munguia retained his World Boxing Association super-middleweight title, after defeating Russian Nikita Zohn by unanimous consent of the judges, in the most prominent fights in support of the international evening hosted by the “The Avenue” hall in the “Kingdom Arena” in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, amid the presence of a large audience led by Counselor Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Saudi Entertainment Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation.
The confrontation, which lasted for 12 rounds, witnessed dramatic fluctuations, after Munguia found himself in danger of losing his title in the sixth round, when his Russian opponent launched a violent attack with a series of powerful punches that shook the Mexican champion’s balance, and almost forced the referee to stop the fight, before he succeeded in overcoming the most difficult moments and regaining control during the second half of the confrontation.
Munguia decided the fight with a unanimous decision from the judges, who awarded him victory with scores of 116 to 112, and 117 to 111 twice, to retain his world belt despite the great difficulties he faced against his Russian competitor, who fought the confrontation without a previous defeat in his professional career.
Munguia, 30 years old, entered the ring with a record of 46 victories versus two defeats, including 35 by knockout, after he snatched the title from Armando Resendez last May, while Zone entered the confrontation with a record of 12 victories and one draw, including ten victories by knockout, in his first professional appearance outside Russia.
The excitement reached its peak in the sixth round, when Zone hit his opponent with a series of successive blows, and statistics recorded that the Russian landed 65 punches, 28 of which hit the target, compared to 18 successful punches for Munguia out of 54 attempts. Referee Tony Weeks' intervention also sparked controversy after he separated the two boxers at a moment when the Mexican champion seemed close to falling, giving him additional time to regain his balance.
After the confrontation, Munguia admitted that he committed defensive errors during the sixth round, after he rushed offensively and left spaces that his opponent exploited, stressing that what happened represented an important lesson in his career. He gave himself a rating of between six and seven out of ten for his performance, expressing his happiness at retaining the title despite the difficulties he faced.
In another confrontation for one of the world belts, Mexican Rafael Espinosa retained the World Boxing Organization featherweight title, after he defeated Ricardo Blandon by technical knockout in the third round, after his opponent suffered a wound above the eye as a result of a punch that prevented him from continuing the fight.
Thus, Espinosa raised his professional record to 29 victories without defeat, including 25 victories by knockout, continuing his career without losses, although the decision to stop the confrontation came early in the eyes of British coverage.
Japanese Rito Tsutsumi also continued his ideal start in the professional world, after he defeated Mexican Raymundo Rojas by stopping the fight in the second round, following a series of strong left punches that forced the referee to end the confrontation two minutes and 27 seconds after it began in that round.
The Japanese boxer raised his tally to six consecutive victories without defeat, confirming his presence among the rising names in world boxing.
Saudi boxer Sultan Al-Muhammad recorded a successful presence in the evening, after he defeated his competitor, Eric Villegas, by unanimous decision of the judges, adding a new victory for the Saudi participation in a night that witnessed the presence of a group of boxers from different continents.
In other fights, Filipino Carl James Martin was able to defeat Mexican David Picasso by a split decision from the judges, after a close confrontation that witnessed great competition between the two parties.
Cuban Brian Leon also defeated Mexican Hector Aguirre on points after eight rounds, while Mexican Emiliano Rojo Vazquez succeeded in ending his confrontation with Romanian Flavius Peella in the fourth round.
Kazakhstani Bek Nurmagambet achieved one of the quickest victories of the evening, after knocking down his Mexican opponent Marcos Vasquez twice during the first round, before deciding the fight by knockout just three seconds before the end of the round.
These results paved the way for the main confrontation between Canelo and Mbele, in an evening that witnessed fights for world belts, victories by knockout, and close arbitration decisions, in addition to successful Saudi participation, in the presence of a number of the most prominent names in international boxing.
