MGM Grand Garden Arena will celebrate its 100th fight card
The Sporting Tribune's Steve Carp writes about the venerable arena, which will host Tank Davis vs. Frank Martin Saturday night.
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1. MGM Grand Garden Arena will celebrate its 100th fight card
The Sporting Tribune's Steve Carp writes about the venerable arena, which will host Tank Davis vs. Frank Martin Saturday night.
We’ve seen banners raised for championship hockey teams and women’s basketball teams. For indoor soccer teams and minor league baseball teams.
Thursday, the folks at MGM gathered at the Grand Garden Arena to raise a banner — to themselves.
The facility, which opened in 1994 with the express purpose of taking the crown from Caesars Palace as Las Vegas’ mecca for boxing, will stage its 100th fight card Saturday night as Gervonta “Tank” Davis (29-0, 27 knockouts) will look to defend his WBA lightweight belt against undefeated Frank Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round contest.
Whether Davis-Martin makes its own special history, we’ll have to wait and see. But among those previous 99 fight cards staged in the Grand Garden, we’ve witnessed some of the best to lace up a pair of gloves.
Mike Tyson. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Manny Pacquiao. Oscar De La Hoya. Julio Cesar Chavez. Evander Holyfield. George Foreman. Canelo Alvarez. Miguel Cotto. Shane Mosley. Bernard Hopkins. The MGM could open its own Boxing Hall of Fame with all the greats that have graced its ring over the decades.
2. The Sporting Tribune’s 2024 MLB Mock Draft 1.0
The Sporting Tribune's Taylor Blake Ward gives his first version of the MLB Mock Draft.
Many ask why I wait until June to start writing mock drafts -- which is a pretty reasonable question. To keep it simple, there just isn't enough information about club's real interest in players until around this point in the draft, which is evidently later in the calendar than in years prior due to the draft date.
The rumor mill can start as early as it wants to and it's up to whomever will listen to the rumors as to how much they'll believe what they're told or hear. Though it remains a constant cycle of information (and misinformation), we are in the late stages of the grapevine chatter and getting into more concrete material. That comes with the caveat that it is still scuttlebutt, which doesn't merit fact.
Super Regionals are over and teams destined for Omaha have been decided. For the youngsters, they're sporting caps and gowns as opposed to ballcaps and stirrups. Most players have seen their seasons conclude with a few exceptions, whether on the collegiate or prep side, while some will head off to wood bat leagues before the draft.
3. Is Trevor Zegras Staying in Anaheim?
Trade rumors about the Ducks star are routinely rampant, but something feels different this time, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Danny Evans.
It’s Trevor Zegras trade rumor season again, but this time the rumors are quite a bit more ferocious. The following tweets were written Monday morning by a Montreal-based analyst for TSN, the Canadian sister station to ESPN.
The message here is not merely that this fan doesn’t want his precious Montreal Canadiens to trade either of their top prospects for Zegras; it’s that Zegras isn’t very good. He doesn’t “have what it takes.”
This is, of course, utter nonsense. We could present the statistics and video evidence that suffocate these ignorant and entirely biased claims, but why bother? Any discussion that begins with a failure to acknowledge Zegras’ remarkable gifts is a non-starter. There is no point in formulating a viable argument against some so blinded by his bias.
Still, there have been opportunities for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek to stomp out the incessant Zegras trade rumors, most notably last week when he was asked about them by Pierre LeBrun. Verbeek declined to answer any such questions and his silence is telling. Given his tendency to sign and draft big, powerful hockey players like Cutter Gauthier (six-foot-two, 189), Leo Carlsson (six-three, 194), and Sam Colangelo (six-two, 205), Zegras’ six-foot, 185-pound frame is an outlier.
Verbeek is constructing a team he expects to be very difficult to play against and Zegras, while incredibly skilled, literally doesn’t fit the mold of the aforementioned Ducks. Does Verbeek’s preferred player profile mean a smaller speedster like Zegras can’t coexist? Only Verbeek knows that answer, and he’s not telling.
4. Herbert praises Harbaugh, “It’s been an honor to play for him”
The Sporting Tribune's Fernando Ramirez on Justin Herbert being excited about playing under Jim Harbaugh.
What was attractive about the Los Angeles Chargers job opening last January was the chance to work with quarterback Justin Herbert.
In his first four seasons in the NFL, Herbert did not have continuity in the coaching staff. He has had three offensive coordinators in four seasons and two head coaches in four years.
Now that Jim Harbaugh is his new head coach, there could be continuity and winning, something that hasn’t happened much in his first four seasons.
“He’s done such a great job taking this team and getting them to where he wants them to go,” Herbert said. “He’s won wherever he’s at. He’s a guy that everyone wants to follow and play for.”
Harbaugh has won with Josh Johnson, Andrew Luck, Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, and JJ McCarthy. He has never had a quarterback like Herbert in the NFL.
Since OTA’s began, Harbaugh has had a veteran player stand up and speak to the team after practice. On the final day of minicamp, it was Herbert’s turn.
“If we’re going to be the team we want to be, it starts now,” Herbert told reporters later. “It’s starts when we’re on our own and having that level of loyalty and dedication and integrity.”
5. San Diego F.C. present excitement with Chucky Lozano signing
The Sporting Tribune's Fernando Ramirez on why the Chucky Lozano signing was a step in the right direction for San Diego FC
San Diego F.C. presented Mexican star forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano in front of over 10,000 fans at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on Thursday night.
He is the expansion team’s first designated player and was greeted by thundering cheers of “El Chucky Lozano,” a chant that he receives from Mexican fans worldwide.
Player presentations are not common outside of the world of football, but Lozano’s didn’t disappoint. Reggaeton artist Lunay performed before the Mexican star was presented. Then smoke, pyro, and fireworks lit up the sky as Lozano was showered with love from the San Diego FC fans.
6. McGregor out of UFC 303, Pereira vs. Procházka to headline
After sustaining an injury, Conor McGregor has pulled out of his scheduled bout against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Procházka will serve as the replacement headliner, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Max Nichol.
The MMA world has been ripe with confusion over the past two weeks. Following the culmination of UFC 302 in Newark, all eyes were set on the promotions next PPV event: a highly anticipated bout between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor. But, when a press-conference between the two fighters was unexpectedly canceled on less than twelve hours notice, it was clear that something was awry.
On June 3, the UFC announced that the McGregor-Chandler press conference set for the same day in McGregor’s home city of Dublin, Ireland, would be canceled without any news of rescheduling. Reports later came out that Michael Chandler was en-route to Dublin when he was given the news of the cancellation, forcing him to return to his home in Texas. This immediately raised concerns among the MMA community with suspicions that something had happened regarding Conor McGregor, and that the upcoming bout could potentially be in jeopardy.
7. Video of the Day
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8. Ticket Time
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
7:10 p.m. – Royals at Dodgers – $28
9. On the Air
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
4:30 p.m. – Sparks at Lynx – ION
7:10 p.m. – Royals at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
7:15 p.m. – Angels at Giants – Apple TV+
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher. You can also watch every Friday on BLEAV on FuboTV.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you Monday!