Tokyo Olympics 2021

Andres Cortes will return to action on this Friday’s Top Rank card, facing Luis Melendez on the prelims of the Navarrete vs Wilson show in Glendale, Ariz., and says that while he’s not looking past that fight, he and his team do have their sights set on bigger names in 2023.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to showcase my skills against a seasoned fighter like Melendez,” said Cortes. “He’s a young, hungry fighter with a lot of heart. He’s never been stopped and has nothing to lose. I believe that I have what it takes to come out on top, and I’m ready to prove it to the world.”

The 24-year-old Melendez (17-2, 13 KO) was last seen in May 2022, losing a majority decision to Eduardo Ramirez in Brooklyn, but had a solid win over Thomas Mattice in late 2021 on another Top Rank card, and is the sort of tricky opponent who can trip up a fighter like Cortes (18-0, 10 KO).

That said, the 25-year-old Cortes has put in good work on Top Rank undercards the last couple of years, and is steadily moving his way up the ladder at 130.

“I’ve been working hard and improving with every fight,” he added. “My main focus is on Melendez, its not going to be an easy fight, but I’m coming out victorious. I’m ready to take on the best in the division and prove that I belong among the elite fighters. I’m not afraid of anyone, I believe in my abilities, and I know that I can beat any fighter in the division.”

Luis Cortes, Andres’ brother, manager, and trainer, said they wanted to be the ones to replace Oscar Valdez in Friday’s matchup with Emanuel Navarrete, a call that instead went to Liam Wilson.

“We are on a mission to fight the best in the world,” said Luis. “We sought to replace Valdez for the Navarrete fight, but his team chose the easier unknown Australian guy. Emanuel Navarrete, Oscar Valdez, Shakur Stevenson, or any other big name, we want them all in 2023. Melendez is going to be a tough fight and that is where our focus is. But I want to let it be known that we feel we are ready for anyone in the division.”

It should be noted that Navarrete and Valdez were set to meet for the WBO’s vacant title at 130 lbs, and with that belt still on the line, Navarrete and Top Rank had to find the next available and willing ranked contender. Wilson is ranked No. 3 contender by the WBO — behind Archie Sharp and Valdez — while Cortes is not in their top 15, which means he was never in the running to be considered for that fight with the belt at stake.

Here is a list of rackets I would suggest. Like you, I have been searching for that extra edge to my game over the years and found these to suit. That aside, I find that going with a lighter racket generally detracts from power output and the distance of your shots, which is the exact opposite of what you wanted to achieve here. For example, I struggle with using anything lighter than a 3U in both singles and doubles for both offensive play and deep defensive play. The only scenario I would use a 4U is for fast defense up to midcourt. I can’t imagine anyone using a 5U-7U for anything half serious for that matter.

1. Voltric Z-Force 2 3U
This is difficult to use, and hitting feedback is lacking, but if you are strong and fit on a regular basis, this is the ultimate “A” option for producing massive hits and 10m+ punch clears to the ceiling. Don’t be frightened off by reviews which say the racket is stiff ; the shaft is actually thin and somewhat flexible unlike some of the others mentioned below.

2. Victor Thruster TK-9000 3U
Easy power generation and very comfortable, the shaft on these is great, however obtaining one today might be difficult. The newer TK-9900 might be a similar alternative. Another “A” option.

3. Voltric DG10
A more backhand friendly, but similar alternative to the ZF2

4. Apacs Virtuoso Performance (labelled as a 3U but in reality this weighs like a 3.5U @ 89-92.Xg with grip).
If you want a conventional 4U thats somewhat easy to use, I would recommend this, but I find it lacking in the smash-kill department, though you could sustain consecutive smashes without much exertion if that is what your game plan is.

5. Yonex Nanoray Z Speed 2U
This is arguably, the stiffest shaft among Yonex rackets, and the racket is not head heavy, but even balanced. It is not easy to generate power, but can produce some of the biggest hits with a perfect string and tension setup. Note, v.stiff shaft but flexible head portion, great for stick smashes or snappy whippy shots.

6. Yonex Duora Strike 2U
Same as #5 except that the shaft is shorter, but thicker, and the forehand side hits noticably differently and the head shape is not a compact quad, but a regular isometric.

*note: #5 & 6 I do not recommend, but are included for the sake of comparison, or if your insanely fit (semi-athlete level).

If I were to hit a punch clear or a baseline smash, end to end from the same spot cycling across these rackets, the difference from best racket to worst is as follows:
-Distance wise, the hardest hitting options land clears about +3m outside the court ; +1.5 – 2m for the “A options” and around the second baseline for #3 & #4.
-For baseline smashes end to end, both the hardest hitting and “A” options tend to land between the first baseline and second with the difference being that it in actual games, it is noticiably easier to land 1 hit smash kills with #5 and #6 than say #1 and #2. #3 and #4 don’t have any much threat or weight in the smash department unfortunately….

 

Leeds have completed the loan signing of Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie until the end of the season.

More to follow…

Analysis: McKennie would suit Premier League

Sky Sports’ European expert Andy Brassell:

“Juventus need to make money. They’ve had a big wage bill for a long time. Weston McKennie is a player who has done pretty well for them but he’s not an absolute key player.

“He looks like a player who would do well in the Premier League. Then you look at the American connection and you can understand the Leeds link. It’s not only them who are interested.

“He’s got a great engine, he’s proved he can score goals as well. He’s been developing at Juventus. I think he’d be an interesting signing.”

Follow the January Deadline Day with Sky Sports

Who will be on the move on Deadline Day? The January transfer window closes at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Tuesday January 31, 2023.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.

Ilia Sulamanidze (21) won the Grand Prix in Portugal and rose steady as number one of the IJF World Ranking in the U100kg weight category. Lukas Krpalek of the Czech Republic earned himself 350 points towards Olympic qualification with a bronze medal, placing him in 84th place. Korean Lee Joonwhan reached 8th place in the U81kg class after his victory. Brazilian Heavyweight Rafael Silva (35) won bronze, moving up from 9th to 7th in the World Ranking. Mongolian Odkhuu advanced from 8th to 7th even with his bronze medal.

Spanish lightweight Fran Garrigos moved up from 5th to 4th position in the World Ranking thanks to his silver medal in Almada. Obidkhon Nomonov of Uzbekistan won gold U73kg, allowing him to jump from 12th to 7th in the World Ranking. Daikii Bouba was awarded with silver at the Masters in Jerusalem and bronze in Almada, leading him to 10th place in the World Ranking U66kg, where An Baul is now 6th after his silver medal in Portugal.

Mimi Huh (20) of Korea won gold and moved from 9th to 5th in the World Ranking U57kg, defeating world champion Rafaela Silva (BRA) in the final who is now third in the World Ranking. Another Korean winner, Kim Hayun, won the heavyweight gold medal and was awarded 700 points, giving her a 7th place ranking in the WRL.

British Chelsie Giles enjoys a leading position in U52kg and further solidified it with another 700 points.

Portuguese winner Barbara Timo (31) secured 10th place in her category U63kg after winning the gold medal on Saturday. Her teammate Rochele Nunes (33) took silver in the heavyweight division, moving up from 11th to 9th.

Aiofe Coughlan won her first Grand Prix outside Oceania and gained 700 points, jumping from 11th to 8th place. Kazach winner Abiba Abuzhakynova of Kazakhstan moved from 8th to 6th in the top 10 for lightweights.

The next event is the Grand Slam of Paris with 1000 points up for grabs for the 14 winners.Spanish lightweight Fran Garrigos moved up from 5th to 4th position in the World Ranking thanks to his silver medal in Almada. Obidkhon Nomonov of Uzbekistan won gold U73kg, allowing him to jump from 12th to 7th in the World Ranking. Daikii Bouba was awarded with silver at the Masters in Jerusalem and bronze in Almada, leading him to 10th place in the World Ranking U66kg, where An Baul is now 6th after his silver medal in Portugal.

Mimi Huh (20) of Korea won gold and moved from 9th to 5th in the World Ranking U57kg, defeating world champion Rafaela Silva (BRA) in the final who is now third in the World Ranking. Another Korean winner, Kim Hayun, won the heavyweight gold medal and was awarded 700 points, giving her a 7th place ranking in the WRL. British Chelsie Giles enjoys a leading position in U52kg and further solidified it with another 700 points. Portuguese winner Barbara Timo (31) secured 10th place in her category U63kg after winning the gold medal on Saturday. Her teammate Rochele Nunes (33) took silver in the heavyweight division, moving up from 11th to 9th. Aiofe Coughlan won her first Grand Prix outside Oceania and gained 700 points, jumping from 11th to 8th place. Kazach winner Abiba Abuzhakynova of Kazakhstan moved from 8th to 6th in the top 10 for lightweights. The next event is the Grand Slam of Paris with 1000 points up for grabs for the 14 winners.