#Eric Sosa

[swagcoolcat]

Different Superstore Characters and Their Autism

(These are all headcanons)

(some have canon support)

Dina

* Strong Points

* Math

* To the point of being able to do basic math in her head

* 198+535? Give her 5 seconds.

* Math always came easy to her

* Music

* Learned guitar very quickly

* Also can play piano

* She’s a very skilled singer despite never having lessons

* Speaking

* Dina is really good at keeping her voice and her words clear. She knows how to get her point across. Even when under stress, she usually doesn’t crack.

* Weak Points

* Social cues

* She’s not bothered by this, and she doesn’t care. It’s not her fault neurotypical bitches make things so complicated.

* Pop culture

* She does, however, know the most random niche information, and is appalled when others don’t also know the random trivia she knows.

* Takes everything so literally

* Her response to Jonah’s “soon we’re gonna have to pee in bottles” during Curbside Pickup comes to mind

* She’s also bad with common phrases

* “I don’t like you spreading lies about fish!”

* Doesn’t seem to recognize how dangerous some things are

* Or how fragile humans are

* Sense of direction

* This bothers her a ton because she feels like she SHOULD have a good sense of direction, but even though she’s lived in St Louis her whole life, she still needs a GPS to get the vast majority of places.

* Yums

* Sorting things, specifically by color

* Anything that isn’t sorted by color when she buys it is sorted by color no later than an hour after it’s purchased

* Eye contact

* She actually aggressively likes eye contact lol

* Socks

* Icks

* Physical affection

* She only sometimes tolerates it, depending on who it’s from

* She’s somewhat okay with being touched, but she doesn’t particularly enjoy it

* Changes in routine

* Includes things like having to buy a new Halloween costume, or having to get new pens (both canon instances)

* High pitched noises

* A lot of noises actually

* Masking

* Does not bother masking most times

* She does it so rarely that it’s very obvious when she is masking

* Stims

* Making noises vocally

* Jumping

* Waving her arms

* Twirling pens or knives in her fingers

* Special Interests (past and present)

* Birds

* Security

* Knives

* Music from the 1940s-1960s

* Coping Mechanisms

* Sex

* Hitting and breaking things

* Driving

* Yelling at people

* Other details

* Low empathy

* Strong sense of right and wrong

* Usually this is in a rule sense, but there are a few cases where her morals don’t align with rules, and she breaks them to stick with said morals.

* Biggest example in my opinion is her efforts to keep Mateo from getting detained

* Undiagnosed

* She’s the most likely to have a diagnosis, but probably still undiagnosed

* Blunt

* Cares a lot for animals

* Especially any type of bird

Jonah

* Strong Points

* Vocabulary

* He has a large vocabulary and prides himself on knowing a lot of words

* (He’s so annoying about it sometimes too- he’s just like me FOR REAL)

* This exercise is teaching me I’m more like Jonah than I thought lol

* You’d think with this he’d be able to get his point across well but you’d be wrong

* Vibe Check ??

* (Sorry I couldn’t think of a better way to put it)

* He just is really good about knowing when something is off

* Does he handle the situation well when something is off? Totally depends.

* Weak Points

* Bad at reading social cues

* In denial over his struggles with reading them, thinking he’s great at it, when in fact he’s exactly the opposite

* Implying he’s bad at reading social clues will offend him

* Auditory processing issues

* Tends to give too many details

* Specifically about pieces of media, he’ll share a bit too much. He’s not good at giving a quick synopsis.

* He’s just like me for real

* He’s so fucking impulsive

* HE CAME TO WORK IN RETAIL IN A COMPLETELY SEPARATE STATE ON A WHIM

* AND HE ONLY CAME THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE HE WANTED A SNACK LMAO

* Has some insomnia

* Very bad at staying on topic sometimes

* The way he’ll just randomly start talking about something else in the series? Canon. Canon.

* Speaking in general

* If he doesn’t think very carefully before he speaks, he will stutter. Even if he does think carefully, there’s a chance he’ll stutter anyway.

* He’s. Just. Like. Me. For. Real.

* Yums

* Loves physical affection

* To the point of pushing it, and not noticing when it’s too much

* He gives hugs a lot

* He and Amy are very much the loves affection x doesn’t like affection that much.

* He enjoys changes in his routine

* He would literally reorganize an entire house if given the opportunity, he loves change

* Unless it’s initiated by literally anyone else, but he likes to initiate changes often

* Socks

* Icks

* Loud noises

* RSD

* This isn’t necessarily an ick but he wants people to like him SO bad so I guess people not liking him is an ick

* Masking

* He cannot stop masking

* He doesn’t realize he’s masking, but he was raised to mask his entire life, so it’s just normal to him

* He is always exhausted because of this

* He always seems uncomfy when he’s not masking

* Stims

* Moving his hands or arms in any way

* Twirling pens

* Repeating words

* Tapping his fingers

* Pacing

* Special Interests (past and present)

* The Americans

* Politics

* Musical Theatre

* Constellations

* Horses

* Coping Mechanisms

* Comfort shows

* Talking about it

* Or yelling if he needs to

* Quiet alone time

* Cooking for others

* Other details

* Feels the need to prove himself constantly

* Out of the three, Jonah probably had the worst upbringing specifically in regards to his neurodiversity, with his parents showing very obvious favoritism to his older brothers, and with his brother, Josh, always bullying him because of his neurodiversity

* High empathy

* Strong sense of right and wrong

* Undiagnosed

* Also so in denial

* If anyone implies he might be neurodivergent he’ll be like “I couldn’t possibly be, not that there’s anything wrong, but like, couldn’t be me, actually”

* Not good at making friends

* He gets better at this over the course of the show

* He’s not good at this before the show because he never sticks with anything, so even though he knows more of who he is than he did in childhood (where he was more of an outcast) he doesn’t stick around long enough to make long lasting friends.

Eric

* Strong Points

* Details

* He’s very detail oriented and notices small things

* He’s good at recognizing when things are off center and it drives him crazy

* Weak Points

* Bad at reading social cues

* Literally the worst

* He knows this to an extent but he’s not aware of just how bad he is at it

* Especially bad at reading the tone of a social situation (whether it be serious, funny, sad, whatever)

* Generally more quiet and reserved

* With his ‘safe’ people he is literally the exact opposite

* Also this isn’t a weak point per se but this felt like the right place to put it

* Dissociates a lot

* Auditory Processing troubles

* He literally looks like he doesn’t know what’s going on sometimes and it’s always funny

* Yums

* Loves physical affection

* But he’s picky on who he’s affectionate with

* Likes to sit on the floor

* Socks

* Sorting things by color/organizing in general

* Mateo leaves Eric home alone. He comes back and the closet has been rearranged by color. This happens often.

* Mateo doesn’t mind this tbh because he likes stuff organized that way too.

* Sometimes when he’s at Amy’s and he’s playing with her kids, he’ll get distracted and sort their toys

* Icks

* Dislikes changes in routine

* Loud noises

* A lot of clothing textures

* Velvet is the worst of these

* Strong perfumey smells

* Masking

* He does mask

* However, he unmasks around his safe people (Mateo, Amy, etc)

* He doesn’t really have the proper terminology for it but he’s sort of aware when he needs to put up a nice face or where he can just be stoic

* He’s good with eye contact and doesn’t hate it

* Stims

* Biting/Chewing

* Clicking pens

* Anything he can busy his hands with actually

* Whistling

* Repeating words

* Rapidly blinking

* Pacing

* Special Interests (past and present)

* Plants

* Specifically succulents

* Trains

* This one is literally so self indulgent but I don’t care lmao

* Baking

* Giraffes

* Filmmaking

* (Because of a line where Mateo says he’s using Eric’s projector)

* He definitely still has a VCR player and a good amount of VHS tapes, and you can pry them from his cold dead fucking hands

* Weather

* He likes thunderstorms in particular

* This one is also self indulgent but I also just think it’d be kind of funny for Mateo to have severe storm anxiety and for Eric to be one of those bitches that would stand outside and watch the tornado if given the chance.

* Coping Mechanisms

* Rocking

* Hugging his giraffe stuffy

* Baking

* Sorting things

* Other details

* High empathy

* He Must be wearing jackets

* He can be without one, but he tends to have a shorter social battery when he’s not wearing one

* He doesn’t know why this is, he just is like “hm, I don’t really like being upset all the time in public places, guess I’ll just wear jackets all the time”

* Short sleeve jackets are okay, it literally just has to be an extra layer

* It’s an extra weight thing but he does not know this

* Undiagnosed

* Ron Sosa is also aggressively neurodivergent so their family is just like “ah, so the men in our family are just fucking weird, carry on then”

* Blunt

* Less so than Dina but it is definitely there

* Most of his close friends are people he’s known for a long time

* Basically saying he’s not great at making friends that he hasn’t known since he was in school

[terminallyapologetic]

superstore au where adam actually set eric up with jonah like for real and they ended up being together and amy is happy being single

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 2: Sending Off an Ingrate and a Shocker

Work is still awful, but I need to come on here to talk to you all about the show this week. A lot happened and we need to discuss. I'm gonna rank the stars based on my enjoyment of each performance (mostly) combined with how I feel they may fare with votes. But before that, let's address the elephant in the room. That elimination. So first of all, I was SHOCKED to see Tori Spelling out in the first week. Was she amazing? No. But I think she did enough to cement a third week. I guess I underestimated the fact that she seems to be really disliked. Because between being a part of Beverly Hills 90210, being the daughter of Aaron Spelling and being constantly talked about for decades at this point, I thought she was gonna be around til week 5 at least. Y'all know it takes a lot to shock me with regard to this show. The double did her in and that's why I always hate double eliminations in week 1. It always takes out one person that maybe needs a little more time to get going. As for Anna? Well it was expected. What I wasn't expecting was her parting words. I feel for Ezra mostly, because that man was riding for her since the day he met her. He took amazing care of her and I know it was hard for him to see the heat she was taking. And you're telling me she couldn't even thank him for showing her that she was more than her crime. Or CAI who tried uplifting the past two weeks? What a waste. Even I didn't go in like I could've and really wanted to because I think people deserve a second chance after committing certain crimes (not drugging, murder, sexual assault, trafficking and your third time physically assaulting someone).She played in all of our faces. You know who I don't feel bad for? Conrad and the rest of the producers for DWTS. I said on twitter, "play stupid games, win stupid fucking prizes". She got on that show, on that platform that y'all gave her and bent over backwards to make it work for her, just for her to spit in your faces and tell y'all that y'all ain't shit, ain't been shit and will never be shit. And honestly, that's the one positive thing I can take from her response. Showing them that they are fools for casting her was great. Hate that this show has fallen so far that someone can say that and the show deserves it. Alright, let's get into these couples:

Top Four

Chandler and Brandon might be my favorite partnership in quite some time. They work well together. Chandler is an incredible dancer with the most gorgeous movement quality. And Brandon is creating some great dances. That was a beautiful rumba. I want them to go far. I think they can go far. I don't want another Tinashe situation to happen. But so far, they are doing exactly what they need to do.

Stephen and Rylee are super fun to watch together. They mesh well and Rylee is definitely choreographing some good numbers that showcase Stephen extremely well. I have a concern though. Stephen is a very awkward mover. That was super obvious in this paso. His hips and shaping looked strange. His footwork made me scratch my head. It was a little strange. His timing is still a bit off. He's got a lot of potential, but they really need to work on finetuning these dances. I can see this being a bigger problem in the more fluid Latin dances and the Argentine tango.

Ilona and Alan are just so much fun. I'm glad Ilona let her guard down a bit more this week. She wasn't moving as small in this salsa and really settled into and owned her sexy more. I love that Alan added a couple of lifts for her as it may have helped her feel more comfortable. She has a ton of potential too and I'm super excited to see their dances once she really lets loose. I actually feel like she might shine in a ballroom dance. I know they have that coming up next.

Dwight and Daniella actually did a great job with the foxtrot. Dwight really really wants to do well and you can tell. He is paying so much attention to the details. He connects his moves. He finishes his lines. And he really handles Daniella with so much care. Two things though. I know that the height difference definitely affects this, but he's gotta work on tucking his butt under him. Second is the footwork needs to be cleaned up.

Middle of the Pack

Joey and Jenna made a believer out of me this week. He is definitely one to watch for sure. He is charming. He seems to be a fast learner. He has great movement quality, especially for a man this early on in the competition. He's still gotta work on his hip action. It isn't natural. Once he get that figured out, I'm a little scared about how good those Latin dances will be. Because this rumba was really really nice.

Danny and Witney are my dark horses of the season. Danny is light on his feet and he stays on time (mostly). Witney is doing great choreography and his technique in this jive was great. I still want him to loosen up more, but I can tell that he made a big shift from week 1 to week 2 in comfortability and confidence. These two, as well as the 5 above them, have me super excited for this season. I can't remember the last time I was this genuinely excited for 6 different couples in one season.

Phaedra and Val are interesting to me. I don't think Phaedra is very good. And I don't think Val is choreographing to her dance strengths that well. That section of their foxtrot that was super fast exposed A LOT of Phaedra's technical setbacks. She was super hoppy. That said, I like their partnership. Phaedra is a larger than life personality, so she makes up for the lack of ability with her performance. I want Val to slow things down though. I think that would better suit her at this point.

Jenn and Sasha are an interesting couple. While Jenn handled some of the production issues like a pro, some of the choreographic choices were a choice. I do not understand why there was a cartwheel thrown into this dance. Or jumps and side by side choreography? I'm cool with that stuff being thrown into quicksteps, but a tango? Why? And why are we using these types of songs for tangos while we're at it? There are so many movies that have been nominated for Oscars that have actual tango music in them. Moulin Rouge comes to mind immediately. I feel like that could've forced Sasha to not make stupid choreography decisions. So this is what I'm going to say. Jenn is a good dancer. A lot of her undoing and early departure (because I'm feeling a "shocking" elimination from her) will be due to his choreography. Because again, why?

Bottom Three

So I'm just going to make this easy for these three. Eric and Reginald are both terrible. There's really not much that either Britt or Emma can do for either one of them at this point. They really won't get all that much better, if at all. In fact, I can see both of them getting worse as the season goes on. The one thing I can say is that they both improved this week.

Brooks and Gleb are interesting. Brooks is good. But that quickstep was not it and Gleb is relying way too much on this STUPID SHOWMANCE that they keep trying to shove down our throats. We're TIRED! It sickens me to my core. The fact that Derek clocked that they did a tango hold instead of the correct hold lets me know exactly where his priorities are. So I say that it's time for us to take a stand. We have to stand against showmances on this show. We gotta let these folks know that we are TIRED. We are not stupid. You cannot play us for fools. I'm ready for them to GO!

So that's it. No show this week. Two shows next Monday and Tuesday. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon.

[boldlychristina]

my dancing with the stars season 33 predictions

haven’t watched the show in a hot minute but i was fascinated by the fact that one of the contestants is literally a felon who will be actively wearing an ankle monitor during her time on the show. plus pommel horse guy. so after watching the first episode here’s my prediction of how this will go

Eric & Britt (13th)

Reginald & Emma (12th)

Tori & Pasha (11th)

Anna & Ezra (10th)

Brooks & Gleb (9th)

Ilona & Alan (8th)

Phaedra & Val (7th)

Jenn & Sasha (6th)

Danny & Witney (5th)

Joey & Jenna (4th)

Stephen & Rylee (3rd)

Dwight & Daniella (2nd)

Chandler & Brandon (1st)

[sosa2imagines]

Apart from Henry Cavill, Sebastian Stan and Oscar Isaac, I'm madly in love with Michael Fassbender too! The holy unholy things I want to do to him and want him to do to me ugghhh!!!

[zero-intoner]

@caelums-fate

The Yuppie Handbook (Part 6) Tiki-Taka Database

[polkadotmotmot]

Eric Sosa - Pretty and Pink, 2024 - Oil on linen

[alldancersaretalented]

Some Dancers at YAGP Finals:

Ballet Academy of Chapel Hill:

Tinsley Wallace (10)

Ballet Bloch Canada:

Keenan Mentzos (14)

Bayer Ballet:

Chloe Helimets (13)

Jaslyn Kwan (15)

Crystal Huang (15)

Amelia Chen (15)

Cary Ballet Conservatory:

Eric Poor (14)

Concept Pavielle:

Harper Anderson (11)

Club:

Harper Schwalb (10)

Bella Linman (10)

DanceLova:

Charlotte Pham (10)

DKCBA:

Summer Wellman (11)

June Freeman (13)

Kiera Sun (13)

Natalie Kulba (14)

Cayman Lee (14)

Clara Riggs (15)

Lyla Briggs (15)

Izzy Howard (16)

Aimee Choo (17)

Elite Classical Coaching:

Nicholas Du (11)

Angelina Tan (14)

Fort Lauderdale Youth Ballet:

Dylan Custodio (12)

Independent:

Emma Bassel (11)

Jun Lu:

Athena Hu (11)

Larkin:

Savannah Jackson (9)

Isabella Charnstrom (11)

Savannah Manzel (13)

MBA:

Ophelia Thiem (10)

Ellary Day Szyndlar (11)

Victoria Carrillo (11)

Tova Tustin (12)

Channing Dennis (14)

Sabrina Dorsey (15)

Lillian Rossman (15)

Gracie Kirkwood (16)

Chloe Hennessey (16)

Audrey Lyons (17)

Melanie McIntire (17)

Alecia Lucchesi (17)

Sofia Rutova (18)

Parker Rozzano-Keefe (18)

Tyler Cohen (18)

New Level:

Reese Braga (10)

Pittsburgh Ballet House:

Giada Reino (11)

Stars:

Santiago Sosa (13)

Studio 4:

Reese Ottney (11)

The Art of Classical Ballet:

Ashley Demi Otano (11)

Kya Massimino (13)

The Dallas Conservatory:

Maeve Olsen (9)

Georgia Reed (10)

Zoey Reese (12)

Tobias Weber (13)

The Rock:

Jillian Chapler (11)

Crystal Huang (15)

Yoko's:

Isabella Tjoe (13)

Fiona Wu (13)

Xtreme:

Blake Metcalf (13)

[dorothydalmati1]

The Simpsons Season 25 Episode 6: The Kid Is All Right

Written by Tim Long

Storyboard by Martin Archer, Eric Koenig, Ralph Sosa & Glen Wuthrich

Directed by Mark Kirkland

Animation directed by Nelson Shin

[swagcoolcat]

Okay, so I wrote a thing.

This is the first thing I’ve ever written that I’d call crack, so uh, there is that. It’s taken very seriously but it’s also meant to be very silly.

Here it is! It’s about Jonah hiding the fact that he hooked up with Marcus from his coworkers.

(Also thanks to @thegroundhogdidit for the prompt, and the help writing this, it’s very much appreciated ❤️)

[recentlyheardcom]

DWTS Reveals 14 Million Votes Received for 1st Season 33 Elimination

Disney/Eric McCandless Dancing With the Stars is breaking a long-standing tradition after 33 seasons by releasing viewer vote totals. ABC told Deadline on Monday, October 7, that fan engagement on the show is stronger than ever before. According to the outlet, the September 24 episode — when viewers watched as Anna Delvey and partner Ezra Sosa as well as Tori Spelling and her partner, Pasha…

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33: THE PREMIERE!

So because it's the weekend and several days after the show, I'm going to forego talking about each couple individually and give my thoughts on the show as a whole. So I will say that overall, I enjoyed this much more than last season. This season has way more potential to be fun and interesting than last season did. I'll break down why I feel that way. Last year was a tough transition period for the show, so I think things are getting figured out.

The Hosting

While I still don't think that Julianne and Alfonso are the greatest hosts, they have seemed to find something that works for them. Julianne especially seemed to be way more comfortable on Tuesday than she was at any point last season. I think she was having more fun with it and that's really what you need to do as a cohost. She knows that the celebs and pros are all up there, nervous, concerned, frustrated, disappointed and excited. So she just has to feel things out and either keep the energy up, attempt to lighten the mood and/or uplift disappointed contestants. I think she was better at that.

The Judges

This was a major improvement to me. Now that everyone has had a year to adjust their judging style with Len being gone (specifically Derek), I think this week, I saw some judging that finally made sense and was in line with what I was thinking would be given (mostly). Hopefully the judges do this all season. This is judging that I can get behind.

The Partnerships

Never thought I would have to talk about mismatched partners after the all star season, but then season 32 came around. So I'll say this. I am glad that they figured it out this season. Everyone seems to be matched pretty well (that could change). There are no outliers to me right now.

The Pros

I'm glad I didn't talk about the shifts in casting as that has always been fluid up until right before the GMA reveal. While I'm sad that Koko isn't on this season (anyone know why) and not ecstatic about Sasha and Gleb returning, I am happy that Ezra was promoted and that Witney is back. Everyone seems to be in a decent spot, so hopefully everyone will be firing on all cylinders this season *stares at the men*.

The Dances

I'm not going to talk about everyone, but I will say that as a whole, I was thoroughly impressed with the dances. The pros gave the celebs some decent enough choreography and the celebs performed decently well. Almost everyone showed some sort of potential and I see some real great partnerships forming. I'm worried about Eric and Reggie and what they will realistically be able to do. Brooks, while having a ton of potential, was a non-event and I'm thinking she will be the first one to go. As far as my standouts, Chandler was incredible and is the one to beat. Stephen is right there, we just need him to work on some musicality and finesse with his feet. Dwight can MOVE and is one to look out for. Joey might be a spoiler because he seems really fun, grounded, self-aware and has potential too.

Unfortunately there was one big problem for me. And that was:

The Music Choices

I don't need for us to go back to traditional songs for everything, but I want the music choices to make sense. This wasn't as big of a problem in the past. Idk why it's an issue now. I should not be watching a tango to Hot To Go or A Bar Song. I'm sorry, but the moods of that dance does not go with the feeling of those two songs. Especially as they were. They tried to shift the arrangement of A Bar Song a little bit. And I see some odd song choices for dances this week. Like Ode to Joy for a paso. Seriously?

The final concern:

Anna

So I'm going to keep this short and simple. I have no desire to see her on the show, but we're here. She's decent, but she is not revealing a personality. She's doing nothing to humanize herself and on this show, she has to do that. Ezra is trying, but she's not responding on the show. Now, what I will say is I've heard that she’s being more human in the post show interviews. If she wants to stay, she must bring that to the ballroom. Cuz right now, she's a criminal with a bejeweled ankle monitor on. I feel like she can have a shot, but she's gotta be willing to put forth an effort and not come across as the Ice Queen.

That's it. Tuesday we have our first elimination and it's a double. I'm thinking some combination of Brooks, Anna, Eric and Reggie is eliminated. It all depends on what happens with the scores next week. Let me know you all's thoughts and I will talk to you all soon!

[entireoranges]

Celebrity Ages Chandler Kinney (24) Stephen Nedoroscik (25) Jenn Tran (26) Ilona Maher (28) Brooks Nader (28) Joey Graziadei (29) Anna Delvey (33) Danny Amendola (38) Dwight Howard (38) Phaedra Parks (50) Tori Spelling (51) Eric Roberts (68) Reginald VelJohnson (72) Average: 39

Pro Ages Rylee Arnold (19) Ezra Sosa (23) Brandon Armstrong (30) Alan Bersten (30) Witney Carson (30) Jenna Johnson (30) Daniella Karagach (31) Britt Stewart (35) ( * ) Emma Slater (35) Valentin Chmerkovskiy (38) Pasha Pashkov (38) Sasha Farber (40) Gleb Savchenko (41) ( * ) Average: 32

Combined Stephen Nedoroscik & Rylee Arnold Average: 22

Chandler Kinney & Brandon Armstrong Average: 27

Anna Delvey & Ezra Sosa Average: 28

Ilona Maher & Alan Bersten Average: 29

Joey Graziadei & Jenna Johnson Average: 29.5

Jenn Tran & Sasha Farber Average: 33

Danny Amendola & Witney Carson Average: 34

Dwight Howard & Daniella Karagach Average: 34.5

Brooks Nader & Gleb Savchenko Average: 34.5

Phaedra Parks & Valentin Chmerkovskiy  Average: 44

Tori Spelling & Pasha Pashkov Average: 44.5

Eric Roberts & Britt Stewart Average: 51.5

Reginald VelJohnson & Emma Slater Average: 53.5

( * ) They are both a year younger than noted but are having birthdays a day before the premiere and the within the first week ( * )

[frontproofmedia]

The Fall of a King: Roy Jones-Antonio Tarver 2 Alters Boxing Landscape

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By Hector Franco

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Published: May 15, 2024

Antonio Tarver’s knockout of Roy Jones was a monumental shift in boxing history.

Boxing is a realm of unpredictability. It's a sport where a single moment can abruptly end a match, shattering expectations and rewriting the narrative.

"I got a question. You got any excuses tonight, Roy?" This question, posed by Antonio Tarver in the prefight instructions to the match, would later prove to be a prophetic moment in the ring. It was a question that hinted at the dramatic turn of events that would soon unfold, altering the course of boxing history. 

Twenty years ago, on May 15, 2004, the world witnessed the fall of a king of the sweet science. Once thought to be invincible, Roy Jones Jr. was put down by one punch, forever changing the landscape of boxing and the trajectory of his career. Antonio Tarver's bravado and unwavering self-belief were only matched by Jones himself. His second-round knockout of Jones is a tentpole moment in boxing history. One that shouldn't be forgotten. It serves as a stark reminder that all the knockouts scored and all the titles won can be overshadowed by a single punch. In one moment, a career can change. 

Before his rematch with Tarver, Roy Jones was at the pinnacle of the boxing world. While he may not have been as much of a box office draw as his contemporary Oscar De La Hoya, his win over John Ruiz in March 2003, where he claimed a piece of the heavyweight crown, catapulted him into the realm of all-time greats. 

The Ruiz fight was an exclamation point on a career that had reached near perfection. Jones' only loss was a controversial disqualification, which he immediately avenged with a first-round knockout over Montell Griffin in 1997. It was beyond rare for Jones to lose not just fights but rounds. Jones' unique blend of elite athleticism, hand speed, and power made him almost invincible to his opponents. 

Roy Jones Jr. achievements before facing Antonio Tarver

Fans tend to overly nitpick fighters of the past, using their resumes against them without the proper context. Even under a high level of scrutiny, Jones' career still holds up as one of the greatest of the last fifty years. In dominant runs through three weight classes: middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight, Jones faced a plethora of Ring-Rated top-ten fighters. 

That list includes names like Bernard Hopkins, Jorge Castro, Thomas Tate, Tony Thornton, Merqui Sosa, Virgil Hill, Eric Harding, Reggie Johnson, Julio Gonzalez, and his magnum opus against James Toney in 1994. Due to his dominance against opponents of all levels, Jones was named the Fighter of the Decade for the 1990s by the Boxing Writer's Association of America.

 There were some misses, most notably a unification match with longtime WBO light heavyweight titleholder Dariusz Michalczewski, a fighter who primarily fought in Germany. There was also the United Kingdom trio of Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, and Steve Collins at super middleweight. In today's era, where fights across the pond are more readily available, it's possible that all these fights would have taken place in some capacity.

 Although Tarver and Jones are the same age, the Florida rivals were always at different stages of their careers. Tarver was always playing catch-up. Both were outstanding amateurs, with Jones being awarded the Val Barker award as the best boxer at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. Jones ended up with a silver medal after a highly disputed loss in the finals, which is recognized as one of the biggest robberies in boxing history. Tarver was also an Olympian, earning the Bronze medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. 

Following Jones' win over Ruiz, it was thought he would continue his career as a heavyweight. However, the fights Jones wanted against the likes of Mike Tyson never materialized, leaving the four-division champion at a crossroads. 

"We worked on a Holyfield fight an it fell through," said one of Jones' promoters, Murad Muhammad. "We worked on a Tyson fight and it fell through. We wanted Lennox Lewis, but he's not fighting." 

Roy Jones returns to light heavyweight after winning WBA heavyweight title

Tarver may have forewarned Jones that a return to light heavyweight was imminent. Tarver's moniker is "Magic Man," and while he's certainly shown his prowess in the ring, his true magic comes from his gift of gab. At the post-fight press conference after Jones's win over Ruiz, Tarver crashed Jones' celebration by insulting him and challenging him to a fight at light heavyweight. 

"For the last three to four year, Roy Jones has hand-picked every opponent that ever stepped in a ring with him," said Tarver before the first fight with Jones. "He never bickered and argued when he had a less than stellar mandatory. But when Antonio Tarver became his mandatory he made every excuse in the world." 

Maybe it was pride, ego, or a lack of a more profitable choice, but Jones granted Tarver his shot in November 2003. Jones, an 8-to-1 favorite, was in the most competitive fight of his career up to that point against Tarver. The former heavyweight champion was relegated to potshotting, throwing one punch at a time. The move back down to light heavyweight took its toll on Jones, who had to lose 25 pounds of muscle.

But Tarver was prepared for Jones. He avoided most of Jones' offense on his gloves and landed in combination whenever he found his opponent on the ropes. Tarver, however, would make a critical mistake. Instead of pressing the action, he resorted to counterpunching, allowing an exhausted-looking Jones to steal rounds. 

When the final bell rang, Tarver celebrated as if a victory was guaranteed. Jones casually walked away. The judges rewarded Jones' effort, giving him a majority decision. The win over Tarver gave Jones the distinction of being the first reigning heavyweight title holder to move down and win a light heavyweight title. 

Jones' victory was met with ire from fans and Tarver. Many felt Tarver had done enough in most rounds to be declared the winner. Jones blamed his performance on the difficulty in moving back down to light heavyweight after changing his body to fight at heavyweight. 

Jones could have used his status as the more well-known fighter and champion to dismiss Tarver. No one would have blamed Jones if he decided to move back up to heavyweight. But once again, a mix of pride and ego opened a rematch with Tarver. Money, as is usually the case, was a determining factor as well. 

"Everybody wants to know how me and Roy got in the ring for the second time," Tarver told ProBox TV. "Well, I'm here to tell you. The man told me to take it or leave it. Period. No more questions. Take it or leave it; I'm over here. I said I'll take it because if I wouldn't have I would have never had the opportunity to do what I did." 

There was a general feeling in boxing circles that Jones would be back to his usual dominant self in the rematch with Tarver. But something about Tarver's unrelenting confidence made one ponder: Does he know something we don't? 

Antonio Tarver changes the course of boxing history.

The classic moment in the center of the ring with Tarver's excuses questions to Jones right before the first round is unique in the annals of boxing history. It has never been duplicated or matched. 

A tense first-round ensued that mirrored their first bout. Jones was potshotting, attempting to bait Tarver into opening up more. But Tarver wasn't budging from his game plan of waiting for the perfect moment to strike. All three judges scored the first round for Jones. 

In a flash, lighting struck. At the mid-way point of the second round, in an exchange, the southpaw Tarver threw an overhand left that sent Jones crashing down. It was surreal and shocking. Jones barely beat the count but stumbled when he rose to his fight. Jay Nady waved the fight off. And it was over.

Remarkably, this was only the second time Jones had been knocked down as a professional. But the first one that did real damage. 

"That is the first time in his career he's really been hurt," recalled then HBO commentator and longtime boxing journalist Larry Merchant. "He's gone down before one time. But there was a perfect left hand. Roy never saw it coming. Roy is out. And Roy may be out of boxing!" 

 On one side of the ring, a celebration developed. On the other, somber reflection in disbelief and acceptance occurred. Jones made no excuses after the fight and viewed the loss as part of boxing. 

The two would fight again in a third match the following year, with Tarver winning a decision. Jones's loss to Tarver was only one chapter in a career that is still ongoing. Jones fought as recently as 2023. 

Without question, this was the most significant moment of Tarver's career and what he would ultimately be remembered for. For Jones, however, it was the start of a decline and a period of his career that has seen many ups and downs. It's a special case to witness a fighter who was viewed in such high regard and then drastically plummet back down to earth. 

Fans and pundits have speculated how Jones' legacy would have differed if he had chosen to retire instead of moving back down to fight Tarver. After all, Jones was in his mid-30s, and it isn't out of the norm for a fighter to experience a decrease in skill and athleticism at that age. It's not a guarantee that Jones would have stayed retired or what would have happened at heavyweight, but many believe Jones retiring after the Ruiz victory would have left him with a top 10 all-time standing in boxing history. 

"I think RJ would have been somewhere in the top five with a case for number one," said boxing trainer Stephen "Breadman" Edwards. "But I hate looking back on it because fate is fate. If Roy was meant to be the best ever, he would be. Things are what they are and we can't dismiss post Ruiz. 

Tarver's knockout of Jones occurred before the age of social media. Although its impact and legacy may have benefited, this doesn't diminish its historical significance or place as a monumental shift in boxing history.

(Featured Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

[diarioelpepazo]

El zuliano sigue tronando en campamento de Rockies. El careta nativo de El Bajo pegó cuadrangular; su tercero de la primavera, en la victoria sobre Texas. Dejó su promedio en .333; producto de 13 hits en 24 turnos, con ocho carreras impulsadas, cuatro anotadas y OPS de 1.054 en un total de 26 visitas al plato. El carabobeño Peralta batea por sobre .400 y ligó de 4-4 este viernes. Lenyn Sosa ligó sencillo. Eduardo Escobar fuera de Toronto. Pablo Sandoval despierta del letargo: ligó de 4-2 con una carrera anotada y dos impulsadas. El receptor zuliano de los Rockies de Colorado, Elías Díaz, se ha convertido en una pieza clave para la ofensiva de los dirigidos por Bud Black y en esta primavera está demostrando que sigue puliendo sus habilidades para llegar en la mejor forma al inicio de temporada. LNo obstante, este viernes despachó su tercer cuadrangular de la Liga del Cactus ante los envíos del dominicano José Ureña, uno que sirvió en el sexto capítulo para ponerle cifras definitivas a la victoria del conjunto rocoso 3-2 sobre los Rangers de Texas en el complejo de Surprise; hogar primaveral de los actuales campeones del beisbol de las Grandes Ligas. DÍAZ GOES YARD! PIC.TWITTER.COM/523UG8QJN3 — Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 22, 2024 Cabe destacar que ese fue su único imparable en tres turnos, con lo que dejó su promedio en .333; producto de 13 hits en 24 turnos, con ocho carreras impulsadas, cuatro anotadas y OPS de 1.054 en un total de 26 visitas al plato. Al mismo tiempo, hay que resaltar lo que ha hecho a la defensiva; uno de sus fuertes en las Mayores y lo que lo ha mantenido al máximo nivel durante todo este tiempo, aún cuando su bate no estaba presente. En nueve partidos detrás del plato, Elías Díaz acumula 46 episodios, no ha cometido errores, tiene dos asistencias y ha retirado a cada uno de los tres corredores que le han salido al robo. David Peralta implacable [caption id="attachment_106707" align="aligncenter" width="696"] David Peralta (Foto: AP)[/caption] David Peralta tuvo una pletórica jornada este viernes con los Cachorros de Chicago. El ganador del guante de oro sacó su primer cuadrangular de los entrenamientos primaverales en la derrota de su equipo 13-12 ante los Gigantes de San Francisco. El criollo ligó de 4-4 con tres rayitas remolcadas y dos anotadas para los oseznos. En el primer inning, el carabobeño conectó su primer hit del partido y remolcó la segunda carrera de los Cubs en un rally de nueve rayitas. Además, repitió la dosis en el segundo episodio. En el quinto capítulo, Peralta descargó todo su poder y mandó la pelota a lo más profundo del jardín central para poner las acciones 11-6 en favor de Chicago. Y por último, en la sexta entrada David Peralta cerró su aporte ofensivo con un hit hacia la pradera derecha. Y por si fuera poco, dejó su promedio de bateo en .438. En este mismo compromiso, Thairo Estrada ligó de 3-1 con una carrera anotada para los Gigantes. El pitcher ganador de este duelo fue Eric Silva y la derrota se la adjudicó Chase Watkins Pandoval aferrado a ganar un puesto [caption id="attachment_106710" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Pablo Sandoval | Foto cortesía[/caption] Una nueva jornada de Spring Training en la que Pablo Sandoval busca las maneras de ganarse un puesto en el equipo. Para esta ocasión, los Gigantes de San Francisco se enfrentaron a los Cachorros de Chicago y consiguieron una victoria por 7-3 con sabor venezolano. A pesar de un arranque frío y complicado, el Panda se reencontró con una gran versión ofensiva y protagonizó su mejor presentación -hasta los momentos- de estos entrenamientos primaverales. Al final se fue de 4-2 con una carrera anotada y dos impulsadas. El manager Bob Melvin alineó al criollo como octavo en el orden y lo situó en la tercera base. En la segunda entrada apareció en el cajón de bateo con las bases llenas y un out, aunque terminó dominado por su compatriota José Romero con un elevadito a la antesala.

Sin embargo, en la siguiente entrada se resarció para así extender la ventaja de su equipo. Nuevamente con la casa llena, Sandoval no perdonó un envío pegado para conectar un imparable al jardín derecho, el cual sirvió para remolcar par de rayitas y colocar momentáneamente las cosas 4-0. En el quinto episodio bateó otro sencillo, esta vez al jardín central, para que minutos más tarde pisara el home con la séptima anotación tras una base por bolas a Wilmer Flores con las bases congestionadas. En su último turno del compromiso falló con una línea de out para cerrar la sexta entrada. Luego de esta actuación, Pablo Sandoval ha conectado cuatro indiscutibles en 22 turnos al bate, con par de carreras anotadas e igual número de empujadas en 13 compromisos con el conjunto de la Bahía en el Spring Training. Lenyn Sosa se luce [caption id="attachment_106709" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Lenyn Sosa | Foto cortesía[/caption] No todo se trata de batear e impulsar carreras en el mundo del beisbol. Otra de las cualidades en las que se fijan los coaches para decidir si un pelotero debe o no quedarse en el primer equipo es su defensa, y eso es algo que no ha parado de perfeccionar Lenyn Sosa durante este Spring Training. El infielder de las Medias Blancas de Chicago se lució en la jornada de este viernes con una jugada de alta factura, en la que demostró que no solo tiene capacidad para leer las conexiones, sino también un poderoso brazo para cubrir sin problemas la tercera base. En la parte baja del tercer episodio, Anthony Rendón bateó un rodado fuerte por los lados del venezolano, quien capturó la pelota de gran manera para así concretar el out con un preciso lanzamiento. Al final, el partido entre Chicago y los Angelinos de Los Ángeles lo ganaron estos últimos con pizarra de 2-0. Respecto a su aporte a la ofensiva, el chamo de Puerto Ordaz se fue de 2-1 con un sencillo en el quinto capítulo. Con este ya son tres compromisos seguidos en los que conecta al menos un hit. En líneas generales acumula cinco imparables en 15 visitas al plato, con un jonrón, dos carreras remolcadas y cuatro empujadas. Asimismo, vale recordar que esta es la sexta participación de Lenyn Sosa en un Spring Training de las Medias Blancas. El infielder de 24 años debutó en las Grandes Ligas en la temporada 2022; mientras que en la campaña pasada logró ver acción en más de 50 juegos, con seis vuelacercas y 14 impulsadas. Azulejos dejaron en libertad a Eduardo Escobar [caption id="attachment_106708" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Eduardo Escobar. (Foto: Toronto Blue Jays)[/caption] El jugador de cuadro y utility venezolano, Eduardo Escobar, fue dejado en libertad en la tarde de este viernes por los Azulejos de Toronto, organización que le había otorgado un contrato de Liga Menor con invitación a su campo de entrenamieto a mediados del pasado mes de febrero. Sin embargo, el criollo no fue capaz de aprovechar la oportunidad de iniciar la temporada con los Azulejos. En 15 juegos en la Liga de la Toronja apenas cinco imparables – incluyendo doble, triple y cuadrangular – en 41 turnos, con siete carreras impulsadas, tres anotadas y un bastante bajo OPS de .411 puntos Ese único estacazo llegó 10 partidos después de comenzar su participación en el campamento del club canadiense. Además, hay que destacar que se fue en blanco en sus primeros seis cotejos; bateando de 15-0 en ese lapso. Mientras tanto, a la defensiva vio acción en tres posiciones; entre ellas el jardín izquierdo, tercera y segunda base. En las primeras dos se vio bastante solvente, al tiempo que en la intermedia cometió un error en 22 innings. Por su parte, cubrió 45 episodios en la antesala, completando 11 asistencias. Ahora bien, NBC Sports destacó que la decisión se dio luego que los Azulejos le notificaran a Eduardo Escobar que no haría el roster del Día Inaugural, dándole en cambio la oportunidad de firmar con otra organización. Para

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