La Velada del Año ("The [Fight] Night of the Year") is an amateur boxing event featuring Internet streamers and celebrities, organized annually by Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos since 2021 and broadcast live on his Twitch channel.
La Velada del Año (2021)
editThe inaugural Velada was held on 26 May 2021 at a private venue in Barcelona. Due to restrictions derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held behind closed doors, with only a few celebrities being invited to attend. It was a modest affair compared to the next installments, with only three fights and fewer musical performances.
Matches
edit| No. | Results[1] |
|---|---|
| 1 | Torete def. Future by technical knockout |
| 2 | Mister Jägger def. Viruzz by points decision |
| 3 | Reven def. ElMillor by unanimous decision |
Performers
edit- Blon
- Rojuu
- Piezas
La Velada del Año II (2022)
edit
The second Velada was held on 25 June 2022 at the Pavelló Olímpic in Badalona.[2]
Matches
edit| No. | Results[3] |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spursito def. Carola by unanimous decision |
| 2 | Ari Gameplays def. Paracetamor by split decision |
| 3 | Viruzz def. Momo by referee stoppage |
| 4 | Lolito def. Luzu by corner retirement |
| 5 | Mister Jägger def. David Bustamante by corner retirement |
Performers
editLa Velada del Año III (2023)
editThe third edition of La Velada was held on 1 July 2023 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.[5] The event was estimated to have sold around 70,000 tickets, the highest attendance for a boxing event in Spain since 1930.[6]
The event's card suffered many changes as a result of injuries or medical issues suffered by the competitors. Mexican streamer Samy Rivers ended up competing in two fights during the show: her own scheduled match against Spaniard Marina Rivers, and later a bout against fellow Queens League chairwoman Mayichi as a last-minute replacement for Mayichi's original opponent, American webcam model Amouranth.[6]
Matches
edit| No. | Results[7] |
|---|---|
| 1 | Abraham Mateo def. Ampeter by split decision |
| 2 | Marina Rivers def. Samy Rivers by split decision |
| 3 | Fernanfloo def. Luzu by split decision |
| 4 | Shelao def. Misho by referee stoppage |
| 5 | Samy Rivers def. Mayichi by unanimous decision |
| 6 | Coscu def. Germán Garmendia by technical knockout |
Performers
editLa Velada del Año IV (2024)
editThe fourth edition of La Velada was held on 13 July 2024 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid,[9] and was co-hosted by streamer Marina Rivers and TV presenter María Patiño.[10] This installment will introduce more variety in the match types, veering closer to professional wrestling.[11]
Matches
edit| No. | Results[12] | Stipulation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agustin51 def. Carreraaa by unanimous decision | Standard boxing match |
| 2 | La Cobra def. Guanyar by referee stoppage | Standard boxing match |
| 3 | Alana & Amablitz def. Zeling & Nissaxter by unanimous decision | 2-on-2 match |
| 4 | Viruzz def. Shelao by unanimous decision | Standard boxing match |
| 5 | Karchez won by points decision | "Rey de la Pista" 9-way match |
| 6 | Plex def. El Mariana by unanimous decision | Standard boxing match |
Rey de la Pista Match
editThe format for this 10-way bout was outlined during the event launch livestream:[13]
- Fighters will square off one-on-one in the ring following an entry order which will be drawn during the weigh-in.
- The match will consist of twenty 60-second rounds. After the end of each round, the judges will determine a round winner, who will remain in the ring to face the next entrant in the next round.
- If a fighter is knocked out during a round, he will not fight again for the rest of the match, while his opponent gets to rest for the remaining time of the round before the next entrant comes in.
- The more rounds a fighter wins, the more likely he is to win the overall match and be awarded the winner's belt. The fighters who are ranked second and third overall in the match will also be awarded silver and bronze medals.
|
The points and placements obtained by the rest of fighters were not disclosed.
|
Performers
editLa Velada del Año V (2025)
editDuring a guest appearance on a livestream by fellow streamer Yuste, Ibai confirmed plans for a fifth Velada, as he has seen interest in participating from multiple Internet figures, and stated that he was contemplating changes so the participants could have more time to train and prepare for the fights.[17]
Reception
editLa Velada del Año was met with divided opinions among the professional fighting community. Spanish kickboxer Lara Fernandez lamented the lack of support for professional fighters, hoping people would "help real athletes instead of people clowning around".[18] Featherweight boxer Jon Fernández argued that the event was good publicity for boxing, saying that it was "sad" that other fighters did not see the opportunity that La Velada offered.[19] Sandor Martin, another professional boxer who helped organize the third edition of La Velada in 2023, stated that he "didn't imagine 60,000 people seeing boxing", but "we can't expect La Velada del Año to solve Spanish boxing's endemic problems".[20]
An article on Espinof about the box office success of Creed III also mentioned La Velada del Año, arguing that the popularity of both the film and the event did not really suggest that boxing was popular again; rather, it seemed to garner more interest as a setting than as the focus of the story. About La Velada, author Randy Meeks wrote: "La Velada's audience isn't going to switch over to 'regular' boxing because they're not interested in it: what they want is to see a macro-crossover of their idols punching one another and doing something out of the ordinary. A sort of Super Smash Bros. of streamers where what matters the least is the sport itself. [...] There is no interest in following or knowing more about other people unless the streamers turn pro. La Velada del Año isn't a hit because of the boxing, but because of the event in itself."[21]
References
edit- ^ Tejedor, Óscar (26 May 2021). "Velada de Boxeo de Ibai Llanos: Reven vs ElMillor, Jagger vs Viruzz y Future vs Torete". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Tejedor, Óscar (25 June 2022). "Velada del Año 2 de Ibai: horarios, combates de boxeo y dónde ver hoy en directo online". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Carrera, Álvaro (25 June 2022). "Resultados y resumen de la Velada del Año 2 con Ibai Llanos". As (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Velada del año 2: cantantes, artistas y horarios de actuaiones en el evento de Ibai". As (in Spanish). 22 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "El Cívitas Metropolitano acogerá la Velada del Año III". Atlético de Madrid (in Spanish). 5 May 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ a b Hernández, Óscar (2 July 2023). "A Ibai le da igual lo que le pase: revienta el Metropolitano con un deporte de cuatro gatos". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Pérez, Álvaro (2 July 2023). "'La Velada del Año 3' de Ibai Llanos: resumen y resultados de todos los combates". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Coca, Laura (1 July 2023). "Así han sido las actuaciones de 'La Velada del Año 3' (con sorpresas incluidas)". LOS40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Martín Turrión, Mario; Luna, Gerardo (11 April 2024). "Cuándo es la Velada del Año 4 en el Bernabéu y fecha del evento de boxeo de Ibai Llanos". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "Sorpresa en 'La velada del año 4': María Patiño acompañará a Ibai Llanos en el Bernabéu". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 3 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Fernández, Yúbal (21 March 2024). "La Velada del Año 4: cuándo es, horarios, combates y dónde ver el evento de boxeo de Ibai Llanos". Xataka (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Farrés, Héctor (13 July 2024). "La Velada del año 4 de Ibai Llanos, hoy en directo | Ganadores de los combates de boxeo y actuaciones". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Municio, Pablo (21 March 2024). "La Velada del Año 4 | ¿Qué es el Rey de la Pista y cómo funcionará este formato en el evento de Ibai?". 3DJuegos (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Karchez se consagró como el Rey de la Pista en la Velada del Año 4". TyC Sports (in Spanish). 13 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "De Bisbal a Anuel AA; los 7 artistas que actuarán en La Velada del Año 4 de Ibai Llanos". Europa FM (in Spanish). 22 May 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Blázquez Gil, Mario (13 June 2024). "¡Will Smith actuará en La Velada del Año 4 de Ibai Llanos!". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Martín Turrión, Mario (24 July 2024). "Ibai valora cambios para la Velada del Año 5: "Quiero que los streamers tengan más tiempo de preparación"". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ Herrero, Jorge (4 July 2023). "El enfado de la luchadora Lara Fernández: «A ver si os dejáis de tanta velada 'del año' de Ibai y pagáis para vernos y no a gente haciendo el payaso»". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ RubenMartin (3 July 2023). "ANALIZAMOS LA VELADA DEL AÑO 3 CON UN BOXEADOR PROFESIONAL ¿FUE JUSTO EL RIVERS VS LA RIVERS?". YouTube (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Carrera, Álvaro (28 June 2023). "La velada de Ibai Llanos agita el avispero del boxeo: "No podemos pretender que venga a solucionarlo todo"". Relevo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Meeks, Randy (12 March 2023). "Auge y caída de pegarse en un ring: cómo 'Creed III' y 'La velada del año' nos han hecho creer que nos gusta el boxeo (aunque quizá no sea cierto)". Espinof (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.