Mariagabriela Gracia y Darwin Silva
Do you want to know everything about the best athletes in Hispanic Heritage Month? Boxing fights, baseball games, and UFC fights, among other sporting events, are held to remember the importance of Hispanics in American culture, but are you familiar with the sports stars? Check them out!
Read until the end and see if you agree with our list of the top 10 National Hispanic Heritage Month Athletes 2022. Who would you include and who would you remove?
Top National Hispanic Heritage Month Athletes During the Year 2022
1.- The Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion, Canelo Álvarez, Is One of the Best Athletes of the Month of Hispanic Heritage 2022
The first on our list is the current king of boxing. A native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, 31-year-old Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez has been a boxing champion in four different weight categories, and is currently considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world. He has enjoyed a multi-million exclusive contract with streaming service DAZN, and his fights guarantee a full house in any arena worldwide.
Álvarez, however, has climbed the ladder of success without even being fluent in English. Impressive, right? Nonetheless, Canelo has faced the top figures of the sport in recent years, and last September 17, 2022, he closed the trilogy with Gennady Golovkin with a victory. Let’s keep in mind that the first fight was tied and the second was also a victory for Canelo.
The great expectation generated by this fight, in which two fierce opponents faced each other for one last time, showed Canelo to be faster and to have better technique than his opponent, GGG. Álvarez dominated the fight with defense and a strong combination of wide overhand rights, jabs, and left hooks, so the Mexican was the winner by unanimous decision: 115-113, 116-112, 115-113.
Canelo was able to retain all four of his super middleweight titles (WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF) and also made it clear that he is still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today.
The table seems to be set for a rematch between Canelo Álvarez and Dmitry Bivol, as the latter defeated Canelo on May 7 in a bout for the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight belt.
We’ll see what decision Canelo and his team make, but for now and thanks to his victory in the September 17, 2022 fight against Golovkin, Álvarez is now one of the top National Hispanic Heritage Month Athletes by unanimous decision.
2.- Yulimar Rojas, a Venezuelan Champion Synonymous With Success
Since winning the gold medal in the triple jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Venezuelan athlete has become the most important exponent of Latin American athletics.
In Tokyo 2020, Yulimar Rojas broke the Olympic record and the world record in this discipline. Recently, Rojas made history by winning gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene (Oregon) with a record of 15.47 meters. Yulimar thus became the first athlete to win three consecutive triple jump world titles; she is nicknamed “La reina del triple salto” (queen of the triple jump). But she didn’t accomplish just that. She is also a three-time World Champion (2017 London, 2019 Doha, and 2022 Eugene), and three-time World Indoor Champion (2016 Portland, 2018 Birmingham, and 2022 Belgrade).
Since 2014 she has held, and continued to beat, Venezuelan national records in triple jump and long jump. She is a recipient of the Venezuelan Order of José Félix Ribas – First Class. So, of course, we can “jump” to the conclusion that she deserves to be part of our list of National Hispanic Heritage Month Athletes.
If you are interested in finding out how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Las Vegas, click here.
3.- Albert Pujols joins the 700 home runs club
The home run is one of the most exciting plays in baseball, from the moment the bat hits the ball and it goes up and up until it leaves the park, the excitement takes over the fans who scream and applaud if the home run is in their favor.
This joy in the fans can only be produced with some regularity by power hitters who are capable of taking the ball beyond 400 feet.
Major League Baseball has had some great home run hitters, the most notable being Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth who are the only members of the 700 home run club.
Dominican Albert Pujols has said he will retire at the end of this season, and he has recently won his race to the end. He reached 700 career home runs by homering twice against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, joining the most exclusive home run neighborhood of all: he has now joined the 700 home run club members.
An important fact is that since August 10, 2022 to date, Pujols has hit 12 home runs, an excellent pace, especially considering that this legendary player is 42 years old and has spent 22 seasons in the best baseball in the world.
According to ESPN, among other members of the 700 club, Pujols is the only one to hit numbers 600 and 700 on the same night. Accompanied by his five children whom he shares with his ex, Deidre, Pujols reflected on the accomplishment during a post-game interview, calling the moment “pretty special.” Will anyone else miss this home run-hitter? Of course, we will.
4.- From Making Piñatas to Our List, Brandon Moreno: A Mexican Warrior Who Has Reached the Sky in the UFC
Born in Mexico, this excellent athlete spent part of his childhood making piñatas, it was at the age of 12 that he began to practice martial arts and it is after 5 years of training in this discipline, that is, at the age of 17, that Brandon Moreno debuts in the world of professional fights, he does it in Tijuana, his hometown, and defeats by submission the American Atiq Jihad. In 2014, Moreno would debut for the World Fighting Federation promotion. He would go undefeated in the promotion at 5–0 and would eventually win the Flyweight championship, which led to him being cast in the Flyweight tournament on the 25th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
After ups and downs in his professional and family life, Moreno rematched Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight Championship on June 12, 2021, co-headlining UFC 263. Moreno dominated the striking and grappling exchanges and submitted Figueiredo with a rear naked choke in the third round, becoming the first Mexican UFC champion in the process. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. Thus, he became the UFC Flyweight champion and the first Mexican to achieve this feat.
The trilogy rematch with Figueiredo for the UFC Flyweight Championship was scheduled to take place on December 11, 2021, at UFC 269 initially, but it was moved to UFC 270 as the co-main event. Thus becoming the UFC Flyweight champion, the first Mexican to achieve this feat.
While it is true that on January 22, 2022, Brandon Moreno falls defeated by unanimous decision to Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo, thus losing the UFC Flyweight Championship. There is no doubt that this Mexican still has a lot to give, because his talent, discipline and courage will continue to allow him to occupy the top of the UFC Flyweight rankings.
In fact, on July 31, 2022, Brandon Moreno regained the UFC Flyweight championship, this time on an interim basis, by defeating Kai Kara-France. The win over Kara-France is the second time he has beaten the New Zealander. The two met at UFC 245 on the Fight Pass Prelims, where Moreno took a unanimous decision before working his way up to UFC champion. Our unanimous decision is that, undoubtedly, Brandon Moreno won a place in our list of National Hispanic Heritage Month Athletes. What do you think?
5.- The Rookie With the Best Hit, Power and Arm Grades Among the Mariners’ Top 30 Prospects: Julio Rodríguez
Julio Rodriguez is a Dominican baseball player who debuted this year 2022 in the MLB with the Seattle Mariners his great performance, which includes a batting average of 279 points, 27 home runs and 73 RBIs to date, has led him to be named All-Star player, considered a strong candidate to win the Rookie of the Year award and probably his performance will allow him to get a few votes for the MVP of this season 2022.
The great season that Julio Rodríguez is having during his rookie year has allowed him to sign a super contract that could reach $450 million. The first tranche is for 7 years and 105 million and the second tranche is 350 million for 14 more years. All this without including the incentives the player would get, if he wins the MVP (during his first eight seasons), the silver bat, or if he is invited to the All-Star Game. This deal guarantees him the most money for a player with less than one full year in the major leagues.
San Diego signed Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 14-year, $340 million contract after his second season, and the Tampa Bay Rays guaranteed $182 million over 11 seasons to shortstop Wander Franco last winter. Rodriguez is seventh this season in Baseball-Reference wins above replacement and 16th in FanGraphs’ version. Provided he finishes high in MVP voting in future seasons, his deal is likelier to resemble that of Tatis.
This great news has been celebrated by the entire family, who have said they are eternally grateful to all those who believed in the talent of Julio Rodriguez, a rookie who is now one of the best National Hispanic Heritage Month Athletes 2022 and I put my signature to it.
6.- Manu Ginobili, the Only Non-American Player Ever to Win Both the NBA Championship Ring and the Olympic Gold Medal, and the Only Second Latin American to Be Selected to Play in an NBA All-Star Game
Manu Ginóbili together with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker formed one of the most successful Big Three in the NBA, their great team play and their undeniable individual skills allowed them to be champions of the best basketball in the world during the 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 seasons.
Ginóbili’s success does not stop at his four NBA rings, which is already enough, but he also achieved the feat of being Olympic champion in Athens 2004, knocking out the United States of America team, with all its stars included, in the semifinals.
Then, in the final, they defeated Italy to go down in history as the golden generation of Argentine basketball, all under the leadership of Manu Ginóbili.
Ginóbili’s great career recently led him to be elevated to the NBA Basketball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Latin American to receive this honor. Ginobili accomplished his feats with flair, fearlessness, dogged competitiveness, selflessness and reckless abandon over a 23-year career in professional basketball, which included a 16-season run with the Spurs that produced four titles.
September 9, 2022, will be remembered as a great day for Argentine basketball. His idol, Manu Ginóbili, has been recognized as one of the best basketball players in history.
Ginóbili made many children and young people believe that dreams come true, which is why Manu is one of the best athletes for Hispanic Heritage Month 2022. Don’t you agree?
7.- Lionel Messi Continues to Fill Every Field He Steps on With Good Soccer, Which Is Why He Is One of the Best Athletes of National Hispanic Heritage Month 2022
Lionel Messi remains at the pinnacle of world soccer, for many he is the best player of all time. His achievements include 7 golden balls, 5 golden boots, 4 Champions League titles, 10 Spanish LaLiga titles, 7 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 3 European Super Cups, 3 Club World Cups, 1 Copa America and 1 French Ligue 1 championship title.
For Messi the challenges do not stop, for now, he has made a good start to his second season at PSG where he has participated in 10 games scoring 5 goals and providing 8 assists. The attacking trident he forms with Neymar and Mbappé looks very good, they have been seen with ideas, speed, desire and coordination.
This year’s World Cup in Qatar 2022 will be the most important event for this fantastic player, it will be the opportunity to be crowned world champion and if this happens it will be very difficult to take away the title of the best player in history. The upcoming World Cup will realistically be his last chance at winning the coveted trophy.
Expectations are growing around Messi after he put an end to Argentina’s long international drought by helping them win the Copa America in 2021. However, it’s the World Cup he yearns for the most, and the prize which many feel is keeping him from claiming the ‘GOAT’ title outright.
Argentina currently has a squad which could reach the finals once again this year and have the form on their side too. They haven’t lost in 31 matches since a 2-0 defeat to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America, so insiders believe that Argentina is a clear favorite to win the World Cup in Qatar 2022. It will be interesting to see how the side fares in Messi’s potential World Cup swansong. Undoubtedly, tradition and soccer exist in the Argentine team, we will see what happens.
Lionel Messi is one of the best, most popular, and most inspiring sportsmen in the world. The story of his life is an inspiration for all athletes. There are more than enough reasons to have Messi on our list of the top athletes in Hispanic Heritage Month 2022.
José Altuve, a little giant who has contributed all his talent to the success of the Houston Astros.
The Houston Astros have the second best record in all of MLB, with 99 wins to date and 51 losses. Which makes them a clear candidate to win the World Series.
There are many players who have played an important role in this successful season and one of them is Venezuelan José Altuve. As is well known the Astros second baseman is an excellent hitter, in fact he has been American League batting champion three times (2014, 2016 and 2017).
During this season Altuve has also done very well with the lumber, as his numbers indicate. To date, his average is 295, with 25 home runs and 53 runs batted in. While it is true that his average is not over 300 points as we are used to, it should be noted that this great hitter is hitting the ball with great power.
On August 3, he went 4-for-4 against the Boston Red Sox, which tied his career high and tied him with Biggio for most four-hit games in team history. Altuve was named the Astros’ Heart & Hustle Award winner on August 5, making him a nominee for the major league award in November. Altuve doubled twice, walked twice, scored twice and drove in two runs to lead a 5–3 win over Texas on August 31. Altuve was 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and three RBI on September 4 versus the Angels, leading to a 9–1 win.
On September 11 versus the Angels, Altuve achieved his 12th three-hit season game. Altuve’s leadoff home run on September 19 versus the Rays started the Astros’ scoring in a 4–0 win to clinch a fifth AL West division title over the previous six seasons. Altuve is currently behind the record for most home runs in a game opener, with 11 of his 25 homers coming in his first at-bat. The lifetime leader in this department is Alfonso Soriano, who in 2003, when he played for the Chicago Cubs, fired 13 four-corner game-opening hits.
Altuve’s excellent offense has helped the Houston Astros to five division titles in the last six seasons. As part of an era that has seen the Astros win a world championship and three pennants in five seasons, Altuve is widely regarded as one of the greatest Astros in franchise history, and one of the best second basemen of his generation.
For all of these reasons, Altuve is one of the top Athletes of National Hispanic Heritage Month 2022. If you want to know what to do during Hispanic Heritage Month in Houston, click here.
9.- Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes Is a Brazilian Professional Mixed Martial Artist and the UFC Women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight Champion
The UFC world was in for a surprise when Julianna Pena defeated Nunes at UFC 269 to become the UFC women’s bantamweight champion. Few thought this could happen, because Brazilian Amanda Nunes is considered the most dominant fighter in UFC history.
Nunes became bantamweight champion in 2016 and remained undefeated in this division until she lost to Julianna Pena on December 11, 2021.
Lioness Amanda Nunes quickly recovered from this loss and on July 30, 2022, she returned as UFC women’s bantamweight champion and recaptured the title in a 5-round dominant unanimous decision victory over Peña (50-45, 50-44, 50-43), and became the first person in UFC history, of any gender to become double champ twice. Nunes received Crypto.com “Fan Bonus of the Night” awards paid in bitcoin of US$30,000 for first place in this fight
After reaffirming that she is the best fighter in the UFC, Nunes is ready to continue putting on a great show. We would never dare to disagree with her! What about you?
10.- Framber Valdez, the Dominican Professional Baseball Pitcher, Sets Record With 25 Consecutive Quality Outings
Dominican pitcher Framber Valdez is having a great season from the mound for the Houston Astros. On September 18, he surpassed DeGrom by throwing his 25th consecutive quality start against the A’s, setting a new MLB record. His consecutive quality start streak came to an end on September 24 against the Baltimore Oriels’, giving up 4 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings.
To be clear about the importance of Framber Valdez’s achievement, we must remember that a quality outing is one in which the pitcher manages to complete 6 innings, allowing 3 or less runs. This has been achieved by the Dominican pitcher for 25 consecutive times this season.
This pitcher has shown a tremendous arm, which is why Framber Valdez is one of the best Athletes of National Hispanic Heritage Month 2022.
What do you think of our list of the top 10 athletes for Hispanic Heritage Month 2022? Who would you include? And who would you remove?
If you liked our list of the Top 10 Athletes of Hispanic Heritage Month 2022, then you can’t miss our Top 10 Hottest UFC Wives and Girlfriends of All Time.
