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Julio Cesar Chavez describes one fighter’s punch as feeling like ‘a bat’: “Toughest opponent in 115 fights”
Julio Cesar Chavez once named the ‘hardest hitter’ he faced during his remarkable 115-fight career, admitting that even a jab would shake him down to his boots.
The Mexican, of course, was no feather-fisted customer himself, ending 85 of his 107 professional victories inside the distance prior to his retirement in 2005.
Before suffering his first defeat to Frankie Randall, another heavy-handed operator, in 1994, Chavez had cultivated an astonishing 90-fight unbeaten run while also becoming a three-division world champion.
With Randall amassing 42 stoppages in 58 victories, many would suspect that he was the most potent puncher that Chavez ever encountered.
Even the likes of Meldrick Taylor and Hector Camacho, two of Chavez’s most notable opponents, could generate considerable power with their blistering fists.
According to the man himself, though, it was actually Puerto Rican banger Edwin Rosario who made him feel as if he was getting hit with a bat.
The pair squared off in 1987, back when Rosario was the defending WBA world lightweight champion and Chavez had just moved up from 130lbs.
Rosario had previously claimed the WBC title at 135lbs and, despite having suffered defeats to Camacho and Jose Luis Ramirez, he had also secured significant victories over the likes of Randall and Livingstone Bramble ahead of his clash with Chavez.
Speaking at a press conference in 2016, Chavez, who won their fight via an 11th-round stoppage, named Rosario as the most powerful fighter he ever came up against.
“He was the hardest hitter, I swear to God, out of all 115 of my fights. He would hit me with a jab and it felt like he was hitting me in the head with a bat.”
Rosario ended his career with a formidable record of 47-6 (40 KOs) in 1997, before tragically losing his life at the age of just 34.
Affordable Clarity with CNVPro Night Vision Binoculars
The second I picked up the CNVPros, I immediately thought to myself, “Are they heavy? Yeah? That means they’re expensive, put ’em back.” The nighttime ‘nocs have a bit of heft to them, and they feel like they should cost way more than they do.
The Cigman CNVPro binoculars use a legit Sony Starvis 2 CMOS sensor around 1/1.8-inch – which is big for digital night vision gear, and bigger is better, in this case. It’s paired to a 25-mm f/0.8 lens that pulls in a ton of light. That’s really fast for consumer tech. In this case, the smaller the f-stop, the better. And there’s a high-resolution 4-inch screen that takes up your entire field of vision when you’ve got them pressed to your face, so you can see every detail.
Now we’re talking!
IR Mode:
The onboard IR flashlight has a ridiculously long throw at full power, and you can see crazy far at night. In fact, when trying to look at things within ~20 ft (6 m) in front of you, the IR light might just be a tad too much at times, simply whiting out the image. Thankfully, it has four levels of adjustability to tone it down when needed. Though, admittedly, it can be a bit clunky trying to adjust it on the fly while also trying to maintain focus (we’ll get to that part).
JS @ New Atlas
When scouting around the neighborhood in IR mode, I could literally see the powerful IR beam through the binoculars, and even though I know IR light isn’t visible to the human eye, I still felt like a total creeper casting this “bright” invisible beam on peoples’ houses …
“I’m sorry, officer – I’m doing it for a review, I swear!”
Color mode:
I was genuinely surprised the moment I put the ‘nocs up to my face. Colors were natural and very much like what I’d see with the naked eye. I have to say that the Cigmans were one of the best, if not the best, I’ve tested so far in terms of color replication and clarity. Wide open, the image was super sharp, even at near-complete darkness.
Cigman CNVPro Night Vision Binoculars Footage
Things I have opinions about:
Zoom is where things get a bit tricky. Usable zoom in the dark, in my opinion, only goes out to about 2.6–3X before the artifacts really start showing up. That’s true for both color and IR mode, though IR handles a bit more zoom slightly better, I think. When you dive into 8X zoom in the dark, it almost feels pointless, like “Why did they even include this as a feature?”. During the day, 8X is still slightly pixelated, but it’s usable, so maybe that’s why they included it.
I would love to see autofocus on these neat little night-vision binocs. While the focus ring feels high-quality, it’s somewhat on the small side and sits over a single lens – not like traditional binoculars, where it sits between the pods – which makes tracking a little difficult.
I have a photography background and have taken millions of photos of things traveling at 150+ mph, sometimes only feet away, so I have, let’s just say, quite a bit of experience with focus rings and the like. I imagine someone without that same background might find the manual focus a bit tricky, especially when also zooming. I did hand the binocs off to a few people to try, and it did take a bit of getting used to for them.
Once focus is dialed in, however, the optics are super sharp. Much sharper than other digital screens I’ve tested in the past, and more like true glass elements.
JS @ New Atlas
Image stabilization would be nice, too. The heft – all ~2 lb (0.91 kg) – of the Cigmans helps with stability, but even one stop of optical – or digital, at the very least – stabilization would turn this reasonably priced, great piece of gear into a professional-grade piece of equipment. It would also, almost certainly, raise the reasonable US$269 price point to something less reasonable or accessible. If you maintain three points of contact while scanning, it’s absolutely stable enough, but maybe I’m just a little spoiled.
My biggest complaint:
The button layout is on top, making it an easy reach to pretty much every feature without having to pull the nocs away from your face. Zoom, IR/color swap functions, flashlight, everything. But, it might just be me: the order doesn’t make much sense, and I find it not particularly intuitive. Even the zoom in/out feels backwards with the + on the left and the – on the right. But kudos for everything being within easy reach.
JS @ New Atlas
Some tech specs:
The unit is powered by a 5,000-mAh rechargeable battery that should net you about 18 hours of use before needing to be plugged in (USB-C). A little less (15 hours) in IR mode with the flashlight cranked up. It has Wi-Fi app control for your phone, too, but I didn’t personally put that to the test. I tend to steer clear of giving review products access to “phone home,” and would rather just pull the memory card out to grab footage.
It has an IP54 rating, meaning it’s water- and dust-resistant, so it should be fine in the rain, but I wouldn’t go fording any rivers with it. It has a wide range of operating temperatures, from -4 °F to 149 °F (-20 °C to 65 °C), which means you can pretty much use it in most places on Earth just fine.
JS @ New Atlas
The CNVPro night ‘nocs also have a built-in microphone and the ability to record not only what you see at 4K or 52MP, but also what you hear, which is a nice touch. So when you’re ‘Squatch hunting in the woods, people will finally believe you when you show them your blurry, out-of-focus IR shot of him. Or better yet, they’ll hear your screams when you finally get that elusive video of Bigfoot in sharp, clear 4K – and with audio good enough to hear the leaves rustling.
Jurassic Park: heavy = expensive
Of the NVGs I’ve used or tested over the years, these fall within the top of the list. You’re not going to be able to actively walk and navigate while using them like you would the Akaso Sight 300, but that’s not what these are made for. You’re not going to get the detail that you would from a white phosphor rig like the RVM-14, but you’re also not going to be paying upwards of $4,000. The CNVPros are an observation-only type NV choice that’s budget-friendly and lets you see in the dark pretty dang good for the price.
All in all, I’d call the Cigman CNVPro night vision binoculars a solid win.
Product page: Cigman CNVPro and Amazon (currently on sale for $189.99)
New Atlas may receive commission on purchases through our links. This does not affect our reviews. Our reviews are impartial and our opinions are our own.
Human rights group reports Venezuela releases many political prisoners
A leading Venezuelan human rights group says at least 80 political prisoners have been released under pressure from the US.
Alfredo Romero, head of Foro Penal, said his group was verifying the identities of those freed from prisons across the country on Saturday – and more releases were likely to take place.
It is the latest batch of detainees released since the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a raid, and took him to New York to stand trial on drug-trafficking charges earlier this month.
On Friday Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said more than 600 prisoners had been freed – but Foro Penal says this figure has been inflated.
Romero announced the releases on social media. He also posted an image of Foro Penal colleague Kennedy Tejeda who he said had been held in Tocorón prison, west of the capital caracas since August 2024.
In a post on X, Foro Penal lawyer Gonzalo Himiob said the number of releases could rise above 80 “as we proceed with verification”.
Previously, Foro Penal said that many those freed in recent weeks have not had the charges against them dropped.
This has left them in legal limbo and they have been barred from speaking in public, the group said.
Before this weekend’s developments, the group had confirmed the release of just 156 political prisoners since 8 January.
Some domestic opposition figures and at least five Spanish nationals are among those confirmed to have been freed so far.
Separately, Rodriguez said she was due to have a call on Monday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, to ask the UN to verify the lists of those released so far.
Human rights groups and activists have long accused the government of using detentions to muzzle critics. The Venezuelan government has denied holding political prisoners, insisting they were arrested for criminal activity.
Many were detained after the 2024 presidential election, when Maduro claimed victory despite opponents and many countries disputing the results.
Federal officials stand by Minneapolis shooting narrative despite video evidence
Federal officials dig in on Minneapolis shooting narrative despite video evidence
Widespread Power Outages and Flight Cancellations Caused by US Storm | Weather News
From Texas to New England, the monster storm brings hazardous conditions, prompting warnings to stay off roads.
Nearly a million customers across the United States are without electricity and more than 10,000 flights have been cancelled as a monster winter storm threatens to paralyse a large part of the country with heavy snowfall and freezing rain.
The storm is forecast to sweep the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday and into the week, plummeting temperatures to below freezing and causing “dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts” to linger for several days, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
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As of 10:47 am EST (15:47 GMT) on Sunday, more than 850,000 customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us, with at least 290,000 in Tennessee and over 100,000 each in Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. Other states affected included Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama.
Heavy snow was forecast from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, while “catastrophic ice accumulation” threatened from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
“It is a unique storm in the sense that it is so widespread,” said NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli, adding that about 213 million people were under some sort of winter weather warning.
“It was affecting areas all the way from New Mexico, Texas, all the way into New England, so we are talking like a 2,000-mile [3,220km] spread.”
Calling the storm “historic”, US President Donald Trump on Saturday approved federal emergency disaster declarations as nearly 20 states and the District of Columbia declared weather emergencies.
“We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
More than 10,000 flights were cancelled on Sunday and another 8,000 have been delayed, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. Major US airlines warned passengers to stay alert for abrupt flight changes and cancellations.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned commodities, staff and search-and-rescue teams in numerous states, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, warning Americans to take precautions.
“It’s going to be very, very cold. So we would encourage everybody to stock up on fuel, stock up on food, and we will get through this together,” Noem said. “We have utility crews that are working to restore that as quick as possible.”
The Department of Energy on Sunday issued an emergency order to authorise grid operator PJM Interconnection to run “specified resources” in the mid-Atlantic region, regardless of limits due to state laws or environmental permits.
The NWS warned that heavy ice could cause “long-duration power outages, extensive tree damage, and extremely dangerous or impassable travel conditions”, including in many states less accustomed to intense winter weather.
Authorities warned of life-threatening cold that could last a week post-storm, especially in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, where wind chill lows were forecast to dip to extremes under -50F (-45C). Such temperatures can cause frostbite within minutes.
The massive storm system is the result of a stretched polar vortex, an Arctic region of cold, low-pressure air that normally forms a relatively compact, circular system but sometimes morphs into a more oval shape, sending cold air spilling across a large region, in this case, North America.
Scientists say the increasing frequency of such disruptions of the polar vortex may be linked to climate change.
Footage reveals man fatally shot by immigration agents was unarmed and holding a phone, contradicting official statements
Videos quickly emerged showing the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis protester by a Border Patrol agent that has been widely denounced as a case of excessive force carried out by untrained federal officers. The administration says it was a case of an armed man provoking violence.
The Associated Press reviewed multiple bystander videos that show a Border Patrol agent shooting and killing 37-year-old Alex Pretti after a roughly 30-second scuffle around 9 a.m. Saturday. The videos appear to contradict statements by the Trump administration, which said the shots were fired “defensively” against Pretti as he “approached” them with a gun.
In the videos, Pretti is seen with only a phone in his hand. None of the footage appears to show him with a weapon. During the scuffle, agents discovered that he was carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, and they opened fire with several shots. Pretti was licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he watched one of the videos, said he saw “more than six masked agents pummeling one of our constituents, shooting him to death.” Frey has said Minneapolis and St. Paul are being “invaded” by the administration’s largest immigration crackdown, dubbed Operation Metro Surge.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti attacked officers, and Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said Pretti wanted to do “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” In posts on X, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, called Pretti “a would-be assassin.”
It was the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by federal immigration authorities this month. The first, on Jan. 7, involved Renee Good. It also was captured on videos and produced a similar schism among political leaders.
The shooting occurred when officers were pursuing a man in the country illegally wanted for domestic assault, Bovino said. Protesters routinely try to disrupt such operations, and they sounded high-pitched whistles, honked horns and yelled at officers.
Among them was Pretti. At one point, in a video obtained by AP, Pretti is standing in the street and holding up his phone. He is face-to-face with an officer in a tactical vest, who places his hand on Pretti and pushes him toward the sidewalk.
Pretti is talking to the officer, though it is not clear what he is saying.
The video shows protesters wandering in and out of the street as officers persist in trying to keep them at bay. One protester is put in handcuffs. Some officers are carrying pepper spray canisters.
Pretti comes in again when the video shows an officer wearing tactical gear shoving a protester. The protester, who is wearing a skirt over black tights and holding a water bottle, reaches out for Pretti.
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
A different video then shows Pretti moving toward another protester, who falls over after being shoved by the same officer. Pretti moves between the protester and the officer, reaching his arms out toward the officer.
The officer deploys pepper spray, and Pretti raises his hand and turns his face. The officer grabs Pretti’s hand to bring it behind his back, deploys the pepper spray canister again and then pushes Pretti away.
Seconds later, at least a half-dozen federal officers surround Pretti, who is wrestled to the ground and hit several times. Several agents try to bring Pretti’s arms behind his back, and he struggles.
Videos show an officer, who is hovering over the scuffle with his right hand on Pretti’s back, backs away from the group with what appears to be a gun in his right hand just before the first shot.
Someone shouts “gun, gun.” It is not clear if that’s a reference to the weapon authorities say Pretti had.
And then the first shot is heard.
Videos do not clearly show who fired the first shot. In one video, seconds before the first shot, one officer reaches for his belt and appears to draw his gun. That same officer is seen with a gun to Pretti’s back as three more shots ring out. Pretti slumps to the ground. Videos show the officers backing away, some with guns drawn. More shots are fired.
The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti was shot after he “approached” Border Patrol officers with a gun. Officials did not say if Pretti brandished the weapon or kept it hidden.
An agency statement said officers fired “defensive shots” after Pretti “violently resisted” officers tried to disarm him.
Walz expressed dismay at the characterization.
“I’ve seen the videos, from several angles, and it’s sickening,” he said.
Trump weighed in on social media by lashing out Walz and Frey. Trump shared images of the gun that immigration officials said was recovered from Pretti and said “What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers?”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Generals-backed party poised for overwhelming victory in ‘fraudulent’ Myanmar election
Polls in Myanmar have closed after a third and final stage of voting in what are widely viewed as sham elections.
Many popular parties are banned from standing and voting has not been possible in large areas of the country because of a five-year-long civil war.
The dominant party backed by the ruling military junta is expected to win a landslide victory.
The current regime has rejected international criticism of the election, maintaining that it is free and fair.
Around one-fifth of the country’s 330 townships, including the cities of Yangon and Mandalay, voted in the last stage.
Six parties, including the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), fielded candidates nationwide, while another 51 parties and independent candidates decided to contest state and regional levels.
Two previous rounds were held on 28 December and 11 January – giving overwhelming victories to the USDP.
The party won only 6% of parliamentary seats in the last free election in 2020.
As in previous rounds of this strange, month-long election, voting was orderly and peaceful at the polling station in Nyaungshwe, Shan State, which a BBC team observed.
Set in a large school, shaded by huge rain trees, there were ample volunteers an officials to guide voters where to go, and how to make their choice using the new, locally-made electronic voting machines.
You could be forgiven for believing this was a normal democratic exercise, not the sham its critics say it is.
However polling day was preceded by a campaigning period marked by fear, intimidation and a pervasive sense that little will change after the inevitable victory by the USDP.
Everywhere the BBC team travelled in southern Shan State, we were followed and closely monitored by dozens of police and military officials, always polite but very persistent.
It proved nearly impossible to get people to say anything about the vote, so nervous were they of possible repercussions.
The next steps after final results are announced are laid down in the military-drafted constitution.
Parliament will meet within the next two months to choose a new president, and everyone expects that to be the coup leader Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
It will be the same regime with civilian clothes.
But he will then have to relinquish his command of the armed forces.
His replacement is certain to be a loyalist, but his hold over the ranks of the military will inevitably be less secure, and it is no secret that many other senior officers do not believe he has made a good job of leading the country.
With many more voices in politics, there is the possibility of wider debate inside government over which direction Myanmar should now take, and the possibility – distant for now – of the first steps towards ending the civil war.
The military junta took control of Myanmar in a 2021 coup, ousting an elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
She remains in detention and, like many other opposition groups, her National League for Democracy has been formally dissolved.
The military has been fighting against both armed resistance groups which oppose the coup and ethnic armies that have their own militias.
It lost control of large parts of the country in a series of major setbacks, but clawed back territory this year enabled by support from China and Russia.
The civil war has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more, destroyed the economy and left a humanitarian vacuum.
A devastating earthquake in March and international funding cuts have made the situation far worse.
Record-breaking 12.8 million users tune in to Roblox concert featuring Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars has continued his record-breaking streak after drawing more than 12.8 million concurrent users to his virtual concert on Roblox.
The 16x Grammy winner set a new single artist record for most watched virtual concert with his performance on the platform’s Steal a Brainrot video game on Saturday (January 17).
The feat came on the heels of Mars selling 2.1 million tickets in a single day for his upcoming stadium tour, breaking records and logging the highest single-day sales in Live Nation history across North America, Europe and the UK.
The on-sale also set a new Ticketmaster record for the most tickets sold in a single day.
Mars became the first ever artist to ‘pop up’ in the viral Steal a Brainrot experience, which sees players raid each other’s bases to capture in-game characters known as ‘Brainrots’.
Fans were given the chance to collect Bruno-themed traits and a limited edition “Brunito Marsito” Brainrot.
The concert peaked with 12,862,161 concurrent users, according to the platform, attaining 53 million-plus views from social video content originating from more than 38 countries and in 20 languages.
Over 10 million viewers watched livestreams from 14 countries in nine languages.
Mars was previously named as the “icon” for Epic Games‘ Fortnite Festival Season 9 last year, capping off the Season 8 Festival with Sabrina Carpenter.
Other major artists to have been featured as “icons” on Fortnite include The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Metallica, Karol G, Snoop Dogg, and Hatsune Miku.
DJ star Marshmello famously played the first ever live virtual concert inside of Fortnite back in 2019, attracting over 10 million concurrent users.
Rapper Travis Scott went on to break that record the following year, pulling in 12.3 million concurrent players for his Astronomical virtual performance.
That bar stood until Fortnite set a new milestone in November 2024, drawing 14.3 million concurrent players for its Remix: The Finale virtual concert, which featured performances by Snoop Dogg, Ice Spice, Eminem, and a posthumous tribute to Juice WRLD.
Roblox finished Q3 2025 (to end of September) with a significant spike in Daily Active Users (DAUs).
At the close of that quarter – the latest on public record – the firm counted 151.5 million DAUS globally.
That was up 70% YoY vs. the equivalent period of the prior year (see below).
Over 90 million of those DAUs in Q3 2025 were located outside of the US, Canada, and Europe.
Music Business Worldwide
Many arrested in solidarity with Palestine hunger strikers outside London prison | Latest on Israel-Palestine conflict
Eighty-six people have been arrested in the United Kingdom after gathering at a London prison in support of a Palestine Action-linked activist on hunger strike and in a perilous condition who is being held there, police say.
London’s Metropolitan Police wrote on X late on Saturday that officers were dispatched to Prison Wormwood Scrubs, where protesters “refused to leave the grounds when ordered to do so”.
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Inside Wormwood Scrubs is Umer Khalid, a 22-year-old pro-Palestine activist who stopped eating 16 days ago. He had been on hunger strike since November, briefly pausing in December due to severe ill health.
The group “allegedly blocked prison staff from entering and leaving, threatened police officers and a number managed to get inside a staff entrance area of a prison building”, the police said.
Videos of the incident verified by Al Jazeera show police officers shoving protesters to the ground and handcuffing them as shouts ring out in the background. Two groups of police also appeared to kettle protesters – a police tactic that involves officers surrounding and closing in on a group of demonstrators in an effort to contain them.
“Why are you assaulting me?” a woman can be heard asking at one point.
Those arrested were detained under suspicion of aggravated trespass, the police said.
Khalid told Al Jazeera last week that he planned to escalate his hunger strike to exclude all fluids starting on Saturday, the day of the protest.
After speaking with him on Monday by phone, Khalid’s mother, Shabana Khalid, told Al Jazeera that a prison guard remains outside his cell in case he needs urgent medical attention. She added that he is also being monitored closely with hourly medical observations.
“I’m reassured in one sense,” she said, “but the fact he’s on [hunger strike] still is quite scary. He’s starting to get tired. You can hear in his voice.”
Umer Khalid is among a group of five activists accused of breaking into the United Kingdom’s largest airbase, Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire in June and spray-painting two Voyager refuelling and transport planes. The group has pleaded not guilty.
At the time, the pro-Palestine protest group Palestine Action said two of its members were involved and red paint “symbolising Palestinian bloodshed was also sprayed across the runway and a Palestine flag was left on the scene”.
Within days, the UK government moved to ban the group under “antiterrorism” laws and made it illegal to support or promote the group.
The decision – which has been challenged in court and heavily criticised as “unjustified” by the United Nations – has led to multiple protests with hundreds of arrests in the months since.
Ongoing hunger strikes
Aside from Umer Khalid, seven other protesters have been involved in rolling hunger strikes since November.
Khalid became the only one still refusing food after three members of the group ended their protests this month. They said one of their demands had been met after a UK-based subsidiary of the Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems was denied a UK government contract.
“Our prisoners’ hunger strike will be remembered as a landmark moment of pure defiance; an embarrassment for the British state,” the Prisoners for Palestine Group said.
Two of the prisoners who concluded their hunger strikes, Heba Muraisi and Kamran Ahmed, were on the brink of death after more than two months without food. Still, Muraisi told Al Jazeera in the days before the announcement that she felt “it’s important to fight for justice and for freedom”.
The group’s list of demands includes bail, the right to a fair trial and the de-proscription of Palestine Action as well as for Elbit sites to be closed in the UK. They’re also seeking an end to what they call censorship in prison, accusing authorities of withholding mail, calls, books and visitation rights.
Before starting to refuse liquids on Saturday, Umer Khalid told Al Jazeera: “The only thing that seems to have any impact, whether that is positive or negative, is drastic action.”
“The strike reflects the severity of this imprisonment,” he added. “Being in this prison is not living life. Our lives have been paused. The world spins, and we sit in a concrete room. This strike reflects the severity of my demands.”