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Redemption is as vital to boxing as handwraps and mouthguards. It’s often the secret ingredient that transforms it from sport to spectacle. It’s what motivated Louis to destroy Schmeling, Ali to rope Foreman and Leonard to embarrass Duran.

Victor Ortiz and Devon Alexander are on redemptive paths. At one time, both were considered the future of pugilism, young guns with winning smiles and a load of natural talent. But things changed quickly. And now, they are at the crossroads. Two faded, former world champions meeting up in battle for survival.

More:Trout's love for the ring means boxing journey isn't finished yet

The winner advances. The loser goes home. It’s boxing at its most basic as southpaws Ortiz and Alexander try to resurrect their waning careers at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso (6 p.m., Saturday, FOX).

WINNER SURVIVES; LOSER CALLS IT A CAREER

Whatever “it” was, Ortiz, 32-6-2 (25 knockouts) had it. The kid from Kansas, who eventually relocated to Ventura, California, was a fan favorite in the mold of his one-time promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. He looked good, fought good, grinned big and spoke well. He had a knockout punch, and when he got a guy hurt, he went after him. He fought on De La Hoya’s undercards. His future looked bright.

Hard-punching Argentine Marcos Maidana was Ortiz’s first true test in 2009, but really wasn’t expected to be more than a tough, willing opponent. Things started off well enough, as Ortiz dropped Maidana early. But then Maidana returned the favor in a wild fight, and suddenly Ortiz’s arrival as a big star was in serious question. A life-or-death brawl erupted, and “Vicious Victor’s” coming out party was ruined when he was stopped in the sixth.

All was forgiven in April 2011, when Ortiz outwilled the previously undefeated Andre Berto in a thrilling war that gave Ortiz the WBC welterweight crown. It catapulted him into the biggest fight of his life, a showdown against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in September 2011. In a bizarre ending reminiscent of Andrew Golota’s meltdowns against Riddick Bowe, Ortiz headbutted Mayweather in frustration in the fourth round. After a point deduction, Ortiz was clocked by Mayweather and KO’d as Ortiz was attempting to offer his apologies. He forgot boxing’s cardinal rule: “Protect yourself at all times.”

The crushing loss initiated a three-fight losing streak, including a mid-fight surrender against Josesito Lopez in 2012, and a second-round knockout defeat to Berto in a 2016 rematch. He is 3-4 in his last seven and in desperate need of a significant win.

More:IBF featherweight champion Jennifer Han ready to defend title Saturday

Alexander “The Great, 27-4 (14 KO’s), of St. Louis, has some huge names on his resume. He beat Junior Witter for the vacant WBC super lightweight title in 2009, then unified the titles with a highlight-reel knockout of IBF champ Juan Urango in 2010 (TKO 8). And he beat both Lucas Matthysse and Maidana by decision in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, he lost a technical decision to Timothy Bradley in one of the biggest fights of that year. It was a fight that could’ve catapulted Alexander to bigger and better things, but the loss had the opposite effect. He went from one of the hottest fighters in boxing to being virtually forgotten, even after moving up to welterweight and winning the IBF crown there in 2012.

Alexander is 2-3 in his last five, including losses to Shawn Porter, Amir Khan and Aaron Martinez in an upset. He took a two-year layoff and returned in November, beating Walter Castillo by decision.

Both Ortiz and Alexander are 31 years old and obviously past their prime years. The question is, who has faded more? Neither has had a big win in more than six years, and neither has looked impressive in comeback fights. For Ortiz, the issue appears to be desire. He’s surrendered against Maidana and Lopez and many question some of his subsequent efforts. As for Alexander, he still appears to be effective, but doesn’t have the pop he had at 140 pounds. Seven of his eight fights at 147 pounds have gone the distance.

More:Tony Harrison wants to fight for world title, barely found out about Saturday foe

Battles between faded fighters can be entertaining. And this won’t be any different. In fact, it’ll probably be pretty good. You just never know what you’re gonna get in a Victor Ortiz fight.

But the loser needs to call it a career. Go with the guy who wants it more.

Alexander by split decision.

In the main support, super middleweight Caleb “Sweethands” Plant, 16-0 (10 KO’s), Ashland City, Tenn.; battles veteran Rogelio “Porky” Medina, 38-8 (32 KO’s), Hermosillo, Mexico.

In the non-televised portion, El Paso’s Jennifer Han, 16-3-1 (1 KO), defends her IBF featherweight title against Lizbeth Crespo, 12-3 (3 KO’s), of Argentina. And former junior middleweight king Austin “No Doubt” Trout, 30-4 (17 KO’s), of Las Cruces, hits the comeback trail against Juan De Angel, 20-7-1 (18 KO’s), of Colombia.

A DUD IN VEGAS

In a fight that really had no business being made, former two-division champ Danny Garcia, 33-1 (19 KO’s), Philadelphia, in his first fight since suffering his first loss to Keith Thurman last March 4, takes on long-gone former lightweight champ Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, 34-3-1 (25 KO’s), Oxnard, Calif., in what the WBC calls a title eliminator at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (8 p.m., Saturday, Showtime).

Last time we saw Rios, he looked awful against Timothy Bradley in November 2015. Simply, he shouldn’t be fighting.

Garcia by easy, and probably brutal, 5th-round KO.

More:Rising star and former Olympic boxer Karlos Balderas will fight in El Paso this week

On the undercard, David Benavidez, 19-0 (17 KO’s), Phoenix, defends his WBC super middleweight title against Ronald Gavril, 18-2 (14 KO’s), Romania, in a rematch of their close, controversial battle last year. In that fight last Sept. 8, Judge Adalaide Byrd scored for Benavides (the eventual winner) by a ridiculously wide score of 116-111. A week later, she gained infamy in the Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin fight, scoring for Canelo by an equally appalling 118-110.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has mindlessly appointed Byrd as a judge in the Benavides-Gavril rematch.

Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected]; @MatthewAguilar5 on Twitter.

Devon Energy Corp. posted a net income of $920 million for the third quarter, rising some 31.8 percent over the previous quarter this year.

The company said in a media release that its average daily production went up eight percent year over year.

However, looking at the net earnings of $1.89 billion for the third quarter of 2022, the company’s profit more than halved.

“Devon’s performance once again demonstrates the strength of our disciplined operating strategy, leading to another quarter of strong financial growth”, said Rick Muncrief, president and CEO. “This growth was highlighted by production per share increasing 10 percent over the past year and we more than doubled our free cash flow during the quarter, reaching our highest level of the year”.

“Looking ahead to 2024, we plan to refine our capital allocation by further concentrating investment in the Delaware Basin”, Muncrief commented. “By shifting more capital to the core of this world-class basin and high-grading activity across our diversified portfolio, we expect to deliver a step-change improvement in capital efficiency, and we are well positioned to generate growth in free cash flow that can once again be harvested for shareholders”.

Production averaged 665,000 barrels of oil equivalent barrels per day (boepd) in the third quarter, representing an increase of eight percent year over year. This result was one percent below midpoint expectations due to select well performance in the Williston Basin and temporary constraints in the Delaware Basin. Oil totaled 321,000 barrels per day in the quarter, which was 48 percent of total volumes, it said.

In the third quarter, the company said it took steps to strengthen its financial position by retiring $242 million of outstanding debt. The company also increased its cash on hand by $273 million in the quarter to a total of $761 million. Outstanding debt declined to $6.2 billion and the company’s net debt-to-EBITDAX ratio was 0.7 times, according to the statement.

Capital spending excluding acquisitions totaled $896 million in the third quarter, a 12 percent decrease from the previous quarter. The decline in capital was driven by the timing of completions in the Delaware Basin, where the company temporarily reduced activity to three completion crews for the second half of the year.

Looking ahead, Devon expects its fourth quarter capital to range from $870 million to $930 million. With this level of investment, the company expects to bring online around 100 gross operated wells during the quarter. Fourth-quarter production is expected to range from 640,000 to 660,000 boepd, with oil production approximating 315,000 barrels per day. This decrease in production from the third quarter is driven by declines in the Williston Basin and timing of completions in the Delaware Basin, Devon said.

In 2024, the company plans to sustain oil production at around 315,000 barrels per day, with total volumes approximating 650,000 boepd. Capital requirements are expected to decline approximately 10 percent from 2023 levels to a range of $3.3 billion to $3.6 billion. This program is estimated to be funded at pricing levels below $40 per barrel, the company said.

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Devon De La Hoya

Less than a year after Jacob De La Hoya was born, the boxing star welcomed his second child, a son named Devon De La Hoya, on Nov. 30, 1998 with his then-girlfriend Angelicque McQueen, as reported by People. Unlike his older brother, Jacob followed in his dad's footsteps and began boxing professionally in 2018.

In a January 2018 interview with KTNV Channel 13 News, Devon opened up about having the support from his dad as he started his career in the ring. "Our relationship is great. He's one of my biggest supporters," he said. "He taught me to set your goals and follow that one path and it'll all pay off in the end."

De La Hoya's third child, a daughter named Atiana De La Hoya, was born on March 29, 1999 to his then-fiancée Shanna Moakler. De La Hoya and Moakler's relationship didn't last, and the couple split a year after Atiana was born. Moakler went on to marry Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker in 2004, and De La Hoya has given Barker credit for raising his daughter when he wasn't around.

In a 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, the boxing star told the outlet, "Look, I didn't raise my kids, you know? Their moms did. And I have to give credit where credit is due. I'm grateful that Barker was there, you know, as a father figure for my daughter. I have to be grateful that Shanna was a mother to Atiana, and just know my place, basically, you know? My place — I'm obviously a father, and I'm proud of it. But, again, I'm grateful for what they've done, especially with Barker. He's obviously stepped up to the plate."

Atiana is a model and influencer with over 600,000 Instagram followers. Despite growing up with her dad absent at points, she has had nothing but good things to say about him. She opened up to Galore Magazine in a June 2021 interview about having Barker and De La Hoya as father figures, saying, "I truly think they both are the best at what they do, and aside from everything they've taught me about life, seeing the work they put in every day to be where they are is the goal." Atiana starred with her dad on "Masterchef" 2019.

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Oscar Gabriel De La Hoya Jr.

Oscar Gabriel De La Hoya Jr. was born on Dec. 29, 2005. Oscar Jr. is the first of three kids De La Hoya had with ex-wife Millie Corretjer, whom he married in 2001. Though Oscar does not have social media, his dad does occasionally share pictures with his son on his Instagram, including a picture of the father-son duo at a baseball game together.

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De La Hoya and Corretjer's second child, a girl named Lauren "Nina" Nenitte De La Hoya, was born on the same day as her older brother Oscar, in 2007. Like some of her other siblings, her personal life is kept private. De La Hoya shares snippets of his daughter on Instagram, but not regularly.

On Father's Day in 2021, he shared a picture with his kids together for the holiday, writing on Instagram, "Happy Father's Day to all !!! My kids are my world, thank you kids for being amazing humans with incredible hearts . I love you all with everything I have in my heart."

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Victoria Lauren Rose De La Hoya

De La Hoya's sixth child, Victoria Lauren Rose De La Hoya, was born on Jan. 14, 2014. The name Victoria, according to De La Hoya in a People interview, had special meaning to him and his journey as a boxer. "I was down, but I'm going to get up in victory. Even my daughter is called Victoria for that reason," he explained.

Given that she's only 9 years old, Victoria stays out of the spotlight like her older siblings, but does make appearances on her brother and dad's Instagram pages from time to time.

Bijan Robinson was the clear RB1 in the 2023 NFL Draft, but Miami Dolphins RB Devon Achane's scouting report examines what made him a talented prospect.

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On Oct. 9, 2021, De’Von Achane announced his presence on the national stage. As he scampered 96 yards past Alabama Crimson Tide defenders for a kick-return touchdown, “De’Von Achane 40 time” skyrocketed on Google Trends — and for good reason. But, as his 2023 NFL Draft scouting report details, Achane is more than just speed … much more.

De’Von Achane NFL Draft Profile

By all accounts, Achane is a quiet individual. And he doesn’t need to have a brash personality to grab attention — his on-field play does that for him. All of Missouri City, Texas, knew Achane’s last name as he spent his high school career with the back of his jersey the only thing fans and defenses could see.

Across three seasons at Thurgood Marshall, Achane ran over and past the opposition for 4,823 yards and 88 touchdowns. He didn’t lack in the receiving game, either, hauling in 96 receptions for 2,004 yards and 22 scores.

But Achane’s dominance wasn’t limited to the football field. In his junior year, he recorded the fastest outdoor 200-meter time in the nation (20.46). Additionally, he ran for all three of Marshall’s relay teams. Achane received the 2020 Gatorade Texas Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year for his efforts. So yeah, he was quite the high school athlete.

Thus, Achane was widely viewed as a four-star prospect and garnered offers from virtually every top program, including Alabama and Georgia. However, Achane decided to attend Texas A&M due to his comfort level with the offense, coaching staff, and ability to play early, according to his high school football coach.

Although Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith were firmly entrenched above him on the depth chart, Jimbo Fisher and Co. couldn’t keep Achane off the field. He took 43 carries for 364 yards — 8.5 yards per attempt! — and four TDs. The Aggies knew what they had in-house and began to unleash the Texas native in 2021.

After 130 carries, 910 yards, and nine touchdowns, it’s safe to say the SEC and college football fans across the country knew who Achane was. He even added 308 kick-return yards and a score on nine attempts for good measure.

Even with SEC defenses game-planning for him — especially with the aerial assault never taking off for Texas A&M — and his top offensive lineman off to the NFL (first-rounder Kenyon Green), Achane still rushed for 1,102 yards and eight TDs on 196 carries last season, earning first-team all-conference honors.

De’Von Achane Scouting Report

After the Aggies’ 38-23 season finale victory over No. 6-ranked LSU, head coach Jimbo Fisher shared praise for his star RB: “Devon is the ultimate competitor — ultimate team guy. Devon is special.”

And that’s not just coach speak, as the rest of Achane’s scouting report will spell out.

Running backs can often be an easy position to get lazy as a scout. On the surface, there isn’t much to see. They get the ball, hit a hole, and run. But nothing is ever that simple.

Achane has the requisite NFL traits in spades. The Texas A&M RB quickly identifies rushing lanes and explodes through them. If a lineman loses their battle in the gap, he bounces to a new one with ease. If penetration blows up the inside, Achane cuts outside, and vice versa.

The Texas A&M product also owns the escapability to navigate traffic and use his smaller stature to his advantage, sitting in tight spots until daylight comes calling. Along with vision comes patience, another one of Achane’s strong suits. He allows his blocks to set up before attacking a hole — either the designed one or another that appeared.

We can hit speed rapidly, as we already know Achane is fast fast. He possesses nearly uncatchable, uncoachable long speed to reach the end zone once he slices through the first level, as evidenced by his 4.33 40-yard dash at the Combine.

Whether it’s as a runner, receiver, or even returner, Achane is a home-run threat. Whatever pursuit angle a defender chooses, the Texas native makes it the wrong one. But Achane isn’t a one-tempo runner. He can vary his foot speed behind the line of scrimmage or in space to earn an extra split-second to operate.

As for lateral agility, Achane is a shifty runner and displays little wasted movement when cutting backside, squeezing through gaps, or maneuvering in the backfield. His start/stop and change-of-direction ability and effortless acceleration allow him to turn holes into craters. And he has the ankle flexion to explode off one foot at a moment’s notice and instantly turn upfield.

Unsurprisingly, Achane’s physical tools make him a dynamic weapon anywhere on the field. The Texas A&M RB effortlessly shakes first-level defenders and slips through contact. He’s far from the biggest back at 5’8″ and 188 pounds, but he carries his weight well, with most of it stemming from his lower body.

Furthermore, Achane’s confidence, willingness to lower his shoulder, and contact balance create extra yardage. Thanks to his acceleration, he can blow through arm tackles, and his leg drive leads to a habit of falling forward. Plus, he can stack sharp and decisive cuts, mudding reads from second-level defenders.

Ball security isn’t an issue, as Achane protects the ball in traffic and is aware of looming threats. He’s fumbled just twice across his three collegiate seasons and 400+ touches.

Achane’s receiving production with the Aggies — 65 catches, 554 yards, and five TDs — is nothing to scoff at. And last offseason, he reportedly worked on his route running and hands. Achane already showed the ability to track passes over his shoulder last season, and his speed makes him a mismatch against linebackers in man coverage.

Moreover, Achane will enter the NFL with relatively fresh legs as a three-year player that split reps his first two seasons. He also keeps his feet under his frame on quick cuts and breaks, saving himself from major non-contact injuries.

As much as I appreciate Achane’s impressive skill set, his areas for improvement are not lost on me. Let’s discuss the elephant in the room: Due to his size, Achane will never be a short-yardage or goal-line back. He lacks a power component to his game, and no team should expect him to move piles or break head-on contact.

He’s also a liability in pass protection, seeding ground to blitzers upon collision. It’s not for lack of effort, but Achane simply has the stature of a slot-only wide receiver.

Now, blocking isn’t necessarily an area of emphasis in college and can be taught (hand placement, leverage, etc.). But it’s a noticeable unchecked box on his scouting report.

Along the same lines, Achane must acquire and hit his target with more consistency when chipping pass rushers. Sure, it’s not the biggest deal. But in the NFL, when you are tasked with an assignment, you better complete it if you want to stay on the field.

In the running game, there isn’t much not to like about Achane’s game. Nevertheless, he isn’t perfect. He sometimes preemptively targets the edge, missing work up the middle.

His vision is typically outstanding, but there are times when he doesn’t trust his blocking and cuts to a different gap too early, resulting in fewer yards gained. That’s especially detrimental as a smaller back that cannot generate yards by plowing over defenders.

But his tape also has the other side of the variance. Occasionally, he’ll be too patient, waiting for blocks to set up that simply never do. As a receiver, his lack of length limits his catch radius as a checkdown option for QBs.

Lastly, Achane’s lack of wear on his tires is a double-edged sword. We simply don’t know how much of a workload he can withstand. Last year was his first as the lead back (his previous career high in touches was 20), and he missed a couple of games due to a foot injury.

De’Von Achane’s 2023 NFL Outlook

Achane’s size limits his projection, but his skill set and physical gifts are tailor-made for today’s NFL. We routinely projected him to land in Kyle Shanahan’s zone-rushing offense because Achane wouldn’t give defenses a chance. It’s not a surprise the Dolphins selected Achane in the third round.

His blend of game-breaking long speed, vision, footwork, and short-area burst is a big part of the reason the Dolphins passed on signing Dalvin Cook in free agency. Achane is not as big as Cook, but he’s a similar back who can provide chunk plays in Mike McDaniel’s offense.

His 2023 outlook in Miami is exciting but has many outcomes. Playing behind Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. isn’t as limiting as being behind a true star, but both backs have the coaching staff’s trust. However, both also have injury histories that could thrust Achane into a starting role at any moment.

The easiest projection is that Achane will be a low-volume, high-efficiency platoon player. McDaniel will need to fight the urge to use him as a gadget player and instead let him cook on designed zone rushes so that his speed shines.

His upside is quite a bit higher if he can handle at least 175 carries like Mostert and Wilson each did last year. It’s not crazy to think he could break 1,000 total yards if he has that workload, but it won’t be up to him to earn that. He’d need at least one injury to happen for those touches to be available.

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Farming brothers Daniel and Devon De Sousa, who started their farming business without any land, join this episode of Farmer’s Inside Track. The duo shares insights on their business strategy, their outlook on being innovative, and running a farming business in Mzansi.

According to Daniel – the youngest – growing leafy greens in their backyard was the first step towards leasing neighbouring farmland.

In the episode, Daniel details why establishing a successful farming business starts with the groundwork. “If you get the groundwork and your infrastructure correct from the start, business will be successful,” he says.

Using technology to make huge strides

Devon, on the other hand, is a bit of a tech guru who believes that technology will take Mzansi’s agri sector to new heights. He also shares his thoughts on what the future of agriculture in Mzansi will look like.

“In a good way, I think the whole landscape is going to change when stakeholders stop working in silos and start working together, collectively and offer their offerings as a bucket to the farmers.”

Devon says farmers need to start thinking differently about how they run their businesses.

“Instead of forecasting your crops, you should do budget forecasts. Replace plant production with a budget, and instead of looking at access to markets, brand your products.”

He says this is key if farmers want to be sustainable and it will help with funding opportunities.

Additional topics covered in the podcast include:

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