<ul class="summary-list"><li>Three young fighters boxed impressively in separate fights during the PBC on Showtime card.</li><li>It all went down Saturday inside The Chelsea theater at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.</li></ul>LAS VEGAS — Three young Americans lit up a Premier <keyword id="11922196" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="boxing" source="Orion">Boxing</keyword> Champions card with bruising knockout wins Saturday <a href="https://www.insider.com/colbert-vs-garcia-at-the-cosmopolitan-of-las-vegas-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inside The Chelsea theater at The Cosmopolitan</a> of Las Vegas.<keyword id="13264279" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="micky-scala" source="Orion">Micky Scala</keyword>, 19, <keyword id="13264280" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="angel-barrientes" source="Orion">Angel Barrientes</keyword>, also 19, and <keyword id="13264281" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="justin-cardona" source="Orion">Justin Cardona</keyword>, 22, boxed impressively to further their fledgling pro careers.Arizona fighter Scala opened the show against super welterweight opponent Jose Gomez.Scala looked big at the weight, almost like a super middleweight rather than a 154-pounder, and brought a rowdy crowd with him from Mesa.<a href="https://www.insider.com/floyd-mayweather-american-fighters-futures-champs-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mayweather Promotions boxer</a> threw his punches well, picked Gomez apart, and scored a second-round finish without seemingly leaving first gear.Victory advanced his unbeaten pro record to five wins (three knockouts).<h2>Angel Barrientes obliterated Brian Cannady</h2>In the second bout of the evening, Angel Barrientes — who fights locally out of Las Vegas — scored knockdowns in the second and third rounds in a super bantamweight bout against Brian Cannady.Barrientes asserted his authority on the fight from the off with a long jab, punishing hook shots, and clubbing right hands over the top.A clear difference in power could be seen when a shot whipped into Cannady's body sent him back a few steps.If the first round wasn't decisive enough, Barrientes accelerated in the second, increasing the pressure and seeking the finish.It wasn't long before it arrived after a brace of knockdowns closed the show, propelling Barrientes' pro record to eight wins (six knockouts) against one loss.Watch the finish right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497750359170641929">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote><h2>Justin Cardona bullied Joshua Draughter into submission</h2>Next to impress was Californian youngster Justin Cardona who threw venomous strikes like a nasty SOB in his lightweight six-rounder against Joshua Draughter.He scored his first knockdown of the night early in the opening round, as he started fast and hard.Cardona was fighting with such bad intentions that one fan in the crowd could be heard shouting: "It's getting real, now!"It wasn't just real. It was horrible. Don't ever piss Cardona off because, man, just when you think that kid's gotten going, he activates a new level in bully mode and hammers Draughter's mid-section.Cardona knew all along that he could win by knockout, and with age and experience he likely could have gotten it sooner, as he boxed wild in the second before calming in the third round.Unlike the previous round where he put punches into wild bunches, Cardona threw single shots with remarkable power and consistency.Eventually, Daughter wilted. The corner would have known it, and the referee certainly knew it, as he waved the bout off there and then. Really, it should have been stopped sooner.Regardless, Cardona had done it — another win.Watch the finish right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497753868976877572">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>With victory, Cardona advanced his pro record to seven wins (four knockouts). He remains undefeated.Later, in the televised section of the show broadcast on Showtime <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">Sports</keyword>, Jerwin Ancajas defends his IBF junior bantamweight title against Fernando Martinez.Gary Antuanne Russell steps up in class against rangy jabber <a href="https://www.insider.com/ukraine-boxer-viktor-postols-family-in-the-middle-of-everything-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viktor Postol</a>, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/chris-colbert-to-level-up-career-and-fight-skakur-stevenson-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Colbert fights</a> Hector Garcia in a WBA super featherweight title eliminator set for 12 rounds.

3 young Americans lit up a Premier Boxing Champions card with bruising knockout wins

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Education Department announced an update to its FAFSA formula to expand aid eligibility.</li><li>In accordance with a FAFSA law, the update will make 7.3 million students eligible for Pell Grants.</li></ul>President Joe Biden's Education Department is continuing its rollout of a key financial aid form — and its latest update is set to make more students eligible.On Tuesday, the Education Department is set to announce an update to the way it calculates the rewards for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form.Specifically, according to the press release obtained exclusively by Business Insider, the update ensures the FAFSA formula is "in full alignment" with the <a target="_blank" href="https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/fafsa-simplification-act">FAFSA Simplification Act</a>. The Act requires the department to expand Pell Grants to more students and link eligibility to the student's family size and federal poverty level, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.The department estimates that its latest update to the formula will result in 7.3 million students becoming eligible for Pell Grants. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal told BI that the update addresses how much students can afford to contribute to their educations based on earnings, and it will not impact the department's timeline to send completed applications to schools in the first half of March."We are putting all hands on deck and using every lever we have to make sure we can achieve the transformational potential of the Better FAFSA to make higher education possible for many more of our nation's students," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement."The technical updates we are making today will not impact our implementation timelines, and, combined with other implementation efforts, the Department's Better FAFSA will result in more students eligible to access more Pell Grants in the 2024-25 award year," he said.The department is set to work with schools in the coming days to implement the latest update. Along with the formula change, Kvaal also said that this is the first week that Federal Student Aid staff will begin going to schools across the country to ensure they are prepared to process student aid packages efficiently.This latest update comes on the heels of a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fafsa-why-parents-students-have-to-wait-financial-aid-awards-2024-1">rocky FAFSA rollout</a> over the past few months. In January, the Education Department announced that its timeline to send FAFSA forms to schools was two months delayed as it worked to overhaul the application and make it easier for families to access.The delays have sparked concern among advocates and lawmakers. Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said in a statement at the time that "these continued delays, communicated at the last minute, threaten to harm the very students and families that federal student aid is intended to help."Some Republican lawmakers have also called on the Government Accountability Office to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/ranking-member-cassidy-colleagues-announce-gao-investigation-into-biden-admins-botched-fafsa-rollout">investigate the rollout</a> of the FAFSA form. Still, some colleges have started adjusting their commitment deadlines to allow more time for students to review their financial aid packages. The University of Pittsburgh, for example, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/pitt-moving-commitment">recently extended</a> its deadline from May 1 to May 15, with Marc Harding, vice provost for enrollment, saying in a statement that it "ensures that students and families have ample time to review their options and make an informed decision when choosing Pitt."Kvaal said that he appreciates schools' efforts to give students more flexibility and encouraged others to evaluate their financial aid deadlines to work in the best interest of students.

7.3 million students will be eligible for Pell Grants in the Education Department's latest update to a key financial aid application

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The rollout of this year's FAFSA has been riddled with delays since the Education Department simplified the form.</li><li>The latest delay means financial aid awards might not come until April.</li></ul>The sole application for receiving college financial aid has had a rocky rollout this year — and it means reward letters will be delayed by months.On Tuesday, the Education Department <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-more-31-million-fafsa-forms-successfully-submitted-and-update-student-aid-index-calculation">announced</a> that it won't be sending students' Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, forms to schools until early March. That's two months after it previously said it would begin sending over that data. The delay means that it could take until April for some families to learn how much financial aid they'll receive — just one month before students have to confirm which college they'll be attending in the fall.This delay is a result of the Education Department's efforts to overhaul the FAFSA form to make it simplified for families and students. While the form was released on October 1 in prior years, the new release was delayed nearly three months later as the department was implementing a "soft-launch" of the form.The latest delay in receiving financial aid awards can be attributed to the department's efforts to update FAFSA qualifications to expand families' financial aid eligibility. Specifically, the department said it would update FAFSA's "Student Aid Index," which determines how much a family can afford to pay for college. When the new FAFSA form was soft-launched, the formula relied on inflation figures from 2020, and the update is expected to open up an additional $1.8 billion in federal student aid.However, that'll take time — and could leave some families in a time crunch when it comes to evaluating their financial aid packages."The Better FAFSA makes it as simple and easy as possible for families to get help paying for college, and updating our tables will help even more students get the help they need," Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said in a statement. "Updating our calculations will help students qualify for as much financial aid as possible."The delay has sparked concern among higher education advocates who say it'll leave insufficient time for families to make major financial choices."On the very day that schools were expecting FAFSA applicant information, they were instead notified by the U.S. Department of Education that they shouldn't expect to receive that data until March, at the earliest," Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said in a statement."These continued delays, communicated at the last minute, threaten to harm the very students and families that federal student aid is intended to help," Draeger said.Nine higher education groups also called for colleges to extend the financial aid deadline beyond May 1 to accommodate for the delays, saying in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Joint-Statement-Financial-Aid-Deadlines.aspx">joint statement</a> that "we all want students and families to have the time they need to consider their financial options before making enrollment decisions."The Education Department said it would continue to update schools and stakeholders on FAFSA progress as it prepares to send information to schools in the first half of March. So far, 3.1 million applications have successfully been submitted, the department said.<h2>GOP lawmakers requesting FAFSA oversight</h2>The precarious FAFSA rollout has prompted a number of Republican lawmakers to request additional information on why these delays are happening.On Tuesday, top Republican on the House education committee Virginia Foxx and chair of an education subcommittee Burgess Owens sent a <a target="_blank" href="https://edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/foxx_owens_fafsa.pdf">letter</a> to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona requesting additional information on how it's rolling out the new FAFSA forms."Though the FAFSA is available today for completion, the Department itself has admitted that students and families are still unable to complete the FAFSA because of an extensive list of technical issues," they wrote. "Many of the issues have no current workarounds."Sen. Bill Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate education committee, also released a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/ranking-member-cassidy-sounds-alarm-over-biden-admin-delaying-fafsa-information-harming-students-access-to-financial-aid">statement</a> on Tuesday saying that "these unacceptable delays from the Biden administration creates the real likelihood that many students will forgo college because they cannot choose a school without knowing their eligibility for student aid." Cassidy and Foxx led 26 of their colleagues in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/ranking-member-cassidy-chairwoman-foxx-colleagues-request-investigation-into-biden-admins-botched-fafsa-rollout-impact-on-students-and-schools">requesting</a> last week that the Government Accountability Office investigate the Education Department's FAFSA rollout, saying the delays could particularly harm low-income students who depend most on financial aid.The department has not yet commented on the investigation and said it will continue moving forward with simplifying FAFSA for families reliant on financial aid."We remain committed to ensuring students and families have stable and secure access to more than $114 billion in federal financial aid," Federal Student Aid Chief Richard Cordray said in a statement."We know how crucial this support is to pursue higher education, particularly for the most underserved communities, and the positive ripple effects an education beyond high school makes in the lives of millions, their communities, and the country," he said.

Why college applicants will have to wait months longer to find out how much financial aid they're getting this year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An unforgettable night of violence took place Saturday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.</li><li><keyword id="13257570" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hector-garcia" source="Orion">Hector Garcia</keyword> dropped and defeated <keyword id="13257569" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="chris-colbert" source="Orion">Chris Colbert</keyword> in a monster upset.</li></ul>LAS VEGAS — <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/chris-colbert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Colbert</a> came to the fight capital of the world with an abundance of energy and self-belief, ahead of his super featherweight world <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/boxing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boxing</a> title eliminator against Hector Garcia.However, he'll return to New York with a stunning loss.Colbert is fun and flashy but on Saturday <a href="https://www.insider.com/colbert-vs-garcia-at-the-cosmopolitan-of-las-vegas-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at The Chelsea theater inside The Cosmopolitan casino</a>, a late replacement opponent brought in with just three weeks' notice upset the odds with a statement win.Colbert was likely down after the opening two rounds alone, and though he came out firing in the third with a blistering combination of shots, his steller moments were few and far between.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Premier <keyword id="11922196" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="boxing" source="Orion">Boxing</keyword> Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497808553624551424">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>Really, this was Garcia's ring, and Colbert was just living in it.In the first half of the fight, Garcia cracked his skull with a shot so effective, it made Colbert wobble on unstable legs momentarily. Colbert would leave his jabbing hand out as if to fend away any incoming shot and buy him a second or two to recover. He was fighting like he was hurt.Midway through the fifth, Garcia threw a near-eight punch combination which was the right technique at the right time as it left Colbert with little option but to absorb it, with his back against the ropes.Colbert had flashes of good work but it was mostly overshadowed by an unrelenting fighter in front of him, who landed big shots with ease, and happily left his hands down by his waist as if to tell the American 'Hey, you have no power.'Then, Garcia almost wrecked Colbert's world midway through the seventh when a straight left punch thundered into his face, dropping him flat on the canvas.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497814434214940672">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497817563878756353">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>Colbert got to his feet to survive, but the crowd in Vegas had turned. Colbert's team was raucous through the week, but now Garcia's fans were buoyant, screaming with joy, as they sensed a monster upset was on the cards.Though Colbert threatened to regroup in the latter rounds, by the 10th, Garcia was thumping him into retreat mode.Now, it was Garcia who was confident, fun, and flashy as he stood his ground, paused, raised his arms and tried to drag Colbert into fisticuffs with showboating behavior.On his gloves and his flamboyant shorts, Colbert had pieces of a puzzle. But on Saturday, Garcia solved it — a clear-cut unanimous decision for the Dominican.Victory for the underdog saw Garcia advance his pro record to 15 wins (10 knockouts), while Colbert falls to 16 wins (six knockouts) and one defeat.<h2><keyword id="13257597" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gary-antuanne-russell" source="Orion">Gary Antuanne Russell</keyword> secures a late stoppage in <keyword id="13257596" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="viktor-postol" source="Orion">Viktor Postol</keyword> bout</h2><div type="image" title="Gary Antuanne Russell and Viktor Postol fought a super lightweight match Saturday." height="937" width="1250" msid="89866071" hostid="261"></div>American super lightweight Gary Antuanne Russell, a fast-rising star in this game aged 25, took the fight to 38-year-old Viktor Postol in their 140-pound bout.Postol told reporters at a press conference Insider attended Thursday that <a href="https://www.insider.com/ukraine-boxer-viktor-postols-family-in-the-middle-of-everything-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he has "family in the middle of everything at home" in Ukraine</a> — a country defending itself from Russia's invasion.He said those distractions would not affect his mentality when it came time to fight, and through the first quarter of the bout that much seemed true.Postol tried to box around Russell, but the younger fighter was happy to command the position in the middle of the ring, and hunt for his opponent's head.The more powerful punching came exclusively from Russell, who wailed hook shots on Postol's face throughout the early going.In the third round, he added a straight left to his effective arsenal of potential match-changing punches, dazing Postol when he sent his glove through his kisser.Postol grew into the fight as it reached its middle stage, nicking rounds, making Russell spit blood into his bucket before the start of the sixth.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497798139020988424">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>But then Russell wound up that trusted left hand again, nailing Postol with that southpaw straight of his. And then again, and then a right hand. And when Russell turned it on, the fight was his.But Postol was making him work harder than he has ever had to work before the 14 knockouts he scored from the 14 fights he'd had in the pro game before this one.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497797923442069507">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>There are learnings for Russell to take as he continues to develop — Postol was able to counter him, he needs to work on his defensive game, and he must beware of the punch resistance to his face because he wore the wounds of boxing Saturday.Regardless, Russell scored a finish in the 10th round when he had Postol hurt, and followed up with a barrage of strikes until the referee intervened somewhat questionably, as Postol, with his experience, could have likely fought on.When speaking to Showtime analyst Jim Gray, Russell said "definitely," when asked if the fight should have been stopped. "There was a lot of contacts. Low gloves. The judges made the correct decision."I think my performance speaks for itself. The talent speaks for itself. I believe I'm ready for a step-up fight."Postol left the ring early. It is unclear why. However, he said this week that he'll return to Ukraine to help with the war effort.Gray asked Russell if it's difficult to box Postol knowing the situation he faces in Eastern Europe. "Not at all," he said."We in the hurt business. I do take my hat to Postol — his country is at war, and there are bombs going off. But the man is coming to hurt me, and I'm coming to hurt him."With victory, Russell preserved and extended his perfect knockout ratio, advancing his boxing record to 15 wins (15 knockouts).<h2><keyword id="13265348" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jerwin-ancajas" source="Orion">Jerwin Ancajas</keyword> and <keyword id="13265349" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fernando-martinez" source="Orion">Fernando Martinez</keyword> went to war</h2><div type="image" title="Jerwin Ancajas and Fernando Martinez went to war Saturday." height="675" width="900" msid="89866073" hostid="261"></div>Filipino fighter Jerwin Ancajas, 30, lost his IBF world championship in the televised opener, as Fernando Martinez, also 30, brought the fire in their spectacular junior bantamweight showdown.There were times in the fight when Martinez was slugging away, attempting to take his opponent's jaw off its hinges with relentless shots that Ancajas just seemed to shrug off, even though they were landing flush on his face.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497775815773331465">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>The pace and pressure on display midway through the Premier Boxing Champions card was obscene, as neither fighter backed down, and seemed happy to exchange damaging blows all night long.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1497782679433007111">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote>Martinez seemed to have tallied multiple rounds but Ancajas, perhaps spurred by wise words from his corner, rallied.As the bout drew to an end, they stood and traded blow after blow, emptying the bullets from their clip until they had nothing left but air.To underline the violence that took place, these wild sluggers too badass for their own good, combined to throw an extraordinary 1,862 punches, according to Compubox data sent to Insider.Eventually, Martinez was announced as the rightful winner in a unanimous decision. Having wrested the belt away from Ancajas in style, he advanced his pro record to 14 wins (eight knockouts), and remains unbeaten."I'm at a loss for words," the new champion said. "This is a dream come true. I want to unify titles and fight the best. I fought a warrior tonight, and I made the seemingly impossible, possible."<div type="image" title="Fernando Martinez won the IBF junior bantamweight title in style." height="732" width="1000" msid="89866075" hostid="261"></div>On the untelevised undercard, three young American fighters lit up the event as Micky Scala, 19, Angel Barrientes, also 19, and Justin Cardona, 22, boxed impressively in separate bouts to further their fledgling pro careers.Scala breezed past Jose Gomez, Angel Barrientes battered Brian Cannady, and Justin Cardona bullied Joshua Draughter until the referee intervened in the third round to wave the bout off.<a href="https://www.insider.com/cardona-barrientes-scala-score-bruising-knockouts-at-pbc-event-2022-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch highlights of the early action here</a>.

You Searched For "justin cardona" and got 4 results

3 young Americans lit up a Premier Boxing Champions card with bruising knockout wins

Alan Dawson

7.3 million students will be eligible for Pell Grants in the Education Department's latest update to a key financial aid application

Ayelet Sheffey

Why college applicants will have to wait months longer to find out how much financial aid they're getting this year

Ayelet Sheffey

A 30-year-old scored one of the biggest upsets of the year when he flattened American boxer Chris Colbert

Alan Dawson