Argentine journalist Edul sparks uproar at Ibai Llanos's boxing event with 'Las Malvinas son argentinas' shirt

Political message in the ring

Gastón Edul, the Argentine sports journalist, walked out for his bout at La Velada del Año VI wearing a shirt that read "Las Malvinas son argentinas". His entrance was accompanied by the Argentine national anthem, sung by a veteran of the Falklands War. The moment drew sharp whistles and jeers from the crowd inside the Seville venue, and video of the scene quickly spread online, igniting a crossfire between Argentine supporters who saw it as a patriotic gesture and Spanish viewers who criticised the politicisation of a YouTube entertainment show.

Las Malvinas son argentinas. Y Leo Messi: nuestro placer es que sigas jugando para la Selección.

The message also overshadowed much of the sporting result.

Weigh-in fire

Hours before the fight, the weigh-in had already set a tense tone. Edul and his opponent, Spanish journalist Edu Aguirre (a regular on El Chiringuito and known as a close friend of Cristiano Ronaldo), faced off with visible hostility. The two had agreed to a limit of 74 kg; Aguirre weighed 71.3 kg and Edul 73.8 kg, both safely under. During the staring contest Edul was caught on camera mouthing an insult, and the pair even discussed the possibility of fighting without headgear to raise the spectacle. No decision on protective gear was reached before they stepped into the ring the same evening.

The fight was built as one of the headline acts of the sixth edition of Ibai Llanos's hugely watched event. Organisers framed it around the contrast between Aguirre's proximity to Ronaldo and Edul's famous on-camera moment with Messi during the 2022 World Cup, when the Argentine captain told Wout Weghorst "¿Qué mirás, bobo? Andá pa’ allá, bobo."

Fight, result and viral fallout

Edul lost the bout by decision, but he returned to the microphone immediately and repeated his Falklands claim. The words reignited the social-media firestorm that had already been burning since his entrance. Argentine users defended the gesture as a statement of national sovereignty, while detractors argued that a celebrity boxing evening was not the place for territorial disputes. Edul also called for a rematch with Aguirre.

Beyond the judges' scorecards, the Edul-Aguirre confrontation became the episode that generated the most chatter from La Velada del Año VI, a streaming event that once again pulled millions of concurrent viewers.