ORLANDO, FL – July 20, 2024 – Today, MVP announced that MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 8 will take place on Friday, September 6 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL, available globally as part of the DAZN subscription package with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter. The main card of Most Valuable Prospects 8, presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy and sponsored by Fansly and Event Ticket Center, will be headlined by a 10-round super lightweight showdown between rising Cuban star Kevin Brown (5-0, 3 KOs) and seasoned Puerto Rican contender John Bauza (18-1, 8 KOs) for the WBA Super Lightweight Continental Americas title. Joining the card as the co-main event is MVP’s youngest signee, 17-year-old boxing prodigy and actor Javon “Wanna” Walton (1-0-1, 1 KO), aiming for his second professional win.
Kevin Brown (5-0, 3 KOs), the current WBA Continental Champion, is on the fast track to a world title and looks to continue his meteoric rise in the super lightweight division with a landmark victory on September 6. The undefeated prospect from Camaguey, Cuba, now training in Las Vegas, NV under the guidance of world-renowned trainer Ismael Salas, is eager to seize this title opportunity early in his professional career. He is currently ranked #14 in the world by the WBA.
“I’m feeling very grateful for the opportunity to be fighting for the WBA Continental Americas title in only my sixth professional fight,” said Kevin Brown “I’ve trained hard, and I’m going into this fight with full confidence. This is my moment to shine, and I’m ready to bring that belt home.”
John Bauza (18-1, 8 KOs), from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, currently training in North Bergen, NJ, is equally enthusiastic about the title opportunity. Bauza will look to leverage his greater professional experience on Friday, September 6 in Orlando, confident that he will claim the WBA Super Lightweight Continental Americas title fight and progress onwards to even bigger opportunities in the coming months.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity,” said John Bauza. “I want to show the world what I’m made of, and this fight is a huge chance for me to showcase my talent and to continue representing my lovely island, Puerto Rico. We are going to bring the Caribbean fire to the ring.”
Joining the main card as the co-main event is Javon “Wanna” Walton (1-0-1, 1 KO). Walton signed with MVP in July 2023 and fought to a split draw in his global debut in MVP’s marquee event in March 2024. As the youngest-ever athlete to sign with Nike’s Jordan Brand, Walton has continued to excel as a boxer. Walton began boxing at the age of four, and at age eight became one of America’s youngest amateur prospects. His skill and hard work earned him the title of multi-time Junior Regional Champion and two-time Junior Olympic national silver medalist. The Atlanta native is also a world-renowned actor who captured international attention with his debut role as the beloved drug dealer “Ashtray” in the HBO Max Emmy-winning series Euphoria starring alongside Hollywood icons Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, and has since continued to co-star in numerous other film and TV titles. He trains under his father and coach, DJ Walton.
“I’m beyond excited to step back into the ring in the co-main event of MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 8,” said Wanna Walton. “This fight represents a huge opportunity for me to show how much I’ve grown as a boxer in the past six months and to prove that I belong at this level. I can’t wait to give my fans around the world a great show on Friday, September 6.”
“Our upcoming Most Valuable Prospects 8 card will feature some of the top young prospects in the game who are ready to prove they belong on the big stage, and we can’t wait for fans to witness the talent they bring to the ring on Friday, September 6,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of MVP. “Kevin Brown’s rapid rise in the super lightweight division has been incredible, and John Bauza’s experience and determination will make for an exciting matchup in this battle of Cuba vs. Puerto Rico. We’re equally excited to see Wanna Walton, whose talent and dedication have already made him a standout in both boxing and acting, step back into the ring to show the world what he can do. Ultimately, we are looking to grow these top prospects into stars on the biggest stages, as exemplified by Most Valuable Prospects veterans Tony Aguilar and Corey Marksman, who tonight make their pay-per-view debuts on MVP’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry card. Friday, September 6 continues our mission to identify these rising stars. Thank you to Boxlab Promotions, DAZN and CELSIUS for their dedication to bringing another incredible night of boxing to Orlando, and we look forward to unveiling the rest of this exciting card soon.”
“Kevin has been training relentlessly, and we believe he will come out victorious,” stated Amaury Piedra, managing director of Caribe Royale and President of Boxlab Promotions, who co-promotes Kevin Brown with Warriors Boxing. “This is a great chance for him to show how skilled and determined he is in front of a big audience. We can’t wait to see him do an amazing job.”
The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and marketed by MVP with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed globally by DAZN. The eighth event in the series will continue the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to highlight the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. All events within Most Valuable Prospects will take place on Friday nights in 2024. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drink, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of MVP and the Most Valuable Prospects series. Fansly and Event Ticket Center have also joined on to sponsor the Most Valuable Prospects as well.
For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions and @DAZNBoxing.
About MVP
MVP was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.
About DAZN
DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). We are building the ultimate sports entertainment platform, based on premium sports rights, world-leading tech, and multi-platform distribution. DAZN believes that fans from across the globe should be able to watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.
For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?dazngroup.com.
