ORLANDO, Fla. – December 12, 2024 – Ahead of MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 10, rising prospect Antonio Vargas and Winston Guerrero faced off at the public weigh-in for the final time before their showdown for the vacant interim WBA Bantamweight title in the main event. In the co-main event, MVP’s Javon “Wanna” Walton returns to the ring to take on Erik Hanley.
Undefeated Cuban Olympian, Dainier Pero, returns to action against Walter Burns for the vacant WBA Continental USA heavyweight title, and Canadian Olympian and amateur champion Tammara “Tamm” Thibeault makes her professional debut against Natasha “The Nightmare” Spence.
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 tenth event in the series highlights the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to showcase the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drinks, is the exclusive energy drink of MVP and the presenting sponsor of the Most Valuable Prospects series. Most Valuable Prospects is also sponsored by Fansly, Event Ticket Center, Total Wireless and Undisputed.
See below for official weights and to see what these fighters had to say ahead of tomorrow’s fight night:
MAIN EVENT: VACANT INTERIM WBA BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE BOUT (118 LBS) – 12 Rounds
Antonio Vargas vs. Winston Guerrero
Kissimmee, FL Managua, Nicaragua
18-1 (10 KOs) 22-0 (13 KOs)
117.2 LBS 117.8 LBS
CO-MAIN EVENT: LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT (135 LBS) – 4 ROUNDS
Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton vs. Erik Hanley
Atlanta, GA Rancho Cordova, CA
1-0-1 (1 KO) 1-1 (1 KO)
135 LBS 133 LBS
WBA CONTINENTAL USA HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE (201+ LBS) – 10 ROUNDS
Dainier Pero vs. Walter Burns
Orlando, FL Detroit, MI
9-0 (7 KOs) 8-2 (6 KOs)
236.8 LBS 225.8 LBS
MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT (160 LBS)
Tammara Thibeault vs. Natasha Spence
Shawinigan, CA Cambridge, CA
Pro Debut 8-6-2 (6 KOs)
160LBS 158.6 LBS
WBA CONTINENTAL USA SUPER WELTERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT (154LBS) – 8 ROUNDS
Jeovanny Estela vs. Jocksan Blanco
Orlando, FL Orlando, FL
14-1 (5 KOs) 7-0 (4 KOs)
153.6 LBS 153.2 LBS
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT (201+ LBS) – 8 ROUNDS
Gurgen Hovhannisyan vs. Patrick Mailata
Los Angeles, CA Las Vegas
6-0 (6 KOs) 6-2 (3 KOs)
275 LBS 309.4 LBS
SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT (141 LBS) – 8 ROUNDS
Hendri Cedeño vs. Luis Hernandez Ramos
La Romana, DR Chihuahua, MX
14-0 (11 KOs) 23-5 (20 KOs)
142 LBS 146.2 LBS
MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT (164 LBS) – 6 ROUNDS
Jamar Pemberton vs. Kahlil Mitchell
Las Vegas Chattanooga, TN
7-1 (5 KOs) 4-0 (2 KOs)
162.8 LBS 164 LBS
SUPER WELTERWEIGHT BOUT (155 LBS) – 6 ROUNDS
Antraveous Ingram vs. Freddy Espinoza
Kissimmee, FL Chinandega, NI
8-0 (3 KOs) 10-7 (7 KOs)
153.2 LBS 156.4 LBS
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT (135 LBS) – 8 ROUNDS
Fradimil Macayo vs. Oscar Escandon
Caracas, VE San Jose, CA
17-1 (13 KOs) 27-8 (18 KOs)
134.8 LBS 138 LBS
WALKOUT: WBA CONTINENTAL AMERICAS SUPER WELTERWEIGHT BOUT (154 LBS) – 8 ROUNDS
Alex Bray vs. Gaston Rios
Melbourne, FL Buenos Aires, AR
7-0 (6 KOs) 10-2 (7 KOs)
154 LBS 151.6 LBS
Antonio Vargas
On how he’s feeling going into the fight and his prediction
“I’m excited. I’m here in my hometown in front of all my friends and family so I’m looking forward to this fight. My prediction is if he comes to fight, it’s going to be a war. I don’t think it’s going to go the distance. My main thing is I’m going to lift up the name that is above every other name and that’s the name of Jesus Christ after I get this victory.”
Winston Guerrero
On what it means to rep his country of Nicaragua and what will happen
“It’s an honor to be representing my country, I take it very seriously. I’m ready for tomorrow. It’s going to be a war. I’m ready to go and I’m going to be looking for the knockout.”
Javon Walton
Why boxing makes everything work for him and his prediction for tomorrow
“This is my roots right here, this is what I do best, this is what I love, and I can’t wait to prove that Friday night. You are going to see my best and that’s all I’m going to say.”
Erik Hanley
On how tomorrow’s fight will go down
“You guys are just going to have to watch it. You guys are in for a very-skilled, highly-technical fight. I know he’s coming to fight, I’m prepared for that. Wherever the fight takes me, you’re in for a treat.”
Dainier Pero
On his expectations for tomorrow and overall prediction
“I’m ready to go, it’s another step in the journey and I’m ready to bring my all tomorrow. I’m going to go in with a war-like approach and let the chips fall where they may. I’m going to take care of business tomorrow.”
Tamarra Thibeault
When asked about what it means to make her pro debut and prediction going into tomorrow
“I’m just so excited to be a part of this. I’m part of a great team that endorses women’s boxing and I’m ready to make history. I’m here to be the best that I can be and show the world what women’s boxing is about. I’m just going to show out in the ring, she’ll (Natasha) find out. I’m going to let my boxing speak for itself, she has never been against anyone like me.”
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 tenth event in the series highlights the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to showcase the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drinks, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of MVP and the Most Valuable Prospects series. Most Valuable Prospects is also sponsored by Fansly and Event Ticket Center.
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 has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. 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.
