Promoter Dmitriy Salita wishes to congratulate WBO No. 13-rated super flyweight Jarico “Great Lakes King” O’Quinn (13-0-1, 8 KOs) for his action-packed 10-round unanimous decision victory over fellow Detroit contender James “O.G.” Smith (13-3, 7 KOs) on Saturday, October 5.
With the victory, O’Quinn made an arena of new fans and picked up the vacant WBO International Super Flyweight Championship.
To the delight of the fans at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, the two super flyweights went to war all 10 rounds. The ultra-tough Smith was down in round six, but both fighters had their moments in an old-school crosstown shootout. In the end, O’Quinn’s accuracy and superior work rate through most of the fight won over the judges by scores of 96-93 x 3.
“In the most important fight of his young career, Ja’Rico had his best performance and established himself as a top super flyweight contender,” said Salita. “His conditioning was perfect, and he executed his team’s game plan perfectly. Congratulations to him and his coaches for coming through at a critical juncture in his development.”
Salita says O’Quinn showed he is clearly ready for another rise in competition after defeating a determined foe like Smith with citywide bragging rights on the line.
“Ja’Rico showed he has the heart and will to compete at the world level,” Salita continued. “I will be looking to put him in another step-up fight next year. Clearly the pressure of an important fight brings the best out of him.”
