NASHVILLE, TN. – August 9, 2023 – Exciting undefeated prospect Da’Velle Smith picked up his third victory of the year on Tuesday night, as the Saiita Promotions’ prospect delivered a third-round TKO of veteran Dedrick Bell in their middleweight clash that took place in Nashville, Tennessee. The stoppage came 2:59 into the round and improved Smith’s record to 6-0 with 5 KOs.

“It felt good to be back in the ring,” said Smith. “I knew I was in with a veteran and I was prepared to get some rounds in. I was patient and did what I had to do to get the victory. I want to keep the momentum going and hopefully get right back into the ring to fight again in September.”

Bell presented the most experienced challenge of Smith’s young career, as the 69-fight veteran has faced the likes of Yordenis Ugas, DeMarcus Corley and Jose Benavidez Jr. to name a few, throughout his career. The 22-year-old Smith first burst onto the scene in September 2021 by winning the WBC’s inaugural Big Belt Championship by knocking out Ricky Evans in the first round.

His 2023 campaign had already seen him stop Gyorgy Mizsei in February before blasting out the previously unbeaten Kahydlian Woods in the first round on the Claressa Shields-Maricela Cornejo undercard in June. Training in the renowned Kronk Gym, Smith has begun to catch the eye of luminaries in the boxing world as he works his way up in the sport.

“Da’Velle is progressing at a fast past and is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the middleweight division,” said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “He’s tall, strong, skills and a big puncher coming out of the Kronk Gym in Detroit.”

“It was good to have Da’Velle on the show in the Kronk colors,” said Christy Martin, boxing legend and the promoter of last night’s show. “You could tell from his performance that he is a special fighter.”

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ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS

Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including SHOWTIME, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.

Check the Salita Promotions YOUTUBE CHANNEL for regular updates of the modern world’s greatest fighters, contenders and prospects in action. 

Vergil Ortiz Jr. came off almost a year layoff to keep his perfect knockout streak intact as he stopped Michael McKinson in round nine of their welterweight bout at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

In round one, Ortiz was cut around the left eye from an accidental headbutt

In round eight, Ortiz landed a hard left hook to the body that dropped McKinson  In the opening seconds of round nine, Ortiz landed a big left to the body.  McKinson was hurt and the corner waved the towel and the fight was stopped at 27 seconds.

Ortiz, 146.6 lbs of Grand Prairie, Texas is 19-0 with 19 knockouts.  McKinson, 146.8 lbs of Portsmouth, ENG is 22-1.

Marlen Esparza Decisions Guzman; Retains Flyweight Titles

Marlen Esparza defended WBA/WBC Flyweight titles with a 10-round unanimous decision over Eva Guzman.

In round six, Esparza was cut on the side of her left eye. Esparza was very pinpoint on her punches and won by scores of 98-92 twice and 99-91.

Esparza, 111.8 lbs of Houston, Texas is 13-1.  Guzman, 109 lbs of Marcay, VEN is 19-2.

Blair Cobbs Drops Hooker 3 times; Wins Decision

Blair Cobbs won a 10-round unanimous decision over former world champion Maurice Hooker in a welterweight bout.

In round one, Cobbs dropped Hooker with a huge three-punch combination that was highlighted overhand right. In round two, Cobbs dumped Hooker again with hard straight left.  Late in the round, it was another straight left that put Hooker down again,

In round six, Cobbs was cut around the right eye from an accidental headbutt.

Cobbs, 146 lbs of Philadelphia, PA won by scores of 97-90 twice and 96-91 and is now 16-1-1.  Hooker who came in over the contracted weight, weighed in at 150 lbs and Dallas, Texas native is now 27-3-3.

“This wasn’t an easy fight, it was a tougher fight than my last one, and this victory for sure has put me in the top ten rankings,” said Blair Cobbs. “I fought a tougher, heavier fighter. He could box and had an extremely long reach, but today I showed that I can go into deep waters, box, and give fans a show. I want to thank god for this performance, there is nothing stronger and greater than god. Today, I showed that I have more to give to the sport of boxing, that even through adversity Blair ‘The Flair’ will come out on top.” 

Melikuziev stops Janjanin in 3

Hard punching Bektemir Melikuziev stopped Sladan Janjanin in round three of a scheduled 10-round light heavyweight bout

In the first 30 seconds, Melikuziev landed a vicious left to the body that put Janjanin down in a lot of pain. In round two, Melikuziev landed some hard shots to the head that sent Janjanin down for a second time.  In round three, it was another vicious left to the body that sent Janjanin to the deck.  The fight was finally stopped when Melikuziev continued to land thudding punches and the fight ended at 2:18.

Melikuziev, 171 lbs of Indio, CA is 10-1 with eight knockouts.  Janjanin, 168 lbs of Boston, MA is 32-13.

“I didn’t know my opponent until recently so we trained to have a good camp and a preparation,” said Bektemir Melikuziev. “After I dropped him with the body shot I was hoping he would keep going, we didn’t come here to end it one punch. We want to make sure we get some rounds in to gain some experience. But he was an awkward fighter, very uncomfortable but I think my training really showed off today.” 

19 year-old Floyd Schofield remained undefeated by taking out Rodrigo Guerrero in round six of their eight-round lightweight bout.

In round three, Schofield landed a right hand that put Guerrero on the canvas for a knockdown. Schofield dropped Guerrero for a second time in round four, and the bout was stopped after round five. The official time was 10 seconds of round six.

Schofield, 133.8 lbs from Austin, TX is now 11-0 with nine knockouts. Guerrero, 134.6 lbs of Mexico City, MEX is 26-15-2.

Alex Martin brushed himself from a first round knockdown to win a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Hank Lundy in a junior welterweight bout.

In round one, Lundy dropped Martin with an overhand left.

Martin, 140 lbs of Chicago, IL won by scores of 98-91 and 97-92 twice and is now 18-4. Lundy, 138.4 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is 31-11-1.

Carlos Nava remained undefeated with a fourth round stoppage over Rodolfo Hernandez in a scheduled eight-round super lightweight bout.

In round two, Nava dropped Ramirez with a big right hand. In round four, Nava delivered punishment and landed a flurry of punches and the bout was stopped at 36 seconds.

Nava, 138.8 lbs of Pasadena, TX is 9-0 with six knockouts. Hernandez, 135 lbs of Mexico City is 30-11-1.

Figo Ramirez won a four-round unanimous decision over Francisco Bonilla in a bantamweight contest.

In round two, Ramirez was deducted a point for a low blow.

Ramirez, 117.4 lbs of Dallas, TX won by scores of 39-36 on all cards and is now 2-0. Bonilla, 117 lbs of Chihuahua, MEX is now 6-14-3.

Rohan Polanco stopped Dedrick Bell in round two of their eight-round welterweight bout.

Polanco landed a devastating left to the Solar Plexus that sent Bell down for the count.

Polanco, 147 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is now 8-0 with five knockouts. Bell, 146.8 lbs of Memphis, TN is 31-33-1.

PHILADELPHIA – September 19, 2019 – Two-Time world title challenger Petr Petrov Weighed 136.9 lbs while his opponent Dedrick Bell checked in at 137.9 lbs

Petrov (40-6-2, 21 KOs) of Madrid, Spain, and is promoted by Banner Promotions, is looking for his 3rd win of 2019, and he is hoping that the win will catapult him to a 3rd world title shot.

Petrov – Bell will headline at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.

Tickets for “Locked n’ Loaded” are priced at $40 and $100 and are available for purchase at ThompsonBoxing.com, or by calling 714-935-0900.

All fights will be streamed live on TB Presents: Locked n’ Loaded via our Facebook page. Beto Duran will handle blow-by-blow duties, while Doug Fischer provides expert, color commentary. The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET.

PHILADELPHIA – September 19, 2019 – Two-Time world title challenger Petr Petrov will be back in action when he takes on 54-fight veteran Dedrick Bell in an eight-round main event at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.

Petrov (40-6-2, 21 KOs) is looking for his 3rd win of 2019, and he is hoping that the win will catapult him to a world title shot against newly crowned WBC Interim champion Devin Haney,

Over the weekend, Petrov, 36, was close to finalizing a deal as a last minute replacement for Ryan Garcia, but the agreement never materialized and left Garcia off the Los Angeles-area card he was headlining on Saturday.

“Things like this happen,” said Petrov, who will face Tennessee’s Bell on Friday night. “I’ve switched my focus back onto Bell and making sure I’m ready for whatever he brings.”

Petrov, who lives in Madrid, Spain, but conducts most of his training camp in sparring-rich Los Angeles, is back on the title hunt after coming up empty two years ago against then WBO lightweight champion Terry Flanagan. His eight-round fight against Bell will be his third fight of the year after scoring two knockout wins in March and May.

With a win, Petrov, who is promoted by Banner Promotions, will look to be on the shortlist of a major opportunity as the calendar turns to 2020.

“I am still one of the best 135 pound fighters in the world. I see a guy like Devin Haney just won an interim title, and he is a guy that I feel would would be a good matchup for me. But any off the big names like Garcia or Lomachenko. I am ready to fight any of them.”

Bell, on the other hand, is in the midst of his best run since turning professional ten years ago. He has won five in a row and 11 of his last 12.

Tickets for “Locked n’ Loaded” are priced at $40 and $100 and are available for purchase at ThompsonBoxing.com, or by calling 714-935-0900.

All fights will be streamed live on TB Presents: Locked n’ Loaded via our Facebook page. Beto Duran will handle blow-by-blow duties, while Doug Fischer provides expert, color commentary. The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET.