DETROIT – February 6, 2024 – Detroit legend and all-time boxing great Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns will highlight a long list of the city’s biggest boxing stars that are set to attend the inaugural “Big Time Boxing USA” presented by Salita Promotions and taking place Tuesday, February 20 from Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit and streaming live on DAZN.

“Detroit is where I became a champion and that happened through activity, competitive fights and a platform for the world to see,” said Hearns. “I am excited about the lineup on February 20 and I look forward to being ringside for ‘Big Time Boxing USA’ in Detroit.”

Also attending on February 20 will be former world champions Hilmer Kenty, Bronco McKart, “Boom Boom” Johnson, Milton McCrory and Cornelius Bundrage, plus 2024 International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee Jackie Kallen.

“I’m excited to see the legacy of Detroit boxing continue with tomorrow’s champions on display February 20,” said Kallen. “Dmitriy has been working diligently on resurrecting the Detroit boxing scene, which has all the ingredients to once again be one of the best cities in the U.S. for top world class talent. Those watching on DAZN and at the Wayne State Fieldhouse are going to witness a special night”.

“Detroit is the perfect city to kick off for our ‘Big Time Boxing USA’ series,” said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “It is one of the historic homes of boxing. I am honored that living legends like Tommy Hearns, Jackie Kallen, and other champions of the sport both inside and outside the ring are supporting our event and adding to the experience of this series to those watching the fight live on DAZN and fans at the Wayne State Fieldhouse in the heart of the city.”

The event will be headlined by a 10-round all-Michigan showdown as Flint’s Ardreal Holmes Jr. defends his USBA Super Welterweight Championship against Detroit’s Marlon Harrington. The live stream kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will also see unbeaten USBA Light Heavyweight Champion Ali Izmailov face Britton Norwood in a 10-round bout in the co-main

Action on DAZN will also feature a battle of unbeatens, as Grand Rapids-native and U.S. National Amateur Champion standout Joshua Pagan battles Detroit’s Dwane Taylor in an eight-round lightweight bout, plus undefeated Dearborn-native Da’Velle Smith competes in a six-round middleweight affair.

Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased online HERE or in-person at the Wayne State Fieldhouse Box Office. This will be the first boxing event at Wayne State Fieldhouse, the home to the Detroit Pistons’ G-League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, and comes after Salita Promotions delivered the first boxing event ever at Little Caesars Arena, the home of the Pistons, in June 2023.

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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. 

This Thursday (May 26), all-time-great five-weight world champion Thomas “Hitman” Hearns and world-famous manager, author and publicist Jackie Kallen will be heading up a stellar group of Detroit boxing legends (including a host of Kronk world champions such as Hilmer Kenty and Milton McCrory) descending on Dearborn, Michigan, to be in attendance and help celebrate the return of big-time professional boxing to the once-great boxing city.

One of the city’s biggest shows in many years, the Detroit Brawl will be presented by Salita Promotions in the Lincoln Ballroom of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn and headlined by WBC #11-rated heavyweight Otto Wallin (23-1, 14 KOs) facing Detroit-born Rydell Booker (26-5-1, 13 KOs) in the night’s 10-round main event.

Tickets for “Detroit Brawl” start at $40 and can be purchased by clicking. PLEASE NOTE: Tickets ordered online will be placed in will call at the box office for pick-up. A limited quantity of VIP tickets is also available by calling 313.529.7604.

“It’s wonderful to have this level of competition in Detroit,” said the great Thomas Hearns. “I am excited for Rydell Booker to have this opportunity and I hope he will make the most of it.”

Celebrating 40 years in boxing, Kallen, who served as Hearns’ publicist for many of his best years in the ring before going on to find fame as the manager of the great James Toney, agrees the main event is a huge opportunity for the former amateur standout Booker and says she’s coming to celebrate the return of important boxing to the city with her old friends from the Kronk Gym.

“Detroit was the mecca for boxing in the 70s with so many great fighters and then it got quiet,” acknowledged Kallen, “but now it seems like the shows are coming back. That’s a great sign. We need the regularity of a Detroit Brawl series. That consistency is what we needed to build boxing back up again.”

An entertainment journalist before catching the boxing bug, Kallen’s life was the inspiration for the 2004 film Against the Ropes, starring Meg Ryan. She managed her first world champion in 1991, when James Toney knocked out Michael Nunn to win the IBF World Middleweight title. She is also the author of two books – “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Between the Ropes” and makes appearances nationwide as a motivational speaker.

“It’s going to be such a great card,” said Kallen. “I’m so excited to see Otto and Rydell. It’s a great opportunity for Rydell. When you’re fighting a guy whose only loss was to Tyson Fury, that’s the highest level fighter he’ll come in contact with at this stage of his career, so I know he’s taking it seriously and will show up ready to try and pull off this upset.”

In the 10-round super lightweight co-main event, undefeated IBF #4, WBA #13, WBO #11 and RING #7 Shohjahon Ergashev (21-0, 19 KOs), from Rakhmon, Uzbekistan, and now living and training in Detroit, taking on South American Champion Luis Alberto Veron (19-3-2, 9 KOs) of Jose Leon Suarez, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“Detroit and the State of Michigan are a talent hub for some of the greatest fighters in our sport, past and present,” said event promoter Dmitriy Salita. “I am delighted that legends like Jackie Kallen and Tommy Hearns will be on-hand to witness the present and future of boxing in Detroit.”

On the undercard, rising super welterweight powerhouse Marlon Harrington (7-0, 6 KOs) will appear in an eight-round showdown against South American veteran Azael “Turbo” Cosio (21-9-2, 18 KOs), while fast-tracking former national amateur champion and undefeated professional middleweight Joseph Hicks Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) of Grand Rapids, Michigan will appear in a six-round battle against Argentinean southpaw Bruno Leonardo Romay (21-9-2, 18 KOs).

Fighting in supporting bouts will be a trio of undefeated Michigan prospects, including super welterweight Husam Al Mashhadi (3-0, 3 KOs) of Dearborn facing pro-debuting Texan Milton Banks, as well as super lightweight Ferris Dixon Jr. (2-0, 1 KO) and also undefeated super welterweight Da’Velle Smith (2-0, 2 KOs), both of Detroit.

All remaining opponents will be announced shortly and all bouts are subject to change. The Ford Community & Performing Arts Center is located at 15801 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. On fight night, doors open at 6:00 pm and the action starts at 7:00 pm.
ABOUT THE FORD COMMUNITY & PERFORMING ARTS CENTER:

The mission of the Dearborn Recreation & Parks Department is to help fulfill the social, educational and recreational needs of children, adults and families by providing quality programs and activities in clean and well-maintained facilities and to achieve this through exemplary customer service. For more information, visit their OFFICIAL SITE.

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.