Ardreal Holmes Decisions Hugo Noriega

Ardreal Holmes Jr. remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Hugo Noriega in a junior middleweight bout in Flint, Michigan.

Holmes, 153.4 lbs of Flint, MI won by scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94 and is now 16-0. Noriega, 153.2 lbs of Miami is 10-3,

Joseph Hicks remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Ronnie Austion in a junior middleweight bout.

Hicks. 155.8 lbs of Grand Rapids, MI won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 and is now 11-0. Austion, 155.8 lbs of Detroit is 10-3.

Da’Velle Smith remained undefeated with a fourth round stoppage over Esau Herrera De La Cruz in a six-round super middleweight bout.

In round one, Smith dropped De La Cruz with a right hand. In round three, Smith scored another knockdown with a right hand.

In round four, Smith landed an uppercut that put De La Cruz down to the 10-count at 1:08

Smith, 164.8 lbs of Inkster, MI is 9-0 with seven knockouts. De La Cruz, 165.8 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 21-18-1.

Leon Lawson III stopped Luis Alberto Veron in round four of their eight-round junior middleweight fight.

In round four, Lawson landed a big right had ro the forehead that sent Veron to the canvas and the fight was stopped at 37 seconds.

Lawson, 156 lbs of Flint, MI is now 16-1 with nine knockouts. Veron, 154.6 lbs of Jose Leon Suarez, ARG is 20-9-2.




MICHIGAN’S TOP PROSPECTS HAVE A CHANCE TO SHINE ON GLOBAL STAGE IN THE NEXT EDITION OF “BIG TIME BOXING USA”

DETROIT (August 29, 2024) – Michigan’s top boxing talent will be on display and viewed by a global audience on Thursday, September 12, as Salita Promotions presents the next edition of “BIG TIME BOXING USA” featuring undefeated Flint, Mich., native Ardreal “Bossman” Holmes Jr. (15-0, 6 KOs) defending his USBA Junior Middleweight title against Cuba’s Hugo Noriega (10-2, 5 KOs) in the main event.

All the action takes place at Dort Financial Center in Flint, with the top four bouts airing live on the premier global sports platform DAZN (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased online HERE or in-person at the Dort Financial Center Box Office.

Promoter Dmitriy Salita has announced the televised portion of the card, with compelling matchups at 154 and 160 pounds. Salita has quickly built the BIG TIME BOXING USA series into the world’s leading talent development platform with an international reach of over 200 countries worldwide on DAZN.

“From Detroit to Flint to Grand Rapids, boxing has always been in the blood of this blue-collar state,” Salita said. “Michigan has produced The GWOAT, Claressa Shields, a three division world champion, the world renowned Dirrell brothers, Andre and Anthony, and former heavyweight world champion Chris Byrd. You’d be hard-pressed to find another region in the United States as rich in boxing talent as the greater Detroit area.  

“On Thursday, Sept. 12, all of the fighters will be tested to varying degrees,” continued Salita, a former world championship contender in his day. “They will have the opportunity to show a global audience if they are worthy of advancing from highly regarded prospect to world title contender in a stacked and always exciting division. That is what this series is all about.”

Versatile combat sports commentator Corey Erdman will call all the action on DAZN and is joined in the booth by International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein and former U.S. Olympian and junior middleweight world champion Raul Marquez.

“The 154-pound division is on fire right now and undefeated Ardreal Holmes is well positioned to make a run in that division,” said Bernstein, one of boxing’s most respected expert analysts. “Standing in his path to 154-pound glory is Hugo Noriega. This former Cuban amateur standout has only two decision losses marring his record, and both were tough, exciting fights. He has a powerful right hand and he’ll be motivated in what might be a crossroads fight for him. This fight should have plenty of action. Holmes wants to continue his new punching prowess and Noriega has made some exciting fights.”

Marquez added: “The fans who come out for these fights are die-hard fans and they know the sweet science. If you want to see young, rising prosects who are hungry to climb the boxing ladder and someday fight for a world title, then you don’t want to miss this Flint boxing extravaganza on September 12. Some will rise. Some will fall on their path to the top.”

The co-main event will feature unbeaten prospect Joseph “Sug” Hicks (10-0, 7 KOs) of Grand Rapids, Mich., taking on Detroit’s Ronnie Austion (10-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-round super welterweight bout while fellow Detroit native and SugarHill Steward-trained “Hitman 2.0” Da’Velle Smith (8-0, 6 KOs) collides against Esau Herrera de la Cruz (21-17-1, 8 KOs) in a middleweight fight.

Hicks, 30, has become one of Michigan’s most promising stars. On the heels of an impressive knockout over Ricardo Ruben Villalba in February 2024, Hicks will put his perfect record on the line against Austion. Although the same age as Hicks, Austion’s career spans nearly a decade longer than his opponent’s. However, the Grand Rapids native aims to insert himself back into the win column in front of his home state.

Kicking off the televised card on DAZN will be a showdown between surging Flint prospect Leon Lawson III (15-1, 8 KOs) and Argentina’s Luis Alberto Veron (20-8-2, 9 KOs). Lawson is the cousin of the Dirrell brothers and his trained by his father, former pro boxer Leon Lawson II.

Deriving from a rich lineage of world class boxer’s, Lawson III’s high-stakes matchup comes following a year-long layoff from the ring. After suffering his first loss of his career in 2021, Lawson III bounced back into winning form when he scored an emphatic third-round TKO victory over Abraham Peralta in 2023. Opposite Lawson III, the grizzled Alberto Veron looks to take the Flint’s native massive momentum.

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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. 

ABOUT DAZN

DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). DAZN is 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.?




RISING JR. MIDDLEWEIGHT PROSPECT ARDREAL HOLMES JR. TO FACE HUGO NORIEGA FOR USBA 154-POUND TITLE IN “BIG TIME BOXING USA” EVENT PRESENTED BY SALITA PROMOTIONS

DETROIT (August 20, 2024)  Salita Promotions has announced that rising junior middleweight prospect, the undefeated Flint, Mich., native Ardreal “Bossman” Holmes Jr. (15-0, 6 KOs), will defend his USBA title in the main event of the next edition of BIG TIME BOXING USA on Thursday, September 12, when he steps into the ring against Cuban veteran Hugo Noriega (10-2, 5 KOs). Fans around the world will get to witness the best of the action from an exciting night of boxing live on DAZN.

True to Salita Promotions BIG TIME BOXING USA series’ emerging format, several regional prospects and national rising contenders will appear on the portion of the card televised by DAZN including unbeaten prospect Joseph “Sug” Hicks (10-0, 7 KOs) of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Detroit’s undefeated “Hitman 2.0” Da’Velle Smith (8-0, 6 KOs). Fellow Flint product Leon Lawson III (15-1, 8 KOs) will make his return to the ring after a 17-month layoff. Lawson is the nephew of Flint’s famed Dirrell brothers, Andre and Anthony. The fight card will also feature Claressa Shields-promoted amateur standout Jaquan McElroy (1-0) from Flint, who won his pro debut in July and is the younger brother of Holmes, and Flint natives Chris Thompson (2-0, 2 KOs) and Deandre Savage (5-0, 5 KOs), both of whom currently train in Las Vegas.

All the action takes place at Dort Financial Center in Flint, with at least the final three bouts airing live on the premier global sports platform DAZN (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased online HERE or in-person at the Dort Financial Center Box Office.

“The BIG TIME BOXING series has quickly become the premier developmental platform for young fighters in the U.S.,” said Salita. “Flint is the home of former heavyweight world champion Chris Byrd, Anthony and Andre Dirrell, and, of course, The GWOAT, Claressa Shields. We have never seen a crop of young and hungry fighters like the group fighting on Sept. 12, and I feel the next U.S. born world champion will come from right here in the Greater Detroit and surrounding areas like Flint. I am excited that those in the crowd and the viewers watching on DAZN will get to see some amazing matchups that can make or break the next chapter in these fighters’ respective careers. You don’t want to miss it.”

The 30-year-old southpaw Holmes is a Flint native who previously fought on the popular SHOWTIME prospect series SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION. Holmes was a decorated amateur winning the 2015 U.S. Nationals and was a silver medalist at the 2013 National Golden Gloves. That same year, he also won a bronze medal at the World Golden Gloves in the 152-pound division. Holmes is the oldest of 11 children and suffered a family tragedy in 2016 when his 20-year-old brother was killed in a drive-by shooting in Flint.

“There’s nothing like fighting at home and I know on Sept. 12, there will be a raucous crowd rooting me on,” Holmes said. “When I get my ‘W’ over Hugo Noriega, it will put me just that much closer to my dream of winning a world title.”

In his last bout in February, Holmes looked impressive as he scored a second-round TKO against hometown fighter Marlon Harrington in the inaugural Salita Promotions’ BIG TIME BOXING USA series on DAZN at the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit.

The 34-year-old Noriega lives and trains in Miami by way of Camaguey, Cuba. He has been active since turning pro in March 2022. After reeling off eight straight wins, Noriega lost a close unanimous decision against countryman Damian Lescaille in an MVP Prospects show in Orlando, Fla., in August 2023. Noriega rebounded from his second loss with a unanimous decision win over Mexican Saul Corral in March.

In the televised co-feature, unbeaten middleweight prospect Joseph Hicks (10-0, 7 KOs) will face Ronnie Austion (10-2, 7 Kos) of Las Vegas by way of Detroit. Hicks fights out of Grand Rapids, Mich., and made his professional debut in January 2022. He has stopped three of his last five opponents, including a fourth-round KO over Ricardo Villalba in his last fight. As an amateur, Hicks competed in the National Golden Gloves in 2018 and 2019 and made an appearance in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

In his last fight in February, Da’Velle Smith, who resembles one of boxing’s all-time greats, Thomas Hearns, recorded a unanimous decision win over Argentine veteran Rolando Wenceslao Mansilla. Smith will face an opponent to be named.

Lawson last stepped into the ring in April 2023, recording a third-round TKO against Abrahan Peralta. It was a comeback fight for Lawson after suffering his first pro loss to Nathaniel Gallimore by a close majority decision in 2021. Thompson made his professional debut in October 2023 when he knocked out Marquaun Flowers in the first round and most recently scored a knockout victory over Mason Partlow this past March.

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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. 

ABOUT DAZN

DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). DAZN is 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.?




Bravo Decisions Madera

Nestor Bravo remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over Will Madera at The Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Bravo landed 98 of 363 punches. Madera was 83 of 374.

Bravo won by scores of 99-91 and 96-94 twice and is now 22-0. Madera is 17-3-3.

Damian Lescallie win a 10-round unanimous decision over Hugo Noriega in a welterweight bout.

Lescalle was 162 of 557 punches. Noriega was 98 of 414.

Lescallie won by scores of 97-92 twice and 96-93 and is now 5-0. Noriega is 8-1.

In a battle of undefeated welterweights, Elijah Flores won a six-round majority decision over Elijah Williams.

Flores landed 82 of 188 punches. Williams was 74 of 294.

Flores won by scores of 58-56 twice and 57-57 and is now 6-0. Williams is 6-1.

Krystal Rosado made a successful pro debut with a second round stoppage over Tarrethia Dixon in a scheduled four-round super flyweight bout.

Rosado landed a big combination that forced a stoppage at 1:00 of round two.

Rosado is 1-0 with one stoppage. Dixon is 1-1.

Julian Smith won a six-round majority decision over Julio Rosa in a super lightweight bout.

Smith won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 57-57 and is now 7-2. Rosa is 8-3.

Lorenzo Medina stopped Antonio Torres in round three of their six-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Medina dropped Torres with a counter right hand. In round three, Medina hurt Torres with a hard left hook. He followed that up with a big flurry of punches to the head and the fight was stopped at 2:49.

Medina is 8-0 with seven knockouts. Torres is 4-1.

Alexander Rios stopped Javier Avila in the first round of their their six-round lightweight bout.

Rios dropped Avila with a right to the body and the fight was stopped at 1:08.

Rios, 141 lbs is now 7-0 with three knockouts. Avila is 136 lbs is 3-2.

Antravous Ingram won a four-round unanimous decision over Orlenis Licea in a junior middleweight bout.

In round one, Ingram dropped Licea with a right hook.

In round three, Ingram dropped Licea with another right hook.

Ingram won by scores of 38-35 and 37-36 twice and is now 6-0. Licea is 0-1-1.




MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCES CO-MAIN AND ADDITIONAL FIGHTS FOR MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS II TAKING PLACE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 LIVE ON DAZN

NEW YORK, NY – August 10, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced the full fight card lineup for its second installment of its Most Valuable Prospects series. Taking place on Friday, August 18 in Orlando, Florida, the main event between Nestor “El Mas Bravo” Bravo and Will “III Will” Madera will be preceded by a co-main 10-round bout between welterweights Damian Lescaille (4-0, 3 KOs) and Hugo Noriega (8-0, 5 KOs). Both fights will be Continental Americas Title bouts. Additional matchups include welterweights Elijah Fores (5-0, 2 KOs) and Elijah Williams (6-0, 2KOs) who will be competing for six rounds, Lorenzo Medina (7-0, 6 KOs) vs Antonio Torres (4-0, 4 KOs), and Antraveous Ingram (5-0, 2 KOs) vs Orlenis Licea (0-0-1), who made his debut on Most Valuable Prospects I. 

The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and promoted by MVP, with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed by DAZN. The second event in the series continues 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 2023 and will be hosted by the series’ official title sponsor, Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL. DAZN will air the series across its platforms as a part of its subscription package which will include the entire main card lineup and prelims. Tickets are now on sale at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/22005EEADB50BF76

24-year-old Damian Lescaille is a Houston, TX resident that hails from Camaguey, Cuba. Trained by the legendary Ronnie Shields, the southpaw holds a record of four wins with three KOs and will be returning to the Caribe Orlando Resort for his fifth career fight. 

Lescaille will be facing Hugo Noriega, a 33-year-old Miami, Florida native who stands at a staggering 6’2 and holds a record of eight wins with five KOs. Promoted by M&R Promotions, this welterweight rocket proved his prowess after earning an amateur win over Olympic Gold Medalist Roniel Iglesias and will be entering the ring on August 18 with a KO in mind. 

“Most Valuable Prospects II is stacked with talent and the potential to find boxing’s next big thing. MVP is thankful to all of our partners and athletes for participating in the second of many events in our new series that highlights up and coming fighters ,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “Make sure to tune in on DAZN or purchase your tickets at ticketmaster.com because this event promises to be an action packed night filled with some of the most promising fighters in the sport.” 

“Caribe Royale is once again pleased to serve as the title sponsor for the Most Valuable Prospect Series. This is an exciting night of Boxing Action with two title belts on the line. This event is great for local fans and also fans watching on DAZN,” said Amaury Piedra, Managing Director of Caribe Royale Resort and President of Boxlab Promotions. “This prospect series is one of a kind as we have the top young fighters in the game going head to head. We’re happy to be working with Jake, Nakisa, and the entire team at MVP on our second installment of the series.” 

August 18th’s card will also welcome Elijah Flores and Elijah WIlliams, who will go head-to-head in a 6-round welterweight bout. Flores is a 19-year old fighter out of Redlands, California who’s putting his undefeated record on the line.  

His opponent, Elijah Williams a Newburgh, New York native who holds a record of 6 wins with four KOs and no losses. The 20-year-old fighter stands at 5’9 and is ready to take a big step up in professional competition after a stellar amateur career. 

Most Valuable Prospects II will also host four preliminary bouts on Friday, August 18th including returning to the series is Florida’s very own Lorenzo Medina (7-0, 6 KOs) who will be taking on Jamestown, NY native Antonio Torres (4-0, 4 KOs) in a 6-round heavyweight battle. 24-year-old Antraveous Ingram (5-0, 2 KOs) will be facing Orlenis Licea (0-0-1), who is returning to MVP’s series after making his debut in May at Most Valuable Prospects I. The two middleweight fighters will face off in a 4-round bout. 

For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, @DAZNBoxing, @Boxlab_AP, and @cariberoyale or on Instagram via @JakePaul, @MostValuablePromotions, @DAZNBoxing, and @cariberoyaleorlando.

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVPworks 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 a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US, and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.?  

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.? 

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.? 

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony, and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.    

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.?? 

About Caribe Royale Orlando Resort

Located just minutes from the Walt Disney World® Resort in the nation’s number one convention and tourist destination, Caribe Royale Orlando is the only AAA Four Diamond all-suite meetings resort in Orlando. A TripAdvisor 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award winner – among just 10 percent of hotels worldwide to receive the distinction – the upscale Caribe Royale is emerging from a $140 million renovation that includes fully remodeling all of its one-bedroom suites, an all-new 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom (bringing the total meeting space to 220,000 square feet), and an inviting new lobby. Being privately-owned, Caribe Royale offers meeting planners faster approval cycles and more flexibility to create stand-out events. To learn more or to book a visit, event or meeting, visit www.cariberoyale.com. Follow the all-suite convention hotel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(@cariberoyale), LinkedIn and Pinterest. #cariberoyaleorlando