Julian Smith participated in one of the first World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight regional title fights of February. The American fighter knocked out Cuban Orestes Velazquez on February 2 to win the International belt of the pioneer organization. 

Smith dominated the fight from the very first round with an advantage on the scorecards at the end of the ninth round (86-80, 85-81 and 85-81) prove it. The technical knockout at the end was just the icing on the cake for the Illinois native, which took place at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. 

Smith, 33, has been making a name for himself through hard work and effort. Being deaf has made him a special case in boxing, but his victories have gotten him to where he is.

His boxing history is also curious because he started boxing at the age of 20 and his training did no start as a child like most of the professional boxers. However, he has shown that talent and hard work pays off. 

Since his debut in 2018 he has been evolving inside the ring, overcoming obstacles and having increasingly complicated opposition. His victory against Velazquez was a sign of that progress. 

Both in life and in the ring he has encountered difficult moments. The passing of his brother in 2012 brought him into boxing and once there he has had to walk a path of adaptation in which he has bounced back from defeats and moved on. 

Smith has raised the flag for his community and is a reference within it. He is now at the top of his game and his recent victory puts him in a great position going forward. 

His victory to start the month puts him with a record of 8 wins, 2 losses and 5 knockouts as he awaits the next challenge in his growing career.

NEW YORK, NY – January 23, 2024 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced the full card and special broadcaster for Most Valuable Prospects V, the first prospects event of 2024, taking place on Friday, February 2 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL available globally on DAZN subscription. Most Valuable Prospects V, headlined by H20 Sylve (10-0, 9KOs) vs. Estivan Falcao (13-2, 7KOs) for the WBC Youth World Championship and presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, will feature super lightweights Orestes Velazquez (8-0, 7KOs) vs. Julian “The Quiet Storm” Smith (7-2, 5KOs) for the WBA International Title. Famed Filipino fighter Ninito Donaire will also join the event as an analyst and expert commentator, bringing his significant experience, success, and signature “flash” to the DAZN broadcast team. 

Tickets for Most Valuable Prospects V are available now via Ticketmaster. 

H2O Sylve and Estivan Falcao will headline Most Valuable Prospects V with a 10-round lightweight bout on Friday, February 2nd, for the WBC Youth World Championship. The 19-year-old phenom Sylve returns to the ring for his very first 10-round fight against Brazil’s Falcao. This fight marks a step up in class for Sylve, after his victory over Adam Kipenga, and his thrilling knockout of veteran William Silva on the Paul vs. Diaz card in August of 2023. With six years of professional fighting under his belt, Falcao will prove a challenge after back to back wins in 2023.

The highly anticipated WBA International Title super lightweight battle between Orestes Velazquez and Julian Smith will take place over ten rounds. Velazquez (8-0, 7KOs), from Cuba, triumphed over Mohamed Soumaoro in September of last year for the WBA International Super Lightweight title with a TKO in the eight round. The Las Vegas-based fighter gained this win six months after going the distance with Marcelino Lopez on the Benavidez-Caleb Plant undercard in Las Vegas, NV, in March of 2023. The inspirational Illinois native Smith (7-2, 5KOs), who is deaf, is a Chicago Golden Gloves champion and will be making his third appearance in the prospects series, where he most recently defeated Julio Rosa (8-3, 4KOs), by majority decision (59-55, 57-57, 60-54). Smith found out he won via sign language and celebrated his hard-fought victory with a heartfelt moment where his mom joined him in the ring.

Rounding out Most Valuable Prospects V will be lightweight undefeated Florida natives Benigno Aguilar (13-2-0, 7KOs) and Corey Marksman (8-0) as they battle over six rounds, and Maricela Cornejo (14-6, 5KOs) will take on Kandi Wyatt (10-4, 3KOs) in a welterweight bout across eight rounds. Cornejo fought Claressa Shields in June of 2023, with only two weeks’ notice before the bout. Despite the short notice, Cornejo took Shields the distance, ultimately losing via unanimous decision. Cornejo has decided to take a new path toward becoming a world champion, competing at welterweight, with Most Valuable Prospects marking only her second fight in this class. 

Providing commentary on these fights will be Nonito Donaire, the former boxing champion in four weight classes from flyweight to featherweight, and the oldest boxer in history to win a bantamweight world title – while being the first three-time champion in that weight class. Donaire also holds the distinction of gaining world championships in three consecutive decades, and is the sixth boxer to do so alongside legends like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Serving as analyst and expert commentator, Donaire will bring his incredible and unique POV to the DAZN broadcast team alongside Wade Plemons, Dan Canobbio and Sibley Scoles, and to fans around the world. The full card will be offered globally via DAZN subscription.

“In May of 2023, I headlined MVP’s very first Most Valuable Prospects event, and now I’m battling for the WBC Youth World Championship less than a year later. It’s an honor to come back to Orlando and represent the series for a second time,” said H20 Sylve. “Most Valuable Prospects has provided so many fighters – myself included – with a platform and opportunity in this sport and I’m looking forward to headlining for a second time. Thank you to MVP, Boxlab, Caribe, and DAZN for the opportunity and make sure to tune in on Friday, February 2nd to watch me give the WBC Youth World Championship belt a new home.”

“Most Valuable Prospects was introduced last year, and since that time we’ve provided up and coming fighters with a platform to display their skills and build their names. We couldn’t be more excited by this first installment of 2024, where we’ll see MVP phenom H20 Sylve battle Estivan Falcao for the WBC Youth World Championship in H20’s first 10-round bout, and Orestes Velazquez and Julian Smith fight for the WBA International Title,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP. “It’ll also be a big night and test for Maricela Cornejo, as she forges her path towards becoming world champion at welterweight against Kandi Wyatt, an important bout which continues Most Valuable Promotions’ support of women’s boxing. It’s truly a card created for the fans, and another great representation for Most Valuable Prospects. Thank you to DAZN, Boxlab, Caribe Royale Resort, and CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy for another year of partnership.”

The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and promoted by MVP with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed globally by DAZN. The fifth event in the series will continue 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 2024. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drink, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of Most Valuable Promotions and the Most Valuable Prospects series. 

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

How to watch DAZN  

• Visit DAZN.com and follow the steps to sign up now
• Once signed up, download the DAZN app to watch on any device
• Go to the app store on your chosen device, search ‘DAZN’ and download the DAZN app  
• DAZN is available on your phone, tablet, smart TV, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and gaming consoles. 
• Connect multiple devices to your account to watch at home or on the go  

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, 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 have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. 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 a 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.??

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.

NEW YORK, NY – May 15, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced Most Valuable Prospects’ full fight card and star-studded broadcast team for its inaugural event on Friday, May 26th in Orlando, Florida. In the main event, lightweights Ashton “H20” Sylve (8-0, 8 KOs)and Angel Rebollar (6-2, 3 KOs)will face off alongsidethe newly announced co-main event featuring Kevin Hayler Brown vs. Julian Smith at the Caribe Royale Resort. Brown and Smith will go head-to-head in a 10-round fight contested at 140 lbs. for the WBA Super Lightweight Continental Americas Title.

Produced and promoted by MVP, with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and distributed by DAZN, Most Valuable Prospects will hold four Friday night events in 2023. The Caribe Royale Resort will be the series’ official title sponsor and host for each event, while DAZN will air Most Valuable Prospects across its platforms as a part of its subscription package. MVP’s co-founder Jake Paul and world-renowned undisputed featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano will be in attendance for the inaugural event. Tickets are now on sale at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/22005E9AD958CFC5

Providing the crucial play by play for the event will be famed YouTube boxing commentator Wade Plemons alongside co-commentator and Jomboy Media personality Dan Canobbio, current co-host of Inside Boxing Live alongside Chris Algieri. Spearheading the hard-hitting analysis for fans will be retired two-weight-class world champion Paul Malignaggi, one of the most respected on-air analysts in all of boxing, while 2023 NFL Pro Bowl host Sibley Scoles will serve as the ringside reporter, delivering interviews and post-fight discussions bringing the fighters’ unfiltered reactions straight to fans. The in-ring announcer will be YouTube boxing and Esports MC Akinola Verissimo who will announce the main and co-main events, along with the undercard matches.

“We’re thrilled to finally bring fans a series that highlights the future of boxing. Our inaugural event is sure to deliver a night full of high energy matchups and we are incredibly thankful to our broadcast talent for joining us on Friday, May 26th,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “Ashton Sylve, is just 19 and has been a star since we first signed him to MVP last year. We look forward to watching as he spearheads this new series alongside so many other young fighters. Thank you to the Caribe Royale Resort and the city of Orlando for hosting Most Valuable Prospects, and to our distribution partner DAZN for its commitment to delivering high quality events to global audiences.”

“On behalf of the Caribe Royale Resort we’re excited to bring this new series to Orlando,” said Amaury Piedra of Boxlab Promotions. “Caribe Royale is the premier all-suite resort in Orlando and this is another way of bringing entertainment via world class boxing featuring the future of boxing to the guests of the resort and locals as well. Between the combined teams and talent of MVP and Boxlab Promotions we expect this event to just be the first of what will be an exciting series for years to come.”

Viewers at home will see four fights total on the 26^th, with some of the world’s hottest boxing prospects ready to make a name for themselves. The co-main event features a 10-round, WBA Super Lightweight Continental Americas title match as ex-Cuban national boxing team fighter Kevin Hayler Brown (2-0, 2 KOs) of Las Vegas, NV by way of Camaguey, Cuba takes on boxing phenomenon Julian “Quiet Storm” Smith (6-1, 4 KOs) of Country Club Hills, Illinois. Smith, who is deaf, is a Chicago Golden Gloves champion and will be taking on his third consecutive undefeated opponent.

Next on the card is a heavyweight battle between two undefeated warriors as Lorenzo “Giant Killer” Medina (6-0, 6 KOs) will take on Andrey Mangushev (7-0, 5 KOs) in a 6 round heavyweight matchup. Medina, 18, is from Hialeah, Florida and was the 2021 USA Youth National Champion at Super Heavyweight. At 6’2 he is considered a small heavyweight and is taking a major step up in competition vs the dangerous 6’7” Mangushev. Mangushev who hails from Miami by way of Moscow, Russia holds a win over former world champion Alejandro Berrio.

The broadcast opener will feature two-time national amateur champion Jamar Pemberton (4-0, 4 KOs), from Las Vegas by way of St. Louis, MO, who will open the evening in a four-round middleweight matchup against a TBD opponent. Pemberton, a 6’3 southpaw has served as a sparring partner for Brian Mendoza in preparation for his upset KO victory over Sebastian Fundora and is well known for his devastating knockout power.

The fans in attendance at Caribe Royale Resort will also be treated to five additional bouts featuring Tayree Jones (9-0, 6 KOs), Ramiro De Jesus (3-0, 2 KOs) and Omar Rosales (2-0, 2 KOs), alongside Antraveous Ingram (4-0 2KOs) and Giovanni Louis, who is both making his professional debut.

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, 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 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

Nahir Albright scored the biggest win of his career as he pounded out an eight-round unanimous decision over Jeremy Hill to capture the NABA Lightweight Title at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

There were some close rounds with each guy pressing the action at different points of the fight. Albright seemed to get the better of the action as they headed down the stretch. The final rounds saw Albright take control and clearly get the better of the action and he came home with the victory by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74.

Albright, 133.6 lbs of Sicklerville, NJ is 13-1. Hill, 135.2 lbs of New Orleans, LA is 15-2.

Muhsin Cason demolished Tristan James by scoring a third-round stoppage of their four-round cruiserweight fight.

Cason landed a left hook that put James down hard on the canvas and the bout was stopped.

Cason, 197.3 lbs of Las Vegas is now 8-0 with five knockouts. James, 194 lbs of Des Moines, IA is 4-4-.2

Julian Smith scored an explosive first round stoppage of Derrick Whitley Jr in a scheduled welterweight.

Smith landed a booming overhand right that sent Whitley down for the count at 2:58.

Smith, 144.8 lbs of Country Club Hills, IL is 5-0 with four knockouts. Whitley, 147.6 lbs of Springfield, MA is 6-2-1.

Ryan Schwartzberg scored an upset as he stopped previously undefeated Ryan Umberger in the 2nd round of their four-round junior middleweight clash.

Schwartzberg caught Umberger with a big left hook that hurt Umberger. Schwartzberg continued to batter Umberger, but Umberger caught Schwartzberg with several hard shots of his own. Umberger was still wobbly from the first barrage and got caught with several hard shots on the ropes and the bout was stopped at 1:41.

Schwartzberg, 156.3 lbs of Dania, FL is 1-1-1 with one knockout. Umberger, 155.3 lbs of Bensalem, PA is 4-1.

Du-Shane Crooks won a six-round majority decision Bernard Thomas in a super middleweight bout.

Crooks, 167.7 lbs of May Pen, JAM won by scores of 60-54, 59-55 and 57-57 and is now 16-2. Thomas, 168.8 lbs of Kansas City, MO is 6-11.

Steve Galeano remained undefeated with a six-round unanimous decision over Marquis Hawthorne in a junior welterweight bout.

Galeano, 143.1 lbs of Bronx, NY won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55 and is now 8-0. Hawthorne, 138.8 lbs of Waco, TX is 8-15.

Raekwon Butler remained undefeated with a four-round unanimous decision over Diemerci Nzau in a welterweight bout.

Butler, who dominated the fight at range, was deducted a point for spiting out his mouthpiece in the final frame. He was also cut over his right eye in round three.

Butler, 138.8 lbs won by 39-36 scores on all cards, and is now 3-0. Nzau, 144 lbs of Silver Spring, MD is now 11-15.