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MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS UNVEILS FULL CARD FOR MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS V ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 IN ORLANDO, FL AVAILABLE GLOBALLY ON DAZN
MVP’s young phenom H20 Sylve to face Estivan Falcao in headline bout for the WBC Youth World Championship
Orestes Velazquez will fight super lightweight Julian Smith, making his third appearance in the Prospects series, for the WBA International Title
Undefeated Florida natives Benigno Auilar and Corey Marksman will battle in a six round lightweight bout
Maricela Cornejo and Kandi Wyatt will compete in an eight round welterweight fight, marking Cornejo’s second welterweight bout
Famed fighter Nonito Donaire will serve as analyst and expert commentator as part of the DAZN broadcast team alongside Wade Plemons, Dan Canobbio and Sibley Scoles for Most Valuable Prospects V
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.
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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.
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