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MVP’S MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS 7 TO BE HEADLINED BY HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN BETWEEN 6-0, 6 KOS PROSPECT GURGEN “BIG GUG” HOVHANNISYAN VS. ROBERT HALL JR. ON FRIDAY, JULY 26 IN ORLANDO, FL, PROMOTED BY BOXLAB PROMOTIONS AND AVAILABLE GLOBALLY ON DAZN
Young Puerto Rican sensation Krystal Rosado, Amanda Serrano’s first signed fighter, takes on Russia’s Veronika Dmitriyeva in 6 round preliminary bantamweight bout
Crescent City, Florida’s own David Garcia looks for back-to-back KOs in his 6 round heavyweight return to the Most Valuable Prospects series vs. Dominicc Hardy
NEW YORK, NY – June 11, 2024 – Today, MVP announced that MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 7 will take place Friday, July 26 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL, available globally as part of the DAZN subscription package with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter. The main card of Most Valuable Prospects 7, presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, will be headlined by the 8-round heavyweight showdown between Armenian-American rising prospect Gurgen “Big Gug” Hovhannisyan (6-0, 6 KOs) vs. Robert Hall Jr. (14-3, 11 KOs). Also on the card, the young Puerto Rican sensation and Amanda Serrano’s first signed fighter Krystal Rosado (3-0, 1 KO) will take on Veronika Dmitriyeva (1-1) in a 6 round bantamweight bout, marking Rosado’s next step up in competition across additional rounds. Friday, July 26 will also feature a 6 round heavyweight bout between David Garcia (6-0, 3 KOs) vs. Dominicc Hardy (6-2, 4 KOs), as Crescent City, FL’s Garcia returns to the Most Valuable Prospects series fresh off his dazzling KO of Henry Richard at Most Valuable Prospects 6 in April 2024. Tickets for Most Valuable Prospects 7 are available now on Ticketmaster.
Armenian-American Gurgen “Big Gug” Hovhannisyan (6-0, 6 KOs) will take the ring in the main event, set to be an 8 round heavyweight bout as Big Gug looks to send yet another fighter into early retirement following his latest matchup in May 2024 against Luis Pascual, in which Pascual quit on his stool after the second round. Hovhannisyan, the 26-year-old 6’7” talent fighting out of Los Angeles, CA by way of Yerevan, Armenia, burst onto the world amateur scene in 2016, facing off with numerous top amateur fighters. His 2021 bout with Bakhodir Jalolov, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist at super-heavyweight, resulted in a narrow split decision loss. Feeling his power would be a better fit for the professional ranks, Hovhannisyan turned pro later that year. Following an unlucky streak in 2022 where multiple matches fell through at the late stages, Hovhannisyan’s eye-catching knockout of prospect Michael Polite-Coffee in October 2022 made his mark as a serious future title contender. Now, Hovhannisyan seeks to show off his intimidating power again against the more experienced Robert Hall Jr. Gurgen, ready to prove his unshakeable poise in the ring despite being so early on in his professional career. Hovhannisyan is trained by legendary trainer Joe Goosen.
Facing off against Hovhannisyan will be Robert Hall Jr. (14-3, 11 KOs), who brings 10 years of professional experience to the ring on Friday, July 26. The 6’3” talent out of Johnson City, Tennessee is ready to step up against the larger Hovhannisyan, focused on reestablishing his win streak at Most Valuable Prospects 7. As an amateur, he competed multiple times in the USA Boxing national tournaments. After turning pro, Hall won the Tennessee state cruiserweight title and a WBC regional title. As with many fighters, the COVID-19 pandemic halted Hall’s progress as a pro, stalling him at a 12-1 record for nearly three years before returning to the ring. Seeking to become a full-time professional boxer, Hall seeks to overcome the challenge of Hovhannisyan in both size and talent. He is trained by Brad Austin.
Joining the preliminary card ahead of Hovhannisyan vs. Hall will be Amanda Serrano’s first signed fighter, the 21-year-old Puerto Rican sensation, Krystal Rosado (3-0, 1 KO) in her highly anticipated return to the ring. Previously, the Carolina, Puerto Rico native made her MVP and professional debut at MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 2 show in August 2023, stunning fans with a ferocious second-round KO against Tarrethia Dixon. Rosado went on to compete on MVP’s historic Serrano vs. Ramos card in October 2023, earning her decisive second win over Hungary’s Kata Pap, before making her most recent appearance in front of her home fans at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan as part of MVP’s main card marquee event in March 2024. In front of her home fans, Rosado put on a ferocious show, displaying her championship potential against her most experienced opponent to date, Mexican-American talent Alyssia Lopez. Rosado took home a unanimous decision win and now seeks to continue her undefeated streak against Veronika Dmitriyeva (1-1). The fight marks Rosado’s first event competing over 6 rounds, and the young talent will test her endurance and power against Dmitriyeva. Dmitriyeva, who competes in both bare knuckle and traditional boxing, comes to the ring from Sheridan, Wyoming by way of Russia and aims to serve Rosado her first professional loss in the ring on Friday, July 26.
Friday, July 26 will also feature a 6 round heavyweight bout between David Garcia (6-0, 3 KOs) vs. Dominicc Hardy (6-2, 4 KOs), as Crescent City, FL’s Garcia returns to the Most Valuable Prospects series fresh off his dazzling KO of Henry Richard at Most Valuable Prospects 6 in April 2024. Garcia is a former Junior Olympic national champion, and the 24-year-old heavyweight and local fan favorite is yet-undefeated in his professional career. Dominicc Hardy, coming to the ring out of Riverside, IL by way of Chicago, was a 2017 Chicago Golden Gloves Champion. The 6'3" talent is fresh off his latest March 2024 KO victory and will look to utilize his height advantage in the ring against a 5’8” Garcia to end Garcia’s undefeated streak.
“We're thrilled to be returning to Orlando to showcase the future of boxing with our upcoming Most Valuable Prospects 7 card. This event will again feature some of the top young prospects in the game who are ready to prove they belong on the big stage, and we can't wait for fans to witness the talent and heart they bring to the ring on Friday, July 26,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of MVP. “We're particularly excited about Gurgen Hovhannisyan, whose power and precision have already made waves in the heavyweight division, and the return of Krystal Rosado, whose speed and technique are redefining the standards in women's boxing, following in the footsteps of Amanda Serrano. Thank you to Boxlab Promotions and CELSIUS for their dedication to bringing another incredible night of boxing to Orlando, and we look forward to unveiling the rest of this exciting card soon.”
“On behalf of Caribe Royale and its entire team we welcome back MVP’s Most Valuable Prospect Series to Orlando! As usual this is a stacked card featuring the best young talent from around the world showcasing their skills in competitive fights,” said Amaury Piedra, Managing Director of Caribe Royale Resort and President of Boxlab Promotions. “It’s going to be a great evening of boxing for the residents and visitors to central Florida and the television viewing audience on DAZN as well.”
The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and marketed by MVP with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter and is distributed globally by DAZN. The seventh 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 MVP and the Most Valuable Prospects series.
For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions and @DAZNBoxing.
About MVP
MVP 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.
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
