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MVP’S JAVON “WANNA” WALTON FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS 8 DUE TO MEDICAL INFECTION
NEW YORK, NY – August 26, 2024 – MVP today announced that 18-year-old boxing prodigy and actor Javon “Wanna” Walton has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled co-main event bout at Most Valuable Prospects 8 due to a medical infection. Walton, who was set to face professional boxer Erik Hanley in a 4-round super featherweight fight, has been declared medically unfit to compete due to the infection. The event, presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy and sponsored by Fansly and Event Ticket Center, will still take place on Friday, September 6, at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL, and will be available globally as part of the DAZN subscription package with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter.
"Javon’s well-being is our top priority," said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of MVP. "While we are disappointed that he will not be able to compete at Most Valuable Prospects 8 on Friday, September 6, we are confident that he will make a full recovery and return to the ring stronger than ever. We appreciate the support from his family, fans, and the boxing community during this time."
Despite Walton’s withdrawal, the event will still feature a stacked card, headlined by a 10-round super lightweight showdown between Kevin Brown (5-0, 3 KOs) and John Bauza (18-1, 8 KOs) for the WBA Super Lightweight Continental Americas title. The main card will also include Hendri Cedeno (13-0, 10 KOs) vs. Enriko Gogokhia (13-1-2, 8 KOs) in an 8-round super lightweight fight and Yoelvis Gomez (7-1, 6 KOs) in an 8-round middleweight bout. The preliminary card will also feature Bree Howling (7-0, 2 KOs) vs. Beata Dudek (4-3, 4 KOs) in an 8-round bantamweight clash. Harley Mederos (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Nikolai Buzolin (9-9-1, 5 KOs) in a 6-round lightweight bout, and Antraveous Ingram (7-0, 2 KOs) vs. Cruse Stewart (8-3, 6 KOs) in a 6-round junior middleweight bout.
MVP and Boxlab Promotions are working to identify a suitable replacement fight for the co-main bout on Most Valuable Prospects 8. More details will be announced in the coming days.
Tickets for Most Valuable Prospects 8 are still available at Ticketmaster.com.
For further updates, follow us 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 six global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Perry 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 the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). We are 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.
