Michigan has produced several fighters who rank among the
best in the sport's history, including Joe Louis, Tommy Hearns, James Toney,
and Floyd Mayweather Jr. And while the cupboard has never fully emptied, with
recent notables such as the Dirrell brothers, Tony Harrison, Claressa Shields
and Ra'eese Aleem proudly carrying on the state's boxing tradition,
Michigan right now doesn't have the number of elite boxing talents that it once
did.
Dmitriy Salita is placing much of his promotional company's future in the hands of Michigan's next crop of fighters. Salita, who resides in Michigan and has promoted several cards in the Detroit area, has become a believer in this next wave. With his new boxing series, Big Time Boxing USA, set to debut on DAZN on Tuesday, Salita intends to showcase Michigan's boxing talent to a global audience. His first event in the series will take place at the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit.
Salita will have six of his fighters appearing on the broadcast (although one of them has his fight still up in the air at publication time). I spoke with Salita about each fighter and what his expectations are for them on Tuesday and the next 12-18 months. His excitement level about his crop was palpable.
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| Photo courtesy of Salita Promotions |
Ardreal Holmes (14-0, 5 KOs) vs. Marlon Harrington (10-1, 9 KOs): Junior Middleweights
Tuesday's main event features an all-Michigan matchup
between Holmes (Flint) and Harrington (Detroit). It's a sink-or-swim fight for
both in that Salita promotes Harrington and co-promotes Holmes with DiBella
Entertainment. These two fighters are intimately familiar with each other,
having sparred against each other throughout their careers, and there's also
bad blood between them.
Harrington is the puncher in the matchup while Holmes is a
fighter who relies much more on timing and movement. Harrington's one loss was
to the trickster Marquis Taylor, who we've subsequently found out to be is an
excellent fighter. Holmes had a troubling performance in his last fight against
Wendy Toussaint, where he was fortunate to win by a split decision in a fight
that was stopped early because of a cut. In that fight, Holmes had issues
handling Toussaint's aggression and physicality.
Salita has liked how Harrington responded from his loss,
stopping the undefeated Gheith Karim in the first round. Salita knows that
Holmes can be tricky, but he can also be hit. Salita is very satisfied that
both agreed to take the fight; they both could have gone in different
directions. This fight will very much be for pride and bragging rights.
Ali Izmailov (11-0, 7 KOs): Light Heavyweight
Izmailov is a Russian light heavyweight based in Detroit
who has already established himself on the national scene with an impressive
win over Charles Foster on ShoBox last year. Trained by John
David Jackson, Izmailov is physically imposing, hits hard, but also has a solid
boxing foundation.
He fights Britton Norwood (13-4-1) on Tuesday and the bout
is expected to be of the showcase variety. Izmailov is already 30 so his future
is now. Salita has had difficulty finding opponents who will fight him. He's
hoping that Izmailov's performance on Tuesday can lead to bigger opportunities
in the light heavyweight division, but he understands that Izmailov might need
to go the sanctioning body route to get a notable name to face him.
Joseph Hicks (9-0, 6 KOs): Junior Middleweight
Hicks qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team, but like a
few others didn't wind up representing the country in 2021 due to the
pandemic-related politics associated with the 2021 Games. Despite Hicks'
amateur pedigree, he didn't start his professional career until early 2022.
Hicks is already 30 and Salita is trying to move him quickly; he fought five
times in 2023.
Although he lives in Lansing (and is originally from Grand
Rapids), Hicks trains with Kay Koroma out of Las Vegas. Interestingly, although
middleweight is a relatively barren division in terms of top-flight prospects
in the U.S., Hicks and his team have made the decision to drop down to junior
middleweight for Tuesday's fight. He faces Argentina's Ricardo Ruben Villalba
(20-10-1), who isn't supposed to win, but this fight will be an opportunity to
determine how Hicks does at the new weight class.
Salita likes Hicks' strong work ethic and amateur pedigree.
He regards Hicks as a high-character person (Hicks was due to captain
the 2020 U.S. Olympic team). Salita believes that Hicks' desire and willingness
to do whatever it takes will help separate him from other fellow prospects as
he moves up the ranks.
Joshua James Pagan (9-0, 4 KOs): Lightweight
Although Pagan's power isn't a major facet of his game, he
possesses a strong amateur pedigree, where he won the 2021 USA
Nationals. Salita has become more of a believer in Pagan in every fight.
Pagan has already beaten three undefeated fighters. Trained by his father,
Pagan has a very strong boxing foundation. He has recently spent time in Miami
working with Herman Caicedo, trainer of Luis Ortiz, Michel Rivera, and others,
and earned rave reviews.
Pagan, from Grand Rapids, was supposed to face undefeated
Detroiter Dwane Taylor (7-0, 7 KOs) on Tuesday. However, Taylor had a late
sparring injury. As of publication, Salita is still looking for a replacement
opponent. Pagan may or may not appear on the card. Either way, Pagan will be a
featured fighter on Salita's shows.
Da'Velle Smith (7-0, 6 KOs): Middleweight
Dearborn's Smith has quickly established himself as one of
the hardest hitters in the Detroit area. And Salita doesn't mince words
regarding Smith's power potential, proudly relaying that several old-timers on
the Detroit boxing scene told him that Smith might be the biggest
puncher from the city since Tommy Hearns.
Smith, 23, didn't have a notable amateur background and
still possesses a rawness in the ring. In addition to his power, he's a
surprisingly good athlete. He still rushes his work a little bit.
Salita calls Smith his "blue-chipper," and thinks
that he could rise fast in the middleweight division. He fights Argentina's
Rolando Mansilla (19-13-1, 9 KOs). Smith is expected to win without too much
trouble, but the hope is that he creates a highlight-reel type of statement.
Like Pagan, Smith also went to Miami recently to work with Caicedo. Smith
trains out of the Kronk gym and Salita believes that he could beat several top
middleweight prospects right now.
