A Spectacular Way To Open The "Big Time Boxing USA" Series With A Mix Of Upsets That Weren't Expected, Decisions, And Knockouts.

DETROIT — On February 20, Ardreal Holmes Jr. defeated Marlon Harrington at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan. The two faced off live on DAZN in the main event of the first "Big Time Boxing USA" event.

“A great way to start the series with a combination of decisions, knockouts and unexpected upsets. Great fights on DAZN and an amazing engaged crowd at the Wayne State Fieldhouse.  The goal of this series is to develop, progress and test boxings best prospects and contenders and that’s exactly what happened last night,” said Dmitry Salita the  President of Salita Promotions.

“The start of the series in Detroit one boxings historic homes and I believe on its way to once again being a hub of professional boxing. We plan to host the events in different cities across the U.S. with Detroit being one of the consistent destinations,” he added.

“Boxing fans will not only see the fights but also behind the scenes shoulder  programming to tell the story of boxing and boxers,” he continued.

The super welterweight fight, which was supposed to go ten rounds, ended early. In the second round, Flint’s Holmes Jr. (15-0, 6 KOs) outclassed and stopped Detroit’s Marlon Harrington (10-2, 9 KOs). A 6' 2′′ southpaw kept his USBA title with the win. 

In the co-main event, Britton Norwood (13-5-1, 10 KOs) of Jackson, Mississippi, was stopped in the fourth round by undefeated Ali Izmaylov (12-0, 8 KOs), retaining his USBA crown. The light heavyweight from Detroit defeated his opponent in the second and fourth rounds his route to win.

Joseph Hicks Jr., a super welterweight from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was also on the card. He stopped Argentina's Ricardo Ruben Villalba (20-11-1, 8 KOs) in Round 4, maintaining his perfect record after winning two close rounds.

The main event of the show included a fight between the USA and Argentina. Da'Velle Smith (8-0, 6 KOs) prevailed against Rolando Wenceslao Mansilla (19-14-1, 9 KOs) via unanimous decision. The middleweight bout ended with the 23-year-old from Inkster, Michigan winning 59-55, 60-54, and 60-54. 

 Among other outcomes, Juan Hernandez Martinez (3-3-2) of Mexico defeated Cameran Pankey (9-1, 4 KOs) of Pontiac, Michigan, by unanimous decision in a swing match. At featherweight, all three scores were 57-56 after six rounds. Martinez scored a unanimous decision victory over Pankey in the third round. 

(Additional reporting provided by Miriam Onyango)