Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) brought the ninth installment of its Most Valuable Prospects series to Puerto Rican soil for the first time in partnership with MVP’s boxing trailblazer, the most decorated Puerto Rican champion of all time, Amanda Serrano and her manager Jordan Maldonado. The partnership aims to identify, sign, and develop Puerto Rican fighters with MVP and the historic event delivered memorable performances from some of Puerto Rico’s brightest rising stars.
Most Valuable Prospects 9 saw MVP’s newest signees—Jan Paul Rivera, Krystal Rosado, and Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro—shine in front of an electric hometown crowd. In the main event, 23-year-old Puerto Rican National Team star Jan Paul Rivera (11-0, 6 KOs) demonstrated why he is one of the best young prospects in boxing as he remained undefeated and secured a sensational unanimous decision (79-73, 80-72 x2) win over Andy “Skeletor” Beltran (8-1, 5 KOs) to become the WBO Youth World champion. MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 9, presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, took place at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza and was available globally on DAZN, with Universal Promotions serving as the official promoter in conjunction with Boxlab Promotions.
Jan Paul Rivera demonstrated explosive power across the action-packed 8 round battle of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico. Rivera set the tone early, effectively utilizing his jabs to keep Beltran on the defensive, thrilling the passionate crowd in attendance. As the fight unfolded, Rivera displayed his explosive power, landing a barrage of significant shots, particularly in the second round when Beltran began bleeding from the nose after absorbing multiple heavy shots. Despite the punishment, Beltran showcased remarkable resilience and a strong chin. The fighters went blow for blow into the late rounds, with Rivera continuing to hammer solid jab-hook combos to Beltran’s body and chin before ultimately securing the UD win to become the new WBO Youth World champion. An emotional Rivera accepted the belt in the ring following the fight, sharing his immense pride in representing Puerto Rico and gratitude to his team that helped him get to this point in his career.
In the co-main event of the evening, MVP’s young Puerto Rican sensation Krystal Rosado (5-0, 2 KOs) again illustrated why she is Amanda Serrano’s protégé as she dominated Mexicali, Mexico’s Perla Lomeli (6-3) in a 6-round bantamweight bout. The 22-year-old Carolina, Puerto Rico native remained on the offensive throughout the fight, securing a well-earned unanimous decision victory (59-55, 60-54 x2). After the bout, Amanda Serrano joined Rosado in the ring, where Rosado expressed how meaningful it was to have Serrano in her corner, reflected on her early success in the professional ranks, and thanked her fans and family for their unwavering support.
In one of the most heated and highly anticipated bouts of the night, 20-year-old undefeated welterweight, Elijah “2-Tec” Flores (9-0, 3 KOs) went toe to toe with Caguas, Puerto Rico’s own 26-year-old talent Omar “The New Era” Rosario (13-2, 4 KOs). Rosario entered the ring to full support from his home crowd and came out strong against a determined Flores. He effectively utilized his powerful left hook throughout the opening rounds, while the stateside Puerto Rican Flores showcased his sharp precision with powerful body shots, consistently breaking through Rosario’s defense with well-placed jabs into the late rounds. The 8-round bout went the distance, with Elijah Flores earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory (79-73, 77-75 x2).
In the main card opener, MVP’s three-time US national boxing champion and high-fashion model Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro (3-0, 3 KOs) continued to display his star potential as he took on Norridgewock, Maine prospect Steven Kirkwood (1-1, 1 KO) in a 4-round middleweight bout. Chaparro, one of MVP’s newest signees, came out strong, putting Kirkwood on the back foot from the opening bell, methodically breaking him down with devastating combinations. Chaparro sent Kirkwood to the mat midway through the first round, and after a second knockdown at 2:49, the referee waved off the bout, awarding Chaparro a TKO victory and extending his perfect record to 3-0, 3 KOs.
“I’m incredibly proud to launch MVP Puerto Rico and showcase the exceptional talent emerging from this island,” said MVP co-founder Jake Paul. “Fighters like Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro and Krystal Rosado are not just rising stars; they’re the future of boxing. I have complete confidence that Jan Paul Rivera will become Puerto Rico’s next great champion. His performance tonight was just a glimpse of what he’s capable of. Together, we’re committed to developing and supporting these fighters as they pursue greatness in the ring. This is just the beginning for MVP in Puerto Rico, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these incredible athletes.”
In the preliminary card headliner, undefeated heavyweights Herich “La Amenaza” Ruiz (6-0, 4 KOs) and Travorous “The Bear” Barnes (6-1, 5 KOs) clashed in an 8-round bout. Ruiz, fighting out of Las Vegas by way of Cuba, showcased patience in the early rounds as he carefully probed for openings in Barnes’ defense. The fighters remained well-matched through much of the bout, but in the final round, Ruiz unleashed a series of thunderous body-shot combinations, pushing Barnes against the ropes. The fight went to the scorecards, where Ruiz secured a unanimous decision victory (80-72, 79-73 x2).
William “Yeyo” Colon (5-0, 3 KOs) wasted no time making his mark against fellow Puerto Rican Jan “El Pescador” Pomales (7-4, 4 KOs), dropping Pomales with a vicious barrage in the first round. Colon continued to dominate with power and precision into the second round, scoring another knockdown before securing a TKO victory at 1:22 of the round. Kicking off the preliminary card, 19-year old Puerto Rican featherweight Carlos De Leon (2-0, 1 KO) faced Chicago’s Levale “Super Hands” Whittington (1-1-1, 1 KO) in a 4-round bout. The pair traded blows, but ultimately De Leon’s power proved too much for Whittington to overcome, resulting in a unanimous decision (39-37, 40-36 x2) win for De Leon.
Opening the night, 19-year-old Puerto Rican talent Mathew “Sugar Kid” Soto (1-0) took on Cuban Eduardo Perez (0-1) in a 4-round super lightweight bout as both fighters made their professional debuts. The contentious bout scored knockdowns for both fighters before it went to the cards, resulting in a unanimous decision win (40-35 x3) for Soto.
The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and marketed by MVP. Universal Promotions served as the official promoter of Most Valuable Prospects 9 in conjunction with Boxlab Promotions, distributed globally by DAZN. The ninth event in the series continued 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. The Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida is a sponsor of Most Valuable Prospects 9, and Fansly and Event Ticket Center have joined on to sponsor the Most Valuable Prospects series as well.
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