Da’Velle Smith, Ivan Calderon & JJ Pagan
MEDIA WORKOUT PHOTOS, CLICK HERE
PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE
(PLEASE CREDIT DAVID A. INFANTE/PURA SAL FILMS)
FOR PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO, CLICK HERE
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (October 16, 2024) – Ahead of Friday night’s “BIG TIME BOXING PUERTO RICO” event taking place at the iconic Coca-Cola Music Hall, the fighters participated in a press conference on Tuesday and a media workout Wednesday at Felix Pagán Pintor Boxing Gym and hosted by International Boxing Hall of Famer Ivan Calderon.
Undefeated Joshua James Pagan (10-0, 4 KOs) from Grand Rapids, Mich., will take on hard-hitting veteran Haskell Rhodes (31-6, 16 KOs) from Las Vegas in a 10-round bout in the lightweight division. In the co-featured bout, the vacant IBF LATINO belt in the light heavyweight division will be on the line as unbeaten Argentine prospect Juan Carrillo (12-0, 9 KO) takes on Gilbert Castillo (25-5-1, 19 KO) from Miami, Fla.
The night of fights will air live globally on DAZN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Here is what the fighters had to say.
Joshua James Pagan:
“I see this [press conference] as the hard part. I just love fighting and training; that’s the easy part. It’s my full-time job and what I love to do, and what I’ve been doing my entire life. Camp’s been great, and I went to Vegas for about a week and a half and got some good sparring from Bruce Carrington and came here last week to close out camp.
“I’ve fought in Atlantic City, but Vegas is my next step. That’s the dream right there, and I can’t wait to take one more step on Friday night to make it happen.
“I want to thank my opponent, Haskell Rhodes, for accepting the fight. I have no doubt in my mind that we have a great fight on our hands for everybody here. Growing up, I always dreamed of fighting here in Puerto Rico, let alone the main event. So, it truly is a blessing to be here. I used to watch Tito Trinidad and Miguel Cotto, and it always inspired me to be the next great fighter with Puerto Rican lineage.”
Haskell Rhodes:
“If you’ve ever seen me fight or the way I dress, it’s definitely influenced by Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho, down to my red and black shoes with all the sparkles. I’m bringing a heavy vibe of Hector Camacho on Friday night!
“I love the atmosphere and being around all the fighters – it makes me happy. I fought at the MGM Grand, and I was the main event where the Spurs played in San Antonio. So, this fight is right up there.
“I want to thank God because this wouldn’t be possible without him. Thank you, Salita Promotions. I grew up watching Puerto Rican fighters like Miguel Cotto and Héctor Camacho. Those guys were my heroes when I was coming up. When I got the phone call to take this fight, it wasn’t even a question. I’ve been to Puerto Rico twice, so the third time’s the charm for me to fight.”
Da’Velle Smith:
“First, I want to thank Salita Promotions for making this fight happen. I want to thank my manager and my whole team. I am really excited to be here in general. I grew up with lots of Puerto Ricans in Detroit, so much so that I thought I was Puerto Rican. I am excited to get in there and put on a great performance for the fans here in Puerto Rico and everyone who’s tuning in around the world.
“I’ve been here since Monday and just can’t wait for Friday night. I have Puerto Rico in my heart, and I’ve been trying to get here for 16 years. Hopefully, what’s next for me are bigger fights and showing everyone that I’m ready to put my foot on the gas and become a world champion.”
Juan Carrillo:
“I’m so grateful for Salita Promotions for giving me this opportunity. I have confidence that I will win this fight on Friday night. I wanted [Dmitry] Bivol to win, but I thought [Artur] Beterbiev won the fight.”
Gilbert Castillo:
“There is a lot of attention right now on the light heavyweight division, which is very deep in talent. To fight now for the IBF vacant Latino belt is a privilege and honor.”
Kiria Tapia:
“This is a huge and historic event at Coca-Cola, and I know my opponent will come to fight. I grew up watching great women’s champions like Laila Ali and Cristy Martin. They inspired me to be the fighter I am, and I hope I can be the one to show future girls and women what it takes to become a world champion boxer.”
Ivan Calderon, International Boxing Hall of Famer:
“Thanks to Salita Promotions for bringing ‘Big Time Boxing’ to Puerto Rico and get ready to hear it loud inside the Coca-Cola Music Hall, just like Madison Square Garden where I fought, and Tito [Trinidad] and Miguel [Cotto] fought. It’s going to be that kind of energy and excitement that they had there, you will have here in Puerto Rico.”
David Berlin, Salita Promotions General Counsel
“We are thrilled to be here in Puerto Rico, which has such a rich boxing tradition, and expect that this will be the first of many Big Time Boxing USA shows on the island.
Big Time Boxing USA is the premier talent development series in the United States. We came to Puerto Rico because it has such a rich boxing history and an impressive pool of young talent. We are looking for the next Tito Trinidad, the next Miguel Cotto, the next Ivan Calderon.”
ABOUT THE FIGHTS: Undefeated Joshua James Pagan (10-0, 4 KOs) will take on hard-hitting veteran Haskell Rhodes (31-6, 16 KOs) in a 10-round bout in the lightweight division. The IBF vacant Latino belt will be on the line when unbeaten Argentine prospect Juan Carrillo (12-0, 9 KO) steps into the ring against Lenin Castillo (25-5-1, 19 KO) from Miami, Fla., in a 10-round bout. In the TV opener, Salita Promotions’ popular and undefeated Da’Velle Smith (9-0, 7 KOs) of Detroit, Mich., returns to the ring to contest a middleweight bout at six rounds against Brazil’s Gilberto Pereira dos Santos (16-15, 12 KOs). In addition, an exciting women’s fight has been added to the broadcast as local San Juan, P.R., product Kiria Tapia (4-0, 0 KOs)will take on Hungary’s Beata Dudek (4-4, 4 KOs) in a junior lightweight (130 pounds) special attraction.
HOW TO WATCH: The night of fights will air live globally on DAZN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Corey Erdman will handle the blow-by-blow call, with International Boxing Hall of Famer announcer Al Bernstein joined by former IBF Junior Middleweight world champion Raul Marquez handling the commentary. Doors open at 5 pm ET with the first fight to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketera.com and the venue’s official website: www.cocacolamusichall.com.
“BIG TIME BOXING PUERTO RICO” is promoted by Salita Promotions in collaboration with PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) and 21 Events and is part of Salita Promotions’ “Big Time Boxing USA” series, the leading developmental series for promising prospects and young contenders on their journey toward a world championship.
ABOUT SALITA PROMOTIONS:
Salita Promotions was founded in 2010 by Dmitriy Salita, a professional boxer and world-title challenger who saw the need for a promotional entity to feature boxing’s best young prospects and established contenders in North America and around the world. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including SHOWTIME, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Universal Sports Network, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN+ and MSG have enjoyed Salita Promotions fight action in recent years. We pride ourselves on offering our fighters opportunities inside and outside the ring. Salita Promotions looks forward to continuing to grow and serve the needs of fight fans around the globe.