Juan Carrillo Dominating In Unanimous Decision Victory For IBF Light Heavyweight Latino World Title Belt Over Lenin Castillo In the Co-Feature

FotosAQUÍ (Please credit Jesús Muriel)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – October 18, 2024 – Michigan’s Joshua Pagan outdueled cagey veteran Haskell Rhodes in the “Fight of the Night” and main event of Salita Promotions’“Big Time Boxing Puerto Rico” event on Friday with a unanimous decision victory from the Coca-Cola Music Hall and on DAZN.

Apodado “Double J”,  Pagano, whose father grew up in Puerto Rico and later moved to the United States settling in Grand Rapids where Pagan was born, had a legion of boisterous fans in his corner all night as he moved his record to 11-0 (4 KOs) in the 10-round lightweight victory over Rhodes (31-7, 16 KOs). In a fight closer than the judges’ scorecards indicated, Pagan’s hand was raised in victory by the referee with the scores of 100-90 y 99-91 dos veces.

“It was amazing tonight, and the entire crowd was filled with just so much energy,” Pagan said. “I wanted to get the knockout, but he was just so experienced. I give him a lot of credit.”

The all-action fight saw an amazing fifth round with exchanges by both fighters that had fans rise to their feet and show their appreciation to both boxers.

The co-feature sawJuan Carrillo(13-0, 9 KOs) from Barranquilla, Colombia, win the IBF Light Heavyweight Latino title as he scored a decisive unanimous decision overLenin Castillo(25-6-1, 19 KOs) de Santo Domingo, D.R. Los jueces anotaron la pelea 98-92, 99-91, 100-90. Two judges gave Castillo the eighth round while the third had Carrillo winning the back-and-forth round and pitching a shutout.

In the second television bout, local San Juan favorite Kiria Tapia (5-0, 0 KOs) won for the fifth time against no defeats as she recorded a dominating six-round unanimous decision over Beata Dudek (4-5, 4 KOs) in a fight that saw flashes of the great Puerto Rican champion Amanda Serrano. The trio of judges were all in agreement with their scorecards giving it to Tapia 60-53. Tapia, who knocked Dudek to the canvas in the first round, threw her wide left at will in dominating the outclassed Hungarian.

Opening the highly anticipated DAZN main card, “Motor City” Detroit’sDa’Velle Smith(10-0, 8 KOs) scored a first-round technical knockout overGilberto Santos(16-16, 12 KOs) desde Brasil. It was never a contest as Smith came out the aggressor and knocked Smith to the ground twice before the referee had seen enough following a blistering overhand right and called the bout at 2:28 de la primera ronda.

See below for more on the DAZN fights and what the fighters had to say:

LIGHTWEIGHT MAIN EVENT – 10 RONDAS

su oponente más duro hasta la fecha(11-0, 4 KOs) encimaHaskell Rodas(31-7-1, 16 KOs) por decisión unánime

cuadros de mando: 99-91 dos veces y 100-90

“I wish I would’ve had a couple more rounds,” Rhodes said in defeat. "Fue una buena pelea. My hat’s off to Joshua. He fought a clean, smart fight. I love boxing and getting up every day and going to the gym. So I can’t wait to see what’s next for me.”

IBF LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT LATINO WORLD TITLE CO-FEATURE – 10 RONDAS

Juan Carrillo(13-0, 9 KOs) derrotado Lenin Castillo(25-6-1, 19 KOs) por decisión unánime

cuadros de mando: 98-92, 99-91, 100-90

“I was looking for the knockout and tried to get him out of there, but he was a tough opponent,” Carrillo said. “Hopefully, what’s next for me is an opponent with a big name.”

WOMEN’S SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT MAIN CARD BOUT – 6 RONDAS

Kiria Tapia(5-0, 0 KOs) sixth-round unanimous decision overBeata Dudek(4-5, 4 KOs)

 cuadros de mando: 60-53, 60-53, 60-53

“I was happy to have all the support of my family and fans in attendance,” Tapia said. “I want to keep improving and progressing and my team and I are confident it could lead to a world title shot someday. The early knockdown set the tone for what I was able to do for the rest of the fight.”

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT MAIN CARD BOUT – 6 RONDAS

Da’Velle Smith(10-0, 8 KOs) detenidoGilberto Santos(16-16, 12 KOs) via first-round TKO (2:28).

“I felt amazing, and it was fun out there,” Smith said “It didn’t last long but I don’t get paid extra for overtime. I was able to show the fans in Puerto Rico and around the world just a bit of what I can bring. He came in overweight, but we didn’t complain. We just show up and win.”

En acción preliminar, all four winners came from the island of Puerto Rico and from the “A” side. They included: Allen Moralesde San Juan (KO at 1:38 de la segunda ronda), Jorge Vizcarrando from Trujillo Alto (TKO at :15 de la cuarta ronda), Karla Davila (six-round unanimous decision) yAntonio Motafrom Toa Baja (four-round majority decision). 

"Big Time Boxing Puerto Rico”was promoted by Salita Promotions in collaboration with PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP) y 21 Events and is part of Salita Promotions’“Big Time Boxing USA” serie, the leading developmental series for promising prospects and young contenders on their journey toward a world championship.

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ACERCA DE LAS PROMOCIONES DE SALITA

Promociones Salita fue fundada en 2010 por Dmitriy Salita, un boxeador y campeón mundial profesional que vio la necesidad de una entidad de promoción para ofrecer mejores jóvenes prospectos del boxeo y contendientes establecidos en América del Norte y en todo el mundo. Viewers watching fighters on worldwide television networks including SHOWTIME, HBO, ESPN, Spike TV, Red deportiva universal, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, ESPN + y MSG han disfrutado de la lucha de Salita Promotions en los últimos años. 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.

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