MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 9 Undercard Bouts Announced
MVP’S MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS 9 ADDS PUERTO RICO-MEXICO BATTLE OF KRYSTAL ROSADO VS. PERLA LOMELI AND ELIJAH FLORES VS. CAGUAS TALENT OMAR ROSARIO ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 IN CAGUAS, PUERTO RICO, AVAILABLE GLOBALLY ON DAZN
Rosado vs. Lomeli, Flores vs. Rosario join Rivera vs. Beltran, and Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro on main card of Most Valuable Prospects 9
20–year-old Caguas fighter William Colón vs. fellow Puerto Rican Jan Pomales Rivera, Herich Ruiz vs. Travorus Barnes, and 19-year-old San Juan native Carlos Jamil De Leon also join preliminary card
NEW YORK, NY – October 1, 2024 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced a series of undercard matchups for the ninth instalment of its Most Valuable Prospects series as the company expands into Puerto Rico, taking place in Caguas, Puerto Rico at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza on Friday, October 11th, available globally on DAZN. Most Valuable Prospects 9 will be headlined by 23-year-old Puerto Rican National Team star Jan Paul Rivera (10-0, 6 KOs) vs. 22-year-old Andy “Skeletor” Beltran (8-0, 5 KOs) in a 8-round featherweight bout for the WBO Youth World title. Joining the undercard will be MVP’s young sensation Krystal Rosado (4-0, 2 KOs), who will face Mexico’s Perla Lomeli (6-2) in a 6-round super bantamweight bout, and MVP’s three-time US national boxing champion and high-fashion model Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro (2-0, 2 KOs) in a 4-round middleweight bout. Rounding out the main card will be an 8-round welterweight bout between Elijah Flores (8-0, 3 KOs) vs. Caguas, Puerto Rico native Omar Rosario (13-1, 4 KOs). The preliminary card will feature a 6-round super featherweight bout between Caguas, Puerto Rico’s own William “Yeyo” Colón (4-0, 2 KO’s) vs. fellow Puerto Rican Jan “El Pescador” Pomales Rivera (7-3, 4 KOs) and an 8 round battle between undefeated heavyweights Herich Ruiz (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Travorus Barnes (6-0, 5 KOs). Carlos Jamil De Leon (1-0, 1 KO), the 19-year-old San Juan native and Puerto Rican amateur champion, will also join the preliminary card.
Universal Promotions will serve as the official promoter with Boxlab Promotions serving as co-promoter for Most Valuable Prospects 9, presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy. The event marks a significant milestone for MVP as it brings its up-and-coming talent showcase 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. MVP’s expanding venture in Puerto Rico aims to spotlight the island’s rich boxing heritage and identify development opportunities with Puerto Rican talent. Tickets for Most Valuable Prospects 9 are on sale now at ticketera.com.
The 21-year-old sensation Krystal Rosado (4-0, 2 KOs), the first fighter signed by Amanda Serrano, and one of MVP’s new Puerto Rican signees, will return to the ring against Perla Lomeli (6-2) in a 6-round super bantamweight battle of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico. Rosado, the Carolina, Puerto Rico native, made her professional debut on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 2 show in August 2023, stunning fans with a ferocious second-round KO against Tarrethia Dixon. Rosado went on to compete on MVP’s historic Serrano vs. Ramos card in October 2023, earning her decisive second win over Hungary’s Kata Pap, before appearing in front of her home fans at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan as part of MVP’s main card in March 2024. In front of her home fans, Rosado put on a ferocious show, displaying her championship potential against Gloria Munguilla. Rosado took home a majority decision win, which she followed with a swift knockout of Russia’s Veronika Dmitriyeva at MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 7 in July 2024. Rosado will now make her formal debut as an MVP fighter in her fifth professional bout on Friday, October 11 against Lomeli. The 23-year-old talented prospect Lomeli comes to the ring from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, fresh from her most recent decision upset win over seasoned veteran Maureen Shea (now 31-3-1, 13 KOs) in August 2024.
20-year-old talent Elijah Flores (8-0, 3 KOs) will face Caguas, Puerto Rico native Omar Rosario (13-1, 4 KOs) in an 8 round welterweight bout on the main card of Most Valuable Prospects 9. Flores comes to the ring from Redlands, CA by way of The Bronx, NY, and most recently appeared on the preliminary card of MVP’s marquee Jake Paul vs. Ryan Bourland event in San Juan in March 2024, where he continued his undefeated streak as he earned an impressive fourth round TKO win over Alejandro Munera. Flores now looks to continue showcasing the skills that mark him as a rising star in the sport on Friday, October 11. His opponent, Rosario, a 26-year-old Puerto Rican talent, aims to continue building his latest win streak with the support of his home fans, coming off of two successive victories so far in 2024.
On the preliminary card will be 20-year-old William “Yeyo” Colón (4-0, 2 KO’s) vs. Jan “El Pescador” Pomales Rivera (7-3, 4 KOs) in a 6 round super featherweight fight. Colón, the talented prospect from Caguas, Puerto Rico, will fight in front of his home crowd on Friday, October 11 as he makes his Most Valuable Prospects series debut. As an amateur boxer, he competed in 150 bouts, becoming a Puerto Rican National Champion and a member of the Puerto Rico National Team, going on to win a Bronze Medal at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games. Colón now trains alongside Jan Paul Rivera in “El Albergue Olímpico” of Salinas, Puerto Rico and is promoted by Universal Promotions. The talented prospect Colón looks to continue building his unblemished record as he takes on the more experienced 27-year-old Jan Pomales Rivera, who comes to the ring from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico by way of San Juan. Rivera most recently was awarded a majority decision win against Puerto Rican fighter Angel Ramon Rosado Lopez in April 2024.
The preliminary card will also feature an 8 round battle between undefeated heavyweights Herich Ruiz (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Travorus Barnes (6-0, 5 KOs). Ruiz, the 29-year-old southpaw, comes to the ring from Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Isla de la Juventud, Cuba. His opponent, the 27-year-old Barnes, comes to the ring from Summit, Mississippi. The two hard-hitting talents will each put their undefeated records on the line early in their professional careers as they look to establish themselves as future contenders in the heavyweight division.
The 19-year-old San Jaun native and Puerto Rican amateur champion Carlos Jamil De Leon (1-0, 1 KO) will also join the preliminary card. De Leon was a decorated amateur in the Puerto Rican ranks, becoming a quarter-finalist in the IBA youth World Championship in 2022. In 2023, he took gold in both the youth Pan American Games and the Puerto Rican amateur national tournament at 132 lbs. De Leon made his professional debut in June 2024, winning by first round KO over Christian Reed, and now looks to continue building his undefeated record in front of his local fans on Friday, October 11. He is promoted by Boxlab Promotions. Also on the preliminary card, Mathew “Sugar Kid” Soto, a 19-year-old Puerto Rican 3-time National Champion and AIBA Youth World Championship participant, will make his pro debut against Eduardo Perez, a 31-year-old former Cuban National Team member, who is also making his debut, in a four-round Super Lightweight bout.
“MVP’s expansion into Puerto Rico in partnership with Amanda Serrano and Jordan Maldonado provides an opportunity to showcase a wealth of young Puerto Rican talent on Friday, October 11,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of MVP. “We look forward to featuring an incredible battle of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico between our very own Krystal Rosado and the dynamic Perla Lomeli, as well as welcoming back Elijah Flores to an MVP event after his exciting performance this spring on Paul vs. Bourland. This card will also highlight multiple young Caguas-native talents, including William Colón and Omar Rosario, and we are proud to provide a platform for the next generation of Puerto Rican stars in front of their home fans at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza. Thank you to Amanda Serrano, Jordan Maldonado, Universal Promotions, Boxlab Promotions, DAZN, CELSIUS, and our other partners and sponsors for their commitment to making MVP’s first developmental venture in Puerto Rico an exceptional night of boxing.”
