SHOWTIME PPV® SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
Undefeated Phoenix/Glendale Prospects Set to Steal the Show at the Desert Diamond Arena As They Look to Follow In Footsteps of Arizonan David Benavidez
NEW YORK – October 3, 2022 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced that two of Arizona’s most talked about and talented prospects Danny Barrios Flores and Adrian Rodriguez are set to entertain the hometown fans and steal the show before Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and UFC legend Anderson “The Spider” Silva clash on Saturday, October 29 on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) at Desert Diamond Arena (formerly Gila River Arena) in Glendale, Ariz. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.
Flores (10-0, 2 KOs) will fight in Arizona for the 10th time in his young career when he faces fellow Phoenix native Edgar Ortiz Jr. (8-3-2, 4 KOs) in a six-round super bantamweight bout, while Glendale born knockout artist Rodriguez (2-0, 2 KOs) will clash with Dominique Griffin (4-2-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round super bantamweight bout. Both bouts will appear on the non-televised undercard of the Most Valuable Promotions Paul vs Silva SHOWTIME PPV to the delight of hometown fans.
Flores and Rodriguez will share a Glendale fight card for the second time this year after they both emerged victorious on September 3. They are both fans of former two-time super middleweight champion and Phoenix product David Benavidez, who headlined Desert Diamond Arena on May 21 when he regaled hometown fans with a third-round stoppage of former world champion David Lemieux. The undefeated prospects hope to one day rise to the heights that Benavidez has achieved, in and outside of the Grand Canyon State.
Flores, 24, trains alongside undefeated super welterweight contender Jesus Ramos (19-0) and welterweight contender Abel Ramos (27-5-2) under the watchful eye of Jesus Sr. in nearby Casa Grande, Ariz. The southpaw Flores, who previously lived in Glendale, will make his debut at 122 pounds, as well as his first appearance at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale on Oct. 29. He will step into the ring for the fourth time this year in Glendale following dominant decision wins against 55-fight veteran Jonathan Lecona Ramos in September and 67-fight journeyman Ernesto Guerrero in August. He turned pro in March 2019 with a second-round TKO of Grandon Foss following an amateur career that saw him go 56-4 and briefly live in Chicago. During that time, he trained and sparred with contenders Adrian Granados and Joshua Greer Jr.
“Being from the Phoenix area, I’ve always dreamed of fighting at Desert Diamond Arena,” said Flores, who expects upwards of 200 friends and family in attendance on October 29. “Now to be a part of a card like this, with Jake Paul and Anderson Silva headlining, it’s just a big step in my career to getting where I want to be. I plan on giving everyone a great show.”
Born and raised in Glendale, Rodriguez turned pro on June 11 of this year and has fought exclusively in his hometown. The aggressive brawler quickly dispatched of Isidro Figueroa in the first round, and he returned on September 3 and TKO’d Michael Gaxiola in the third. The 20-year-old is trained by his father, Lorenzo, who guided him in the amateurs when he was an elite competitor, winning the USA Boxing Elite National Championships in 2020 and USA Boxing Youth National Championships the year before. Rodriguez works full time in construction, which he described as clearing heavy debris for eight hours a day in triple-digit heat before he heads to the boxing gym.
“I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity,” Rodriguez said. “I hope to put on a thrilling performance for all the friends and family that come out to support me. I’m going to do my best to keep that knockout streak going. This moment means everything to me.”
“Most Valuable Promotions was founded to both discover young, diverse high potential prospects in boxing as well as promote female fighters within the sport. We are incredibly excited to showcase the talents of Danny Barrios Flores and Adrian Rodriguez, who promise to put on an incredible show for their hometown fans,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of MVP.”
The Paul vs. Silva event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to promote women and discover young, exciting, and diverse prospects in the sport of boxing. The fight is being promoted by Holden Boxing and the pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV.
For more information visit www.SHO.com/sports, follow #PaulSilva, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and on Instagram via @JakePaul, @ShowtimeBoxing and or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ShowtimeBoxing.
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ABOUT PAUL VS. SILVA
International superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and accomplished boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva in an eight-round bout at a catchweight of 187 pounds on Saturday, October 29 live on SHOWTIME PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) from Desert Diamond Arena, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. In undercard action, teenage sensation Ashton Sylve will put his knockout streak on the line against Braulio Rodriguez in an eight-round lightweight bout contested at 133 pounds. Chris Avila, a disciple of UFC superstar Nate Diaz, will square off against “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, a board-certified family physician and social media influencer, in a four-round cruiserweight bout contracted at 185 pounds.
