Joshua James Pagan didn’t just step into the ring in Puerto Rico on Friday night—he made it his own.
Under the bright lights of the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Pagan earned a unanimous decision victory over veteran Haskell Rhodes, headlining the DAZN-televised main event of Big Time Boxing Puerto Rico.
The scores were 100-90, 99-91, and 99-91, all in favor of Pagan, who ascends to11-0 (4 KOs).
Pagan, a 24-year-old from Grand Rapids, Michigan, took a measured approach early. It was Rhodes who landed the first notable punch of the night—a crisp overhand right in the opening round. Rhodes, 37, from Las Vegas, used his hand speed to outmaneuver the 5ft 10ins Pagan early on, despite giving up five inches in height. By round two, Rhodes was bullying Pagan on the ropes, and the crowd erupted as the two traded shots. Pagan closed the second with a sharp right to the temple, a sign that he was settling in.
In the third round, Pagan turned up the pace, controlling the fight and landing the more effective shots. His active jab kept his opponent at bay. Rhodes, who took the fight on short notice, began to show signs of rust. In the fifth, Pagan put together a flurry of punches that pushed Rhodes into his own corner, blood trickling from his nose.
Pagan’s momentum continued in the sixth when a powerful right hand sent Rhodes backward. Rhodes responded with a low blow that momentarily halted the action, but Pagan resumed control with a series of power shots before the round ended.
A hard jab snapped Rhodes’ head back in the seventh, and while Rhodes had a strong showing in the eighth, reminiscent of his early rounds, the younger Pagan had clearly taken over. Rhodes’ mouthpiece flew out in the ninth as he pressed forward, determined to test Pagan’s conditioning and toughness.
The 10th and final round saw both fighters exchanging punches to the delight of the fans. Rhodes landed a few shots after the bell, leaving Pagan briefly dazed, before the two embraced after a slight delay.
This was Pagan’s second win of 2024, following a tough eight-round unanimous decision over Roger Hilley in May. With the loss, Rhodes saw his two-fight win streak come to an end and his record fall to 31-7-1 (16 KOs).
Carrillo outclasses Castillo
In the co-feature, Juan Carrillo defeated former title challenger Gilbert Lenin Castillo via a 10-round unanimous decision. The scores were 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
The first round set a slow pace. Both are heavy knockout punchers and both showed caution in the face of their opponent’s firepower. Carrillo, 32, from Barranquilla, Colombia, found his rhythm in the second round, landing an overhand left and following up with a right to the body. The crowd grew restless, offering only mild boos as appreciation for the tactical fight. Carrillo closed the second with a solid left hand, but Castillo, 36, from Miami, Florida, absorbed it well – a theme of the bout.
Both fighters were focused on timing each other’s power hands, with Castillo looking to counter Carrillo’s left with his right. Carrillo began to establish his jab in the third round, once again landing a strong left to finish the round.
In the fourth, Carrillo took more risks, but Castillo’s inactivity limited Carrillo’s chances for a big counter. Castillo pressed forward in the sixth, targeting the body, but Carrillo’s higher work rate kept him ahead.
Carrillo picked up the pace in the seventh, pinning Castillo on the ropes. A right hand from Castillo was ruled a low blow by referee Luis Pabon, but Castillo responded moments later with a good right to the body, forcing Carrillo to take a deep breath before countering with body shots of his own.
A clash of heads in the eighth briefly halted the action, with Carrillo closing the round with another meaningful left. Despite Carrillo’s dominance, Castillo remained durable. In the ninth round, Carrillo landed a low blow but used the break to regain control, pouncing on Castillo when the action resumed.
Carrillo landed another solid left hand in the final round, but as throughout the fight, Castillo, now 25-6-1 (19 KOs) took it without faltering.
This victory brought Carrillo’s record to 13-0 (9 KOs) and marks his second fight in 2024, following a March knockout of Quinton Rankin in three rounds. Carrillo is currently ranked No. 14 by the IBF and No. 15 by both the WBA and WBO.
Tapia tap-dances to win over Dudek
Junior lightweight Kiria Tapia won a six-round unanimous decision over Beata Dudek in her hometown. All three judges scored the fight 60-53.
Tapia, now 5-0 (0 KOs) at 34 years old, found success early, landing her left hand against the 31-year-old Dudek, who hails from Miskolc, Hungary and is 4-5 (4 KOs). At the end of round one, Tapia connected with a right hook to the body, and while Dudek didn’t touch the canvas, referee Melva Santos ruled it a knockdown.
By the third round, Tapia was dictating the action with her jab, closing the distance and firing combinations to both the head and body. Despite the lack of punching power her record would suggest, Tapia caught Dudek’s attention in the fourth with a solid overhand left.
Tapia, trained by Hall of Famer Ivan Calderon, stepped up the pressure in the final round, throwing relentless combinations, but Dudek, a tricky veteran who has never been stopped, managed to survive.
This marks Tapia’s second win in 2024 and her third straight fight in Puerto Rico, after starting her career with two bouts in Kissimmee, Florida.
Dudek, fighting at junior lightweight for the first time, has primarily competed at junior featherweight and bantamweight. She previously fought in September, losing an eight-round unanimous decision to Bree Howling.
Smith smites Santos
In the opening bout, super middleweight Da’velle Smith secured a first-round technical knockout over Gilberto Santos. A 24-year-old from Taylor, Michigan, Smith dropped the 47-year-old Brazilian Santos with a right hand after Santos recklessly charged forward and walked into the punch. Smith, now 10-0 (8 KOs) and standing 6ft 2ins, towered over the 5ft 6ins Santos—16-16 (12 KOs) and capitalized on the size difference, landing a left hook to the body that sent Santos to the canvas again while he was against the ropes.
After Santos got back to his feet, Smith landed a right hand followed by a left hook, prompting referee Ramon Pena to step in and stop the contest at 2:28 of the first round.
Smith has now knocked out his last two opponents. Before tonight, he last fought on September 12, returning just over a month after his previous bout.
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