The Flint junior middleweight Ardreal “Bossman” Holmes Jnr is to fight Hugo Noriega of Cuba at the city’s Dort Financial Center on September 12.

Joseph Hicks will by then have fought Ronnie Austion at middleweight, and in the same weight division Da’Velle Smith will have confronted an opponent who is still to be confirmed.

“There’s nothing like fighting at home and I know on September 12, there will be a raucous crowd rooting me on,” said Holmes Jnr. “When I get my ‘W’ over Hugo Noriega, it will put me just that much closer to my dream of winning a world title.”

“The Big Time Boxing series has quickly become the premier developmental platform for young fighters in the US,” said Dmitriy Salita of Salita Promotions. “Flint is the home of former heavyweight world champion Chris Byrd, Anthony and Andre Dirrell, and, of course, Claressa Shields. 

“We have never seen a crop of young and hungry fighters like the group fighting on September 12, and I feel the next US-born world champion will come from right here in the Greater Detroit and surrounding areas like Flint. I am excited that those in the crowd and the viewers watching on DAZN will get to see some amazing match-ups that can make or break the next chapter in these fighters’ respective careers.”

There will be further fights involving Leon Lawson III – the junior-middleweight nephew of the Dirrell brothers – the Claressa-Shields promoted middleweight Jaquan McElroy, and their fellow Flint fighters Chris Thompson, at light heavyweight, and Deandre Savage, at heavyweight.

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