‘Wanna’ Walton returns on Most Valuable Prospects 8

The 18-year-old boxer and actor Javon “Wanna” Walton returns to the ring on September 6, in the co-main event of MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 8 card at the Caribe Royale resort in Orlando, Florida. The card, which will stream on DAZN, will be headlined by a previously-announced bout between super lightweight showdown between Cuban prospect Kevin Brown (5-0, 3 KOs) and seasoned Puerto Rican contender John Bauza (18-1, 8 KOs). 

Atlanta, Georgia’s Walton, (1-0-1, 1 KO), appeared in the HBO Max series Euphoria alongside Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney. However, he began boxing at age four, and is a former multi-time Junior Regional Champion and a two-time Junior Olympic national silver medalist. He signed with MVP in July 2023, turning pro with a first-round stoppage of Moises Guzman Almonte in December. He fought to a majority draw against Joshua Torres in March.

Walton will feature in a four-round junior lightweight bout against Erik Hanley (1-1, 1 KO), who hails from Rancho Cordova, California by way of Oceanside, New York, and who is coming off a February KO win over Luis Andres Martinez. 

The main card will also feature Hendri “La Bazuca” Cedeno (13-0, 10 KOs) vs. Enriko “Gudan” Gogokhia (13-1-2, 8 KOs) in an 8 round super lightweight fight, and Cuban emigre Yoelvis Gomez (7-1, 6 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight bout against an opponent to be announced.

The preliminary card includes a women’s eight-round bantamweight bout between undefeated Bree “Bam Bam” Howling (7-0, 2 KOs) and Beata Dudek (4-3, 4 KOs). Also among the preliminary bouts will be a six-round lightweight bout between Harley “Dennis the Menace” Mederos (6-0, 5 KOs) and Russia’s Nikolai Buzolin (9-9-1, 5 KOs), while local favorite Antraveous Ingram (7-0, 2 KOs) will take on Cruse “Hitman” Stewart (8-3, 6 KOs) over six rounds at junior middleweight. 

The card is promoted by Boxlab Promotions and presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy.

“Wanna will be testing himself against a strong fighter in Erik Hanley as he continues to prove his standout star potential and looks to collect his second professional win,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of MVP, in a statement. “We’re proud to feature an incredible women’s fight between Canadian top-ranked WBA contender Bree Howling and a relentless athlete in Beata Dudek. As we continue to develop this series and identify the next big names in boxing, we’re excited to welcome back multiple promising talents to the series, including Kevin Hayler Brown in our main event and Antraveous Ingram on our preliminary card. We appreciate Boxlab Promotions, DAZN and CELSIUS for their continued commitment to bringing this incredible night of boxing to Orlando.”