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AMATEUR STANDOUT AND TWO-TIME BRAZILIAN OLYMPIAN KENO MARLEY FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM PROFESSIONAL DEBUT ON MVP’S MOST VALUABLE PROSPECTS 13 CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION DUE TO INJURY
Brazilian national champion Luan Almeida vs. Crescent City, Florida’s Tony Aguilar steps into co-main event; Kissimmee, Florida’s Antraveous Ingram joins main card vs. Sona Akale available globally for free on DAZN.com and DAZN app and livestreamed on Brazil’s multitalented superstar Whindersson Nunes’ YouTube channel on Saturday, June 7
ORLANDO, FL — June 6, 2025 — Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced that MVP’s 24-year-old two-time Brazilian Olympian Keno Marley has been forced to withdraw from his pro debut vs. Sean Sparks (2-0, 2 KOs) due to an injury. Marley vs. Sparks were scheduled for a 4-round cruiserweight bout at 200lbs in the co-main event of Most Valuable Prospects 13, an MVP Championship Edition on Saturday, June 7 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, available globally for free on both DAZN.com and the DAZN app with no subscription required and livestreamed on Brazil’s multi-talented superstar Whindersson Nunes’ YouTube channel. Brazilian national champion Luan Almeida (5-0, 4 KOs) and Crescent City, Florida’s series veteran Tony Aguilar (13-1-1, 4 KOs) will now step into the co-main event for an 8-round lightweight battle at 135 lbs.
Headlining the event will be a 10-round women’s world championship fight at 135lbs as Brazil’s IBF lightweight world champion Beatriz “The Beast” Ferreira (6-0, 2 KOs) defends her title for the second time against 28-year-old Buenos Aires, Argentina challenger Maria Ines “Dinamita” Ferreyra (11-0-1, 6 KOs). Also on the main card will be the WBA’s #5-ranked bantamweight Bree “Bam Bam” Howling (8-0, 2 KOs), making her return to the Most Valuable Prospects series vs. fellow undefeated prospect Naomy “Kusa” Cardenas (8-0, 2 KOs) in a 6-round bantamweight bout at 118lbs. Opening the main card will be Kissimmee, Florida’s 26-year-old undefeated talent Antraveous Ingram (10-0, 5 KOs) vs. Saint Paul, Minnesota’s super welterweight Sona Akale (9-2, 4 KOs) in a 6-round super welterweight bout at 154lbs. Final tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.
“While it’s disappointing to have to postpone my professional debut, I know this is just a brief pause in a long and meaningful journey ahead,” said Keno Marley. “My focus now is on recovery, and I’ll be back sharper, hungrier, and more prepared than ever. I’m deeply grateful to Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul, and the entire MVP team for their continued support. I also truly appreciate Sean Sparks’ understanding and hope we’ll get the chance to put on a great fight for the fans in the near future. Best of luck to all the fighters participating, especially my fellow Brazilians Beatriz Ferreira and Luan Almeida. I’ll be watching and supporting every step on Saturday, June 7.”
“Keno Marley is a phenomenal talent, and we have no doubt that he’ll be back soon to show the world why he’s a superstar in the making,” said Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “We wish him a full and speedy recovery, and the entire MVP team is standing behind him as he focuses on healing up. We look forward to seeing Brazilian national champion Luan Almeida step up into the co-main event to put on a show against series veteran Tony Aguilar tomorrow night, free globally on DAZN.”
The Most Valuable Prospects 13 preliminary card will feature undefeated 22-year-old Reina Tellez vs. Saltillo, Mexico’s Maria “Polvorita” Salinas in an 8-round bantamweight bout at 118 lbs. MVP’s 3x US national boxing champion and high-fashion model Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro will return to the series to face Daijohn Gonzalez. Also featured will be undefeated 20-year-old prospect Sebastian Juarez vs. Gadsden, Alabama’s Shaquille Cameron in a 6-round super welterweight bout and undefeated super bantamweight standout Chavez Barrientes vs. Saint Louis, Missouri’s Sharone “Smoke” Carter in an 8-round super bantamweight bout at 122lbs.
The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and marketed by MVP, promoted by MVP and Boxlab Promotions, and distributed globally by DAZN. The 13th event in the series, hosted by the Caribe Royale Resort, will continue the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to highlight the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drink, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of MVP and the Most Valuable Prospects series. Fansly and Event Ticket Center have also joined on to sponsor the Most Valuable Prospects series.
For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions and @DAZNBoxing.
About MVP
MVP was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last six global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Perry match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. MVP made history again in November 2024 with Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2, the first-ever live professional sports event on Netflix. MVP’s Paul vs. Tyson streamed live globally on Netflix and shattered records, becoming the most-streamed sporting event ever with 108 million live viewers globally. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of Paul vs. Tyson and the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.
About DAZN
DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). We are building the ultimate sports entertainment platform, based on premium sports rights, world-leading tech, and multi-platform distribution. DAZN believes that fans from across the globe should be able to watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.
For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit dazngroup.com.
