Brandun Lee (pictured) and Ashton “H20” Sylve will highlight the Showtime pay-per-view undercard on Saturday, August 6th (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) in support of Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. and Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano vs. Brenda Carabajal live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 23 year-old Lee, of La Quinta, Calif., will face Will Madera (17-1-3) in a ten-round junior weltertweight bout opening the pay-per-view telecast. Sylve, of Long Beach, Calif., will face Braulio Rodriguez (20-4) of the Dominican Republic in an eight-round lightweight bout.
Lee is no stranger to turning heads with his athletic achievements. The winner of 15 of his last 16 fights by knockout, Lee has shown both one-punch power and the ability to outbox his opponents. He recently dominated Zachary Ochoa in April and is quickly establishing himself as a force at 140 pounds. The child of a Mexican mother and Korean father, Lee has emerged as a vocal spokesperson for the Asian-American community. Trained by his father Bobby, Lee has kept up a busy schedule, fighting four times in 2020, three times in 2021 and now twice in 2022. He was also an accomplished amateur, going an estimated 195 amateur fights with only five losses and capturing gold at the prestigious 2015 U.S. Junior National Championships at 145 pounds.
Just eighteen years old, Sylve (7-0, 7 KOs) was the first prospect signed by MVP. He'll be facing an experienced opponent in Rodriguez, who has scored knockouts in all but three of his victories thanks to his aggressive and big-swinging style. When he’s lost, it has come against top-flight opposition. Rodriguez has shared the ring with lightweight contender Ryan Garcia and Christopher Diaz. He dropped a split decision to then-undefeated Alberto Mercado and surrendered a unanimous decision to then-unbeaten Carlos Diaz –the first blemish of his career after scoring fifteen straight knockouts to start his pro campaign.
In Sylve, Rodriguez is facing someoen who has stopped all of his opponents in four rounds or less, demonstrating quick reflexes, high boxing IQ and heavy hands. He recently knocked out Giovanni Gutierrez in the first round in May. He fought three times in 2021 and twice thus far in 2022. A gifted amateur who turned pro at 16 with over 100 wins and 10 national titles, Sylve first entered the public consciousness as an eight-year-old when a training video made by his father, Ivan, went viral and led to an invite to Floyd Mayweather’s famed gym in Las Vegas.
Co-headlining the night of action on August 6th are Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) and Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs), who will meet after erupting during the July 12th kick-off press conference over who was the better man during sparring sessions they had in 2020. The son of the former two-time heavyweight champion, Rahman Jr. had approximately 100 amateur fights and has trained under boxing sages like Emanuel Steward, Calvin Ford and now Yoel Judah, father and trainer of the former two-division world champion Zab Judah. Rahman Jr. is undisputedly the first full-fledged boxer that Paul has faced.
The Sports Illustrated 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, Paul is coming off one of the best knockouts of last year when he demolished Tyron Woodley in the sixth round with a perfectly placed right hand that went viral following their December 18th bout. A YouTube star and influencer-turned-pro boxer, the Cleveland native, who is just 25 and started his pro boxing journey in January 2020, is fighting out of Puerto Rico under the tutelage of Danny Smith and B.J. Flores.
The other half of the dual main event features seven-division women’s champion Serrano, (42-2-1, 30 KOs) of Brooklyn, who will defend her featherweight titles against Argentina’s Carabajal (18-5-1, 9 KOs) in a 10-round dual main event. Serrano made history in April when she and Katie Taylor were the first women to headline a main event at MSG in a lightweight bout. Now she returns to her natural weight in front of her hometown fans.
Tickets are on sale and available at www.msg.com. The Paul vs. Rahman Jr. and Serrano vs. Carabajal event is co-produced by SHOWTIME PPV and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. Holden Boxing will be the licensed promoter of the event and Paul and Bidarian will serve as executive producers for the event. The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by Showtime pay-per-view.
