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Philippines, 14 Jan 2026 |
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Top Super Lightweights Bryan Flores & Starling Castillo Battle in 10-Round Main Event of ProBoxTV’s ‘The Contender Series’ PhilBoxing.com Wed, 14 Jan 2026  Live! Casino Hotel Maryland in Hanover, Maryland, on Friday, January 30 WBC #4-ranked Featherweight Sulaiman “The Ruler” Segawa Faces Undefeated Rene “Zurdo” Palacios in 10-round Co-Feature (January 13, 2026) – On Friday, January 30, at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland in Hanover, Maryland, ProBoxTV will proudly present “Happy Black and Blue Year!” the first broadcast of the year for The Contender Series, featuring another night of ProBox-style 50/50 matchups (live 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT). Presented by Lamont Roach Sr (NoXcuse Promotions), in the 10-round main event, top super lightweights Bryan “Nino Maravilla” Flores (27-1-1, 16 KOs) of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and hard-punching Dominican southpaw Starling “El Poli” Castillo (20-1-1, 13 KOs) will do battle with a world ranking for the winner on the line. “I’m excited about starting the year off with a bang,” said ProBoxTV's founder and CEO, Garry Jonas. “I know Bryan Flores is a high-level 140-lb. fighter. His only loss was a controversial decision to Lindolfo Delgado. If you consider Delgado a top guy, arguably Flores beat him. He’s right there as a top guy. He’s fighting another top guy in Starling Castillo who last time out was dominant over Shinard Bunch. We’re happy they both decided to take this fight, and it will be another typical ProBoxTV fight between two guys who arguably could be ranked in the top ten going at each other in a 50/50 fun fight.” And in the 10-round co-featured bout, WBC #4-ranked featherweight Sulaiman “The Ruler” Segawa (18-5-1, 7 KOs) of Silver Spring, Maryland, via Kampala, Uganda, will face undefeated Rene “Zurdo” Palacios (18-0-1, 10 KOs) of Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. “Segawa was super impressive against Bryan Acosta, a guy who gave Ramon Cardenas a hard time,” continued Jonas. “And before that fight, a lot of people think he beat Shu Shu Carrington. Segawa is a sleeper in the division. Despite having five losses, he might be the most dangerous threat to win a belt in the division. He’s 35, but after his performance against those two guys, I don’t know what he’s eating or drinking, but all fighters wish they could get a hold of it. This guy is a dark horse in the division taking on an undefeated guy who is a tough hombre. It’s going to be another exciting action fight and the epitome of ProBoxTV.” In the 10-round chief supporting bout, #15-ranked lightweight Jordan White (19-2, 12 KOs) of Washington DC will fight for the WBC International Championship against an opponent that is TBA. Tickets to attend ProBoxTV’s “The Contender Series” in person at Live! Casino Hotel Maryland start at $72.86 (including fees) and are available from axs.com HERE. How to Watch from Home: The first and only global sports streaming and media company dedicated exclusively to professional boxing, ProBoxTV is available in 100% of U.S. and Canadian households with broadband access, on a wide range of platforms and media partners, including ProBoxTV’s YouTube and YouTube Espanol Channels, Swerve TV Combat, Swerve Sports, Fubo TV, Fubo Sports YouTube Channel, Amazon, Google TV, LG Channels, Plex, Roku, SLING TV, Samsung, Tubi, Vizio, Xumo Play, DIRECTV, Free Live Sports, Lights Out Sports, Zeam, Pluto TV and TCL TVs. The owner of Maravilla Boxing Club in his native Ciudad Juarez, 29-year-old Bryan Flores was a Mexican national champion as an amateur in 2010 and 2011 and a bronze medalist in 2012. He fought 90 times in the amateur ranks suffering just eight defeats. In November 2020 Flores stopped Jorge Arturo Sanchez (then 15-1-1) in three rounds at Studios Televisa in Mexico City and then in December 2022, he won a near-shutout unanimous 10-round decision over Placido Ramirez (then 19-2). In April 2023, he won a 10-round split decision over Shinard Bunch (then 20-1-1) for the IBF USBA Super Lightweight Championship. In August 2024, Flores suffered his only career loss to undefeated Lindolfo Delgado. In a fight for the WBO Latino Super Lightweight Championship at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque. Flores got off the canvas in round three to give the 2016 Mexican Olympian all he could handle en route to dropping a spirited 10-round split decision. In his most recent ring appearance, Flores returned in May 2025 to stop Hernan Leandro Carrizo (then 18-2-1) in two rounds. Flores says he considers two-time world title challenger and fellow Juarez boxer Miguel Mickey Roman to be his “role model in and out of the ring.” “It's a tough fight for me, I think I have the style that can hurt Castillo but, he also has the style to test me,” said Flores. “It's personal, not with him, but with myself and it's definitely my toughest fight, but my biggest opportunity. I'm going to win, that's for sure.” Already a two-time ProBox TV veteran, 30-year-old southpaw Starling Castillo of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, comes from a well-respected fighting family, as he is the brother of former IBF World Female Super Bantamweight Champion, Katy Wilson Castillo. In January of 2022, Castillo suffered his only career loss, an eight-round decision to undefeated Otar Eranosyan at the Caribe Royale Orlando. He has stayed undefeated in five fights since, including a split draw against fellow Dominican prospect Kenny De Leon (14-0) in October 2022, a 10-round unanimous decision over Esteuri Suero (then 12-0) at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in May 2023, a 10-round split decision over Jesus Saracho in his ProBox TV debut in March 2024, and his most recent ring appearance, a 10-round unanimous decision over Shinard Bunch (21-2-1), also on ProBox TV in August 2025 at the ProBox TV Events Center. Promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz, Castillo is trained by world-renowned coach Bob Santos in Las Vegas. This partnership has not only refined Castillo’s boxing craft and conditioning but has also been central to his strategic push toward top 10 rankings among major sanctioning bodies, a goal he publicly embraces. Castillo also knocked out previously undefeated (11-0) Californian Miguel “Caveman” Contreras in two rounds in July. That win, a one-punch KO of another hot prospect, was shown on highlight reels around the world it was so devastating. “I respect Bryan Flores, but he is in my way to a world championship,” said Castillo. “I have worked too hard to be stopped now. With my new trainer, Bob Santos, I am better than ever and ready to put on a show of my power and toughness. I will win because I feel that no one can beat me with all my hard training and the team I now have in place.” After a reported 240 amateur fights, Sulaiman Segawa made his professional debut on in April 2013 at the age of 21 and won his first 10 fights. A heavy-handed fighter with an awkward style, all the 34-year-old southpaw’s professional losses have come to fighters with combined records of 57-0. Segawa started 2024 by dropping an eight-round decision to current world champion Mirco Cuello in March but rebounded with a surprise upset 10-round decision victory over then WBC #1-ranked contender Ruben Villa to win the WBC Silver Featherweight Championship at the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas. After dropping a close majority decision to top contender Bruce Carrington in September 2024 in a unification bout for the WBC Silver Featherweight, WBO Inter-Continental Featherweight and North American Boxing Federation Featherweight Championships at Madison Square Garden, Segawa returned to stop (then 20-1) Bryan Acosta in seven rounds at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington DC. The victory over Acosta, broadcast live on ProBox TV, was his most recent ring appearance. “Training is going good,” said Segawa. “I’m always in the gym and active. Palacios is a young, tough prospect who has a clean record and he's technical with the way he moves and sets up opponents, but I fight to win not to lose. That's why I have to win the fight. I have the will to win and a winner’s mentality!” 24-year-old Rene Palacios started boxing at 12 years old and accumulated 109 amateur fights with only eight losses. Along the way, he was a three-time national medalist including two golds and a silver, a five-time Golden Gloves Champion and was on the Mexican National Amateur Team. The newlywed Palacios, who says his style depends on the opponent, but he is normally a fast and aggressive fighter, trains at Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, with trainers Franco Gabaldon and José Cereceres. Palacios has fought only once outside his native Mexico. In his most recent ring appearance in August of this year, Palacios stopped countryman Rafael Rosas Ramirez in three rounds. An elusive southpaw with good power and fast hands, Palacios before turning professional in 2019. “I’ve been training hard. I was helping Lamont Roach at his camp in Tampa Florida earlier in my camp,” said Palacios. “I know Segawa is a warrior and he likes to fight fighters. That’s why I want to fight him. Losing this fight is not an option. I’ve been boxing for a long time and it’s time to prove what I can do.” Also scheduled for televised action are one-punch KO artist Francois “The Franchise” Scarboro Jr (12-0, 9 KOs) from Cheverly, Maryland, taking on Brandon Valdes (15-7, 7 KOs) from Rosemead, California, via Barranquilla, Colombia, in a super featherweight 10-rounder. Elijah “2 Tec” Flores (10-0, 4 KOs) of Redlands, California, via The Bronx will face also undefeated Thanjhae “The Tiger” Teasley (13-0, 6 KOs) of Allentown, Pennsylvania. "Francois Scarboro is on a run," said Garry Jonas. "His fight against Valdes is set up to be a really entertaining fight. One of those fun ones I like making. Scarboro is never in a bad fight and Brandon Valdes is a fire starter. ‘EJ Flores is one of the top young talents in the sport getting into a rhythm fighting on ProBoxTV, and he’s in tough,” continued Jonas. "Teasley is a high-level opponent for him to fight. I applaud EJ for taking on fights like this. It’s what the fans want to see. EJ is a phenomenal talent and I’m excited about the fight. Teasley is a dangerous guy to put him in with. It could be a 50/50 fight but anything can happen. EJ is dangerous and might dominate. If he does? Watch out. He’s the real deal. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our young crop of DC fighters on the show. Don’t miss it. A great night of fights!” Opening the action will be welterweight Ben Johnson (6-0, 6 KOs) of Washington, DC, taking on southpaw Andre Sherard (5-4, 4 KOs) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and super flyweight Jordan Roach (6-0, 2 KOs) of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, putting his 0 on the line against an opponent that is TBA. On fight night, the action starts at 5:00 pm. Live! Casino Hotel Maryland is located at 7002 Arundel Mills Circle in Hanover, Maryland. Free Parking for All Events. All Ages to Enter, Must Be 21+ To Drink.  |
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