Salita Promotions Brings BIG TIME BOXING USA To Flint With A Star-Studded Card

This Event Will Feature Top Local And National Talent, Including Ardreal Holmes And Rising Star Samantha Worthington Among Others

Promoter Dmitry Salita speaks during the main event press conference at Nobu London. Salita will bring back the latest edition of BIG TIME USA BOXING on December 12th. / James Chance/Getty Images.

By Moses Ochieng

Dmitriy Salita is just as likely to be found in a synagogue as in a boxing gym, a duality that shapes both his life and career. A devout Orthodox Jew from Southfield who wears a yarmulke and attends daily services, the 42-year-old Salita is not only a former professional boxer but also a 2024 inductee into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Salita is dedicated to running his rapidly expanding company, Salita Promotions. Through this business, he manages the careers of numerous boxers from Michigan and across the U.S., working to elevate the sport he credits with saving his life.

Salita Promotions will return to Flint, Michigan, on Thursday, December 12, with the latest edition of BIG TIME BOXING USA, the premier talent development series in boxing. The event features a packed card with top prospects, including Michigan’s Ardreal “Bossman” Holmes Jr., Joey Spencer, Da’Velle “Hitman 2.0” Smith, and Leon Lawson III.

“My team and I are proud to announce the strongest BIG TIME BOXING USA fight card to date. Since the series launched in February we have been building and growing this series to become the premier talent developmental platform for young fighters and this fight card is the best of them all. We thank DAZN for providing the global platform for these fighters to shine and earn their shot at a world title. And we thank the fans of Flint for supporting their hometown heroes and the sport of boxing overall. We had a terrific show in September at the Dort Financial Center and this fight card is even more loaded with hard-hitting talent,” Salita said in a press release.

After defending his USBA Junior Middleweight title in September with a dominant ten-round decision over Hugo Noriega (10-3, 5 KOs), Flint's own Ardreal Holmes (16-0, 6 KOs) returns to his hometown to defend his title once more, facing seasoned French contender Ahmed El Mousaoui (35-6-1, 9 KOs) in the main event.

Local fan favorite Joey Spencer (18-1, 11 KOs), hailing from nearby Fenton, Michigan, is set for a 10-round bout at 160 pounds. Since his only career loss to the undefeated and highly regarded Jesus Ramos in March 2023, Spencer has rebounded with two wins. This will be his second professional fight in his home state of Michigan.

Detroit’s rising middleweight prospect Da’Velle “Hitman 2.0” Smith, praised as the city’s most promising talent since Tommy Hearns, enters the ring fresh off an impressive win over Gilberto Pereira dos Santos in Puerto Rico. Smith, undefeated at 10-0 with 8 knockouts, aims to extend his streak when he faces William Townsel (8-1, 6 KOs) from Virginia Beach. This matchup marks Smith's biggest challenge to date, as he seeks to further establish himself as Hearns' successor with his powerful combination of speed and physique. Townsel comes in strong, having upset the 12-1 Nadim Salloum in March's BIG TIME BOXING USA event.

Flint’s own Leon Lawson (16-1, 9 KOs), cousin of boxing stars Anthony and Andre Dirrell, returns to the ring following a dominant TKO victory over Argentina’s Luis Alberto Veron in September—his second consecutive stoppage win. Lawson’s super welterweight opponent is yet to be announced. The event will also feature former world title contender Byron Rojas (28-4-3, 11 KOs).

Rising star Samantha Worthington (9-0, 7 KOs) from Lexington, Kentucky, is set for her third bout of 2024 as she aims to keep her undefeated streak alive in a women’s super lightweight match. Worthington currently holds impressive rankings across organizations: No. 2 with the IBF, No. 4 with the WBO, and No. 6 with both the WBC and WBA at 140 pounds. Promoted by Flint’s own “GWOAT” Claressa Shields and T-Rex Promotions, Worthington shares a bond with Shields as former U.S. Olympic teammates from 2016.