Beltway Battles: Round Four Features Ten-Bout Card Showcasing Featherweight Matchups, First Female Bout & New Ringside Entertainment.
Popular Boxers Sulaiman Segawa and Rianna Rios Headline DC’s Top Boxing Series, Saturday, May 6 at The Entertainment & Sports Arena
WASHINGTON, DC (April 12) – Organizers of Beltway Battles: Round Four (IG: @BeltwayBattles), the Washington, DC-based pro boxing series produced by Rising Star Promotions, DHH Promotions, and Blue Cork Strategies in association with Events DC and DiBella Entertainment, announced its updated card set for Saturday, May 6 (doors at 5pm; first fight at 6pm) at DC’s Entertainment & Sports Arena. To extend the Cinco de Mayo weekend celebration, several Latin American fighters with ties to Mexico, El Salvador and Bolivia will be featured on the ten-bout card along with entertainment provided by ringside emcee – local ABC7 anchor Britt Waters (IG: @itsbrittwaters) – and post-bout commentary with an edge from DC comedian Terry “Goofy” Jones (IG: @goofyssss). Hall of Famer Henry “Discombobulating” Jones continues as ring announcer with music provided by Styles Music Group.
The Main Event will feature a 10-round featherweight showdown between Sulaiman Segawa(13-1, 4 KOs; IG: @segawasulaiman) of Silver Spring, Maryland and Misael Lopez (14-2, 5 KOs; IG: @teammisalopez_) of Denver, Colorado. A former Ugandan Olympian fighting out of Urban Boxing, Segawa fought twice in DC, the first a TKO win over Ernesto Guerrero at Beltway Battles: Round Three last November and a no-contest (cut due to an accidental head butt) with Cobia Breedy on Beltway Battles: Round Two in 2021. Meanwhile, the Mexican-born Lopez is looking to rebound from a split decision loss to Edward Vazquez last February on ShoBox.
Fight fans will be treated to the Beltway Battles first female bout when undefeated Upper Marlboro, Maryland bantamweight Rianna Rios (6-0; IG: @riannarios) faces Cara McLaughlin (1-5; IG: @caramclaughlin_bornfighter) of Cookstown, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom in the Co-Main event scheduled for eight rounds.
Rios is a former, two-time Elite National, National PAL and Golden Gloves Champion, who elected to turn pro over pursuing an opportunity to fight in the Olympics. She served five years active duty as a Sargent in US Army assigned to the World Class Athlete Program between 2013-2017 and 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion from 2017-2018 in Ft. Carson, Colorado. Rios was born in Alice, Texas to parents of Mexican and Native American ancestry and fights out of NoXcuse Boxing Club in Temple Hills, Maryland. McLaughlin will fight for the first time in the United States, following bouts in Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
In a four-round featherweight contest, Jeffrey “The Fly” Yu (2-0, 2 KOs; IG: @jcy.thefly) of Oakton, Virginia (Oakton HS) looks to remain unbeaten when he faces Nathaniel Davis (2-1, 1 KO; IG: @nate_asap_davis) of Lusby, Maryland. Yu, a former two-time Virginia/North Carolina Golden Glove Champion with 25-4 amateur mark and George Mason University graduate, describes his fighting style as “annoying as hell, smart swarmer and suffocating” – and thus the nickname. Yu fights out of Kaizen MMA in Falls Church, Virginia. Originally from Baltimore, Davis is a Surrattsville (Clinton, Maryland) High School graduate fighting out of Old School boxing gym.
Seat Pleasant, Maryland featherweight Shakell Daly (1-0, 1 KO, IG: & TikTok: @spkell._), who made his pro debut just last month with a TKO victory, steps back into the ring to face Joseph Adorno Del Valle (0-1-1) of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico in a four-rounder. Fighting out of Herrera’s Boxing Gym in Lanham, Maryland, Daly went 86-12 as an amateur where he was a 2x Silver Gloves Champion, 6x Golden Glove Champion, 2022 Golden Glove Bronze medalist and a Junior Olympic Silver Medalist. Daly, a clothing designer, describes his fighting style as “Floyd mixed with Shakur and Tank.”
In a four-round contest, Ervin “Treypound” Fuller III (2-0, 1 KO; IG: @10ktrey__), a featherweight from Seat Pleasant, Maryland and Crossland High School graduate, is set to face Joshua Maldonado (1-4) of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. A former Golden Gloves champion with an 18-6 amateur record, Fuller fights out of Hillcrest Boxing in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland.
Naji Wali (IG, FB & Twitter: @najimwali), a former MMA fighter and current instructor at Kaizen MMA gym from Afghanistan who grew up in McLean, Virginia, will make his professional boxing debut against Washington, DC’s Alando Pugh (1-11-1, 1 KO) in four-round heavyweight bout. Known as “The Afghan Rock,” Wali is a former International Karate Federation (IKF) world champion 2009-2010, who captured first place at the 2006 World Sabaki Challenge in 2006.
DC’s Lenwood “Mr. Composure” Dozier (10-30-3, 5 KOs) and Front Royal, Virginia’s Juan de la Cruz Rodriguez (10-18-1, 7 KOs), a pair of battle-tested veterans who both turned pro in 2008, will meet in a four-round welterweight contest. Dozier, a Suitland (Maryland) High School graduate fighting out of Round 15 Boxing gym in Temple Hills, Maryland, has fought strong competition during his career, taking on the likes of former world champions Yuri Foreman and Chop Chop Corley along the way. From Pasaquina, El Salvador, now fighting out of Ashburn (Virginia) Boxing Academy, Rodriguez grew up in Manassas Park and graduated from Battlefield High School.
Two more bouts have been added to the card including an eight-round bantamweight contest with undefeated Baltimore prospect Domnique “Dimes” Crowder (14-0, 9 KOs; IG: @lor_dimes) taking on Aston “Mighty” Palicte (28-5-1, 23 KOs) of Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, and the pro debut of Bolivian Juan Pablo Junior Guillen Arancibia in a four-round featherweight bout (opponent TBD).
All bouts are subject to change.
Fans looking for an elevated VIP experience can sign up for the brand, new VIP Table Cluboffering limited-edition, seated table seats right next to the fighter’s ring entrance that come with one complimentary bottle of spirits per half-table, light snacks, and a dedicated bar with a fully array of beverages for purchase.
Beltway Battles: Round Four is supported by Events DC (@eventsdc), Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development/DMPED (@DMPEDDC), Washington DC Economic Partnership/WDCEP (@WDCEP), Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (@gwhcc_dc), Guy Fieri’s DC Kitchen & Bar (@guysdckitchen), Urban Boxing (@urban.boxing), City Renewables (@cityrenewables), La Tingeria (@latingeriatruck), FareRyder (@FareRyder), El Paso Mexican Restaurant, City-State Brewing (@citystatebrewing), ChaCho Spirits (@Chacho_USA), TCapri Tequila (@TCapriTequila), and DC’s Office of Cable Television, Film, Media and Entertainment/OCTFME (@entertain_dc).
To learn about sponsorship, promotional and VIP ticket packages including the ultimate VIP Dream Seats, contact Emily Thornell of Blue Cork Strategies at 202.345.5525 or Emily@BlueCorkLLC.com.
About Rising Star Promotions
Since 2015, Rising Star Promotions has had a mission to give fight fans the best value for their ticket dollars by presenting exciting, quality boxing events that showcase local and regional talent. With the launch of numerous series such as Atlantic City Fight Night, Boardwalk Boxing and Beltway Battles, the New Jersey-based promoter seeks to deliver the glamour and buzz that boxing boasted in years past, while honoring the rich history of the sport and reaffirming its commitment to producing the best matchups the area market has to offer.
Connect with Rising Star Promotions online, on Facebook and on Instagram.
About DHH Promotions
Since 2021, it is DHH Promotions mission to give local, national and international fighters the ability to showcase their talents and potentially launch the careers of future champions. CEO, Dusty Hernández-Harrison (34-0-1, 20KOs) came from the local DC boxing scene and has gone on to fight on some of the biggest cards in boxing. DHH Promotions is committed to providing the same opportunities to the fighters they promote.
Blue Cork Strategies
Blue Cork Strategies LLC is a woman-owned partnership agency based in Washington DC. Blue Cork provides strategic advisory and representation services to corporate brands, non-profit organizations, event rights-holders, and other firms interested in developing and optimizing successful partnership and alliance programs. Partnership-related services include strategy & planning, prospect outreach, deal negotiation, and engagement execution. More information at www.BlueCorkLLC.com
DiBella Entertainment
For information, visit: https://dbe1.com/
