Famous since eight-years-old, Ashton Sylve finally old enough to make US pro debut
Former Amateur Standout & Long Beach Native Makes U.S. Debut This Saturday, February 26 in Pomona, California
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Rising unbeaten prospect Ashton “H2O” Sylve(5-0, 5KOs) hosted a media workout in his hometown of Long Beach, California on Wednesday as he previewed his U.S. debut taking place Saturday, February 26 when he takes on Brazil’s Aldimar Silva (22-18, 14KOs) in a six-round fight from Pomona, California.
Sylve first gained acclaim at eight-years-old, when his father and trainer Ivan posted a training video of Ashton that caught the attention of all-time great Floyd Mayweather. Next thing Sylve knew, he was invited into Mayweather’s gym and began learning from Mayweather and his uncles Roger and Jeff.
The 18-year-old Sylve went on to have a prolific amateur career and trains out of his local JackRabbit Gym in Long Beach under the guidance of his father Ivan, as he prepares to fight in the U.S. for the first time as a pro Saturday night. Media can attend the weigh-in for Saturday’s fight this Friday, February 25 at The Derby Room Pomona (2201 N White Ave; Pomona, CA 91786) and beginning at 12 p.m. PT.
Here is what Sylve and his father had to say on Wednesday:
ASHTON SYLVE
“I feel great. This whole camp has been perfect. Long Beach really brings that energy for me. Everything I’ve done so far has been building for this big day.
“Fighting in Mexico has been a good experience for me and it taught me new lessons. It was a stepping stone toward getting to the ultimate goal.
“I’m facing a tough opponent Saturday night. From everything I’ve seen, he’s a puncher. We’re going to work to counteract that.
“I’ve been able to focus more on recovery and conditioning during this camp. This has been a more intense camp than my previous ones. We’re going to keep taking it one camp and one step at a time.
“Go get your tickets, there’s still a few left for this fight. It’s going to be a great show Saturday night.”
IVAN SYLVE, Ashton’s Father & Trainer
“This moment is a homecoming for Ashton. He’s going to be taking a step up. It’s great that he’s able to showcase his talent in front of his hometown.
“We didn’t want to get a rollover opponent. We wanted an opponent who’s going to allow Ashton to display all of his talent and put the rest of the boxing world on notice.
“Ashton is here to show everyone that he’s the real deal. We know the skill level that Ashton has. We’re going to keep building up at our own pace and trying to give the fans what they want.
“We’re looking to develop with every fight. This has been an unbelievable journey and we’re happy with how far we’ve come to this point.”
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