Promoter and former fighter Dmitriy Salita is aiming to rebuild the legacy of boxing in Detroit.
His latest card features heavyweight Brandon Moore taking on unbeaten DeAndre Savage in a 10-round main event Friday on DAZN at the Fox Theater in Detroit.
Salita has focused on a developmental series to build young talent with a focus on the Midwest, especially Detroit. This card features a combination of up-and-coming fighters facing off against each other, the co-feature being a women’s title fight, as well as young regional fighters who he hopes can grow into a position to headline one day.
“This fight card could easily be in Las Vegas or New York City, but we are committed to rebuilding Detroit’s legacy as one of boxing’s historic hometowns,” Salita said.
SugarHill Steward followed the sentiment as he stood at the dais speaking about the legacy of the Kronk Gym. Steward is the nephew of Emanuel Steward, who made the Kronk Gym an institution for fight fans who watched the likes of Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and Wladimir Klitschko win titles. Steward has trained super middleweight prospect Da’velle Smith, 13-0 (8 KOs), a 25-year-old from Taylor, Michigan, for his upcoming bout on the card.
“When you got in the ring with a Kronk fighter or someone from Detroit, you knew it was going to be a tough fight,” said Steward. “Everyone knew the Detroit name carried weight.”
The main event saw animosity and both heavyweights believe the fight will not see the final bell. Moore, 18-1 (10 KOs), has questioned both Savage’s condition and the quality of opposition in an interview with BoxingScene. Moore is a 31-year-old from Lakeland, Florida, who signed with Salita Promotions in January. He is on a four-fight win streak, having defeated Stanley Wright in June.
“Class in Session, Savage gets schooled,” Moore told BoxingScene. “He’ll take an ass-whoopin' and I’ll send him back to school.”
Savage, 10-0 (10 KOs) from nearby Flint, Michigan, was not keen on Moore’s trash talk and doubled-down on the pre-fight prediction he gave to BoxingScene. Savage, 34, said: “I’m predicting I will knock Brandon Moore out by the sixth round.”
The co-feature is a women’s middleweight title bout between Chicago’s Olivia Curry and Australia’s Kaye Scott. The storyline is simple. Curry fell into boxing. She started late at 19. Scott, now 41, is a decorated amateur with a wealth of experience. Still, Scott is coming off her first career loss to Desley Robinson, which has her sitting at 4-1 as a pro. Curry, 35, has learned on the job, accumulating a record of 7-2-1 (2 KOs). Her last fight was a draw to Melody Popravak, and before that, she lost a unanimous decision to Shadasia Green. Curry’s manager and trainer, Trinidad Garcia, shared his thoughts on the upcoming fight, especially given the experience gap between his fighter and Scott.
“If it were me hearing a story, not knowing anything about Olivia, I would say it sounds like a fairytale. It doesn’t sound like it is possible,” Garcia told BoxingScene. “That would mean I didn’t meet Olivia Curry. Olivia Curry is the hardest working person in any room I have ever been to.”
Garcia shared an example of Curry’s commitment.
“I promised my family a trip to DisneyWorld, and she had a fight coming up, so she got on a flight and met me at DisneyWorld, and she trained there for a week,” Garcia said. “That is the kind of person she is.”
Garcia believes that Scott’s pro career doesn’t equal the experience the team gained in one fight when facing Green. This past weekend, Curry watched a super middleweight bout between Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez and reached out to her trainer.
“Olivia called me during that fight and said, ‘That is how I am going to take down Kaye Scott,’” Garcia said. “I believe Olivia Curry will stop her in seven or eight rounds.”
Scott disagrees.
“I can bet my house on it; that she doesn’t knock me out,” Scott told BoxingScene. “I just know I am going to win the bout. If I win by knockout, I win by knockout. If I win by points, I win by points.”
For Scott, this will be her second chance to capture a world title. She reflected on her loss to Desley Robinson in December, stating that pre-fight trash talk and online trolling impacted her performance. Though she was physically prepared, mentally she wasn’t. She has brought in a sports psychologist ahead of her upcoming bout and believes that, along with her experience, will lead to victory.
“I am confident in my ability,” Scott said. “My experience in the amateurs means you adapt to what is put in front of you, and you do that relatively quickly.”
Heavyweight Sardius Simmons, 3-0 (2 KOs), of Flint, will be featured on the DAZN telecast and is looking to display his skills to his local fans. The 31-year-old southpaw Simmons has fought every month since turning pro in June. Simmons reflected on the tough times he went through from 2017 to 2023.
“It was a hard time to be honest,” Simmons told BoxingScene. “I lost a brother and two nephews, along with a couple of close friends, to gun violence, and a brother and a cousin to the system [incarceration], along with a few other friends.”
He faces Lemir Isom Riley, 5-6 (3 KOs), a 29-year-old from New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, who upset Antonio Zepeda in 2024. Since that fight, he is 1-4 and was stopped in two of those bouts. Simmons last fought on August 31, stopping Randolph Shaw in the second round.
“I am not worried about the money,” Simmons said. “I am chasing greatness.”
