Flint, Mi –
On Monday, December 9th I received a mid-day press release by Salita Promotions announcing that the stakes were getting raised for the Flint native Ardreal “The Bossman” Holmes Jr (16-0) and his upcoming fight. If Holmes Jr were to win his fight on Thursday, December 12th against Edwine Humaine Jr (9-0) then he will be locked into his next match.
This next match would be to challenge the 3rd ranked Super Welterweight in the world, Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (26-2) for the overall No. 1 rank. This would mean that Holmes Jr would be the mandatory No. 1 contender for the world title in his weight class. Up until now it has been hard work and a dream, but now that dream has a concrete path laid out.
“I was really excited to hear the news from the IBF,” Holmes said. “It’s hard to put into words, to be honest, because this is everything that I have been working toward. This definitely puts more pressure on my fight this week but it’s good pressure.
“I’ve been in talks with my promoter, Dmitriy, and he’s been telling me he’s working on a significant opportunity so I could feel this coming. But it’s time now to tune everything out and dial in for this week’s fight. Where I am at in my life and in my career, I know that I need to perform at my best in every fight. Edwin is coming to try to beat me and take everything that I’ve been working for, and I am not going to let that happen.
“We’ll revisit my next fight and celebrate this milestone when the time comes. For now, I’ve got some business to tend to in Flint.”
The stage has been set and now Ardreal has to face off against an undefeated Edwine Humaine Jr., with a mountain to climb looming in the background. The 12th will mark the second major boxing event in Flint in the final months of 2024. Claressa Shield’s movie, “The Fire Inside” is set for a major release on Christmas day. It feels as if Flint is making a journey of its own, in boxing lore. Boxing is showing Flint some love, and we have world class fighters HERE. Let’s keep these big events coming by showing up!
