ASHTON SYLVE
Age: 19
Hometown: Long Beach, California
Weight class: Lightweight
Height: 5-foot-8
Amateur Record: 110-8
Turned pro: 2020
Pro record: 8-0 (8 KOs)
Trainer: Ivan Sylve
Manager: Ivan Sylve
Promoter: Most Valuable Promotions
Instagram: @ashtonsylveh2o

Best night of pro career and why: Sylve feels there are two standout performances since turning professional.

He stopped the vastly more experienced journeyman Aldimar Silva (KO 2) and also dazzled against a one-time prospect in one-round

“In my U.S. pro debut because of the way I set it up,” Sylve told The Ring. “Then I could say my last fight could have been my best performance because I overcame the hype around Braulio [Rodriguez] and what a lot of people predicted to happen. The way he came out and the next thing he knew it was like that. I don’t know. It’s a battle between both.”

Ashton Sylve VS Aldimar Silva (FULL FIGHT) 02/26/2022 – YouTube

Worst night of pro career and why: Sylve turned professional at a young age and learnt his trade south of the border.

“I think there was a few fights down in Mexico when I was 16-years-old,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’d redo it because when it’s a four-round fight you have to rush things a bit. I felt I still had an amateur style.”

What’s Next: Sylve will face Angel Rebollar (6-2, 3 KOs) in a scheduled 8-round main event of Most Valuable Prospects’ inaugural event on at the Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Florida, on Friday.

“It’s going to be dope,” he said excitedly. “He’s been rounds with other prospects. I think he’ll put up a challenge and give the fans a great show and also let me showcase my skills at the same time.”

Rebollar turned professional with five wins before losing to rising prospects Abdullah Mason (UD 4) and, most recently, to Charlie Sheehy (UD 6). The California native has shown himself to be quite sturdy and if Sylve can continue his perfect knockout ratio, it would be a statement of intent.

Why he’s a prospect: Sylve won 10 national titles in various age groups and also two Internationally during a standout amateur career and decided to turn professional before he was a senior.

“I have a good resume and amateur background,” he said. “With the win streak I had, it was getting predictable and how easy it would be. Turning pro would be more interesting to me. So, once I turned 16, I turned pro.”

He has notably sparred with former multi-weight world champion Leo Santa Cruz ahead of his professional debut and also before the Mexican fought Gervonta Davis and former two-time welterweight titleholder Shawn Porter, when he was just 16.

“H20” feels one thing will help separate him from the competition: “My patience and the way I set my shots up.”

Ashton Sylve (Full Fight) 05 21 2022 – YouTube

The Long Beach product currently plies his trade in the white-hot lightweight division.

“I feel the lightweight division is the best division [in boxing],” he said. “Whoever is at the top when I reach it will be know I’m a pound-for-pounder and show one day I should be a hall of famer because I feel every person I have to go through to get to that point will be a hall of fame fighter. I feel this is a great weight class for me to be at early in my career, if I can fight a lot of these people at their primes.”

Sylve is hugely talented with very quick hands and, so far, his power has shown up well. His boxing ability will come to the fore as he moves up levels, but he hasn’t needed to show that so far. The teenage standout has the potential to be not just a world champion but a superstar.

Why he’s a suspect: Adding professional experience inside the gym and in the ring on fight night will greatly aid his development. He still needs to mature physically before he can take another step up in competition, but he has time and there is no need to rush him.

Unsurprisingly, like most young fighters, he doesn’t see a particular weakness in his game.

“I think just keep improving,” he said. “I think my skill set is up to par. I think [I need to] maintain my focus, that’s the biggest thing with the top fighters, they’re dedicated and focused in camp leading up and during the fight. A lot of people lose focus in the fight and get caught.”

Sylve is promoted by MVP, who don’t have an extensive history of guiding fighters. Could that hold him back and prevent him getting the grounding other fighters get?

Storylines: Sylve was born and grew up in Long Beach, California.

“Growing up was hard but when I look back it was fairly easy,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I had a tough story.”

He began boxing from a young age, but it wasn’t his first love.

“I didn’t want to box,” he said. “I wanted to play basketball or football but my dad saw a lot of potential when I was very young – 6, 7-years-old – sparring other neighborhood kids in the backyard.”

Things progressed over the next couple of years.

“My dad finally took me to the gym and I tried that out and everybody in the gym saw the potential I had,” he explained. “My dad wanted me to stick with it. When I was 13, 14 I didn’t want to box, I just stuck with it because I was fairly good at it. When I was 15, 16, I could see what I could do for myself, that’s where the love for it came.”

As a teenager he turned professional in Tijuana, Mexico, five times. Sylve and his father decided against going a more trodden path before teaming up with Jake Paul’s MVP, which will open different doors for him and get him the maximum attention.

“I feel like MVP ideas align with mine,” he said. “I feel a lot of young fighters starting off have to go through a traditional path. I was on a Pay-Per-View which is pretty crazy compared to a lot of other fighters, who have to wait in line.

“It was pretty dope to be co-main on Pay-Per-View and many more things to come and headlining this card. It puts me in a position I feel I deserve to be.”

Fight-by-Fight record

2022
Oct. 29 – Braulio Rodriguez – KO 1
May 21 – Giovanni Gutierrez – KO 1
Feb. 26 – Aldimar Silva – KO 2
2021
Sept. 25 – Cristian Vizcarra – KO 2
Aug. 28 – Martin Robles Salazar – KO 1
Jan. 30 – Enrique Castro – TKO 4
2020
Dec. 9 – Saul Garcia Espino – KO 1
Oct. 31 – Gerardo Yescas – TKO 4