Ardreal Holmes sent a message to the junior middleweight division that his punching power is legit and he is one to be reckoned with.

Holmes dropped Marlon Harrington three times en route to a second-round knockout victory Tuesday night at the Wayne State University FieldHouse in Detroit, Michigan.

After a competitive opening round, the southpaw Holmes landed a lead left cross to the head early in the second round, dropping Harrington to the canvas. Harrington beat the count, but was dropped moments later by a counter right hook to the head.

Harrington was somehow able to beat the count, but was on wobbly legs. He instinctively fought on, but a barrage of punches sent him down again, prompting referee Ansel Stewart to wave the fight off at 1:25 of the second episode.

With the win, the 29-year-old Holmes, who resides in nearby Flint, improved to 15-0, 6 knockouts.

“My (trainer) cussed me out during training camp and I appreciate that,” Holmes said after the fight. “He told me I had the power, but I was not setting up the shots for it. I used the jab, found the range, and when I found the range, that was that.

“Anybody who’s in front of me, I’ll fight them all. This is my time. I don’t feel I’ve done enough to call out anyone in particular. I’m right there though.”

Holmes, who is promoted by Lou DiBella and managed by David McWater, had not fought since a technical, split-decision victory over Wendy Toussaint on June 3. On February 17, Holmes defeated Ismael Villareal by split-decision as well.

Harrington, who resides in Detroit, falls to 10-2, 9 KOs. The 31-year-old had won his previous two fights since losing by unanimous decision to Marquis Taylor in October 2022.

In the co-feature, light heavyweight contender Ali Izmailov improved to 12-0, 8 KOs, dropping Britton Norwood twice en route to a fourth-round knockout victory.

Izmailov, who now resides in Detroit, is rated No. 10 by The Ring at 175 pounds.

The southpaw Norwood chose to stand in front and trade with Izmailov, which likely ended up being his undoing as Izmailov’ punches took their toll.

During the second round, a straight right hand to the body dropped Norwood to the canvas. Norwood did beat the count, and was game, but Izmailov displayed solid ring generalship, including side-stepping Norwood, to land counter hooks and right hands to the head and body.

The end of the fight came in round four as another right hand to the body dropped Britton, who beat the count, but received a barrage of punches from Izmailov. Britton was battered until his corner threw in the towel, prompting referee Benjamin Rodriguez to stop the fight at 1:28.

Norwood, who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, falls to 13-5, 10 KOs.

In middleweight action, junior middleweight prospect and amateur standout Joseph Hicks, Jr. dropped Ricardo Villalba twice en route to a fourth round knockout victory.

Hicks, who resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, improved to 10-0, 7 KOs.

During exchanges, Villalba did land several counter right crosses to Hicks’ head. Undaunted, Hicks’ punches broke Villalba down. A right hand to the body dropped Villalba midway through the second round, and after beating the count, Villalba continued to receive punishment.

Moments into round four, the 30-year-old Hicks landed a right hand to the head, followed by a left hook to the body. Villalba remained on one knee as he was counted out at 42 seconds.

Villalba, who resides in Buenos Aires, Argentina, falls to 20-11-1, 8 KOs. The 34-year-old has now lost his last seven fights.

In the opening bout of the DAZN broadcast, middleweight prospect Da’Velle Smith of Taylor, Michigan defeated Rolando Mansilla by unanimous decision. Scores were 60-54, 60-54, and 59-55 for Smith, who improved to 8-0, 6 KOs.

The taller Smith overcame Mansilla’s aggression by utilizing an effective jab and accurate counter-punching. Smith also varied his offense, particularly with effective body punching.

A left hook to the body midway through round three hurt Mansilla, and a combination in round five forced Mansilla to spit out his mouthpiece to give him time to recover from the Smith onslaught. Mansilla would spit out his mouthpiece twice more in round six, but did not receive a point deduction from referee Ansel Stewart.

Mansilla, who resides in Parana, Argentina, falls to 19-14-1, 9 KOs.

Tuesday was the debut of the ‘Big Time Boxing USA’ series, which is promoted by Dmitriy Salita. Other fight cards will reportedly take place later this year as part of a series, highlighting fighters who live and train in the Detroit area, including Michigan.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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