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Atif Oberlton Stops Carlos Gongora
Salita Promotions officially arrived in Atlanta in emphatic
fashion Saturday night, delivering a high-energy night of
world-class boxing in association with Route 30 Promotions
and Wynn Records, knockouts, rising stars and celebrity
appearances at Gateway Center Arena live on DAZN.
With a packed crowd and a ringside atmosphere buzzing from
opening bell to final stoppage, Atlanta embraced fight night
as heavyweight icon Deontay Wilder, Grammy-winning recording
artist CeeLo Green, Heiress Harris who opened the main event
singing the National Anthem, rapper Young Mal and rising
junior welterweight contender Tito Mercado were among the
notable names seated ringside for Salita Promotions’ debut
event in the market.
The night belonged to Philadelphia knockout artist
co-promoted by Kings Promotions, Atif “Lord Pretty Calvon”
Oberlton (16-0, 14 KO’s), who delivered the biggest
statement victory of his young career with a fifth-round
stoppage of veteran contender Carlos Gongora (22-4, 17 KO’s)
in the DAZN main event.
Originally scheduled to be headlined by IBF Featherweight
World Champion Angelo Leo defending his title against
mandatory challenger Ra’eese Aleem, the event underwent a
dramatic shakeup less than 24 hours before fight night after
Aleem failed to make weight for the championship bout. Aleem
came in 2.8 pounds over the featherweight limit on his
initial weigh-in attempt and remained two pounds overweight
on the second attempt, ultimately forcing the cancellation
of the world title fight.
Oberlton rose to the moment like a future star. The unbeaten
Light Heavyweight southpaw controlled the action from the
opening round, breaking Gongora down with sharp body work,
physical pressure and heavy left hands before dropping the
Ecuadorian veteran in the fourth round. Gongora’s corner
ultimately halted the bout following Round 5, marking the
first stoppage loss of Gongora’s career.
With the victory, Oberlton improved to 16-0 with 14
knockouts, continuing one of boxing’s most impressive
knockout streaks while announcing himself as a legitimate
force in the light heavyweight division. Immediately
following the win, Oberlton made headlines again by publicly
calling for a future showdown with unbeaten British star Ben
Whittaker — a matchup Oberlton described as “the best future
fight in boxing.”
“I feel like once again, I passed another test of people
questioning my ability, " said Oberlton. “Throughout my
career I’ve been tested, and this is yet another that I’ve
passed with flying colors, while showing that I’m the next
future world champion and king of the division.”
“This was a statement night for Salita Promotions and for
the city of Atlanta,” said Dmitriy Salita. “The energy
inside Gateway Center Arena was incredible from the first
fight to the main event. Boxing fans got to see the future
of the sport from rising prospects and contenders to
champions retaining their belts. Atlanta showed up, the
fighters delivered, and Atif Oberlton proved he’s one of the
most dangerous young fighters in boxing.”
Brooklyn heavyweight prospect Pryce Taylor (12-0, 8 KO’s)
continued his rapid ascent with a dominant TKO victory over
Calvin Barnett, improving to 12-0 with 8 knockouts. After
weathering early moments of pressure, Taylor imposed his
size, power and physicality before forcing the stoppage in
Round 2.
“Thanks everyone for coming out, " said Taylor. “I had a
game plan and it worked. I knew I had to go to the body,
most heavyweights aren’t strong to the body, so I just had
to chop the tree down and we see what just happened. It was
special to have Wilder here supporting me. Most people at
his level don’t come out and support so this felt really
special. Thanks to my team, Salita Promotions, the fans for
coming out and those fans who tuned in on DAZN.”
Puerto Rico’s trailblazing Olympian Ashleyann Lozada (4-0, 1
KO) remained undefeated and retained her WBC Latino Super
Bantamweight title with a commanding unanimous decision
victory over veteran Debora Anahi Dionicius. Lozada
showcased poise, speed and championship composure throughout
the DAZN telecast, further cementing herself as one of
women’s boxing’s rising names.
Atlanta native Casey Dixon (7-0, 5 KO’s) opened the
broadcast with an impressive unanimous decision win against
local fighter Matthew Nore in front of his hometown fans,
setting the tone for an electric night inside the arena.
The undercard featured standout performances from emerging
talent across the country:
Flint, Michigan’s Garrett “Baby G” Rice remained unbeaten
with a unanimous decision victory, improving to 4-0.
Atlanta’s Morgan Griggie (9-1, 6 KO’s) scored an emphatic
TKO victory, moving to 9-1 with 6 knockouts.
Flint’s Jaquan McElroy (6-0), fighting under Claressa
Shields Promotions, earned a unanimous decision victory over
Rudy Reveles.
Hakim Lopez (16-1, 9 KO’s) secured a hard-fought split
decision victory over Ashton Sykes.
Julio Gomez (8-3-2, 6 KO’s) closed out the undercard portion
with a split decision win over Gabriel Triminio
Beyond the action in the ring, the event marked another
major expansion moment for Salita Promotions as the company
continues its push into emerging boxing markets across the
United States. Following successful events in Detroit, Grand
Rapids and Puerto Rico, Atlanta now joins the growing list
of cities positioning themselves as major fight destinations
under the Salita Promotions banner.
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