Red Owl Boxing announced that rising welterweight prospects Quashawn Toler and Vlad Panin will meet for the WBA Continental title in the main event of Box Fest VII on February 2. The event streams live globally on DAZN in more than 200 territories and regions from the state-of-the-art “Owl’s Nest” in Houston.
Toler (17-1, 12 KOs) is stepping up to face the most difficult opponent of his eight-year professional career as he makes his Red Owl Boxing debut. The Cincinnati native fought only once in 2023, a dominating third-round knockout against veteran Alexander Monterrosa. In 2022, Toler fought five times including three knockout victories on the road in Colombia. The 31-year-old returns to the United States with a mission to insert himself into the contender picture at 147 pounds.
“This fight is very important to me and it gives me a chance to put my name In the mix of fighters to look out for,” said Toler. “This fight will put me one step closer to getting everything I’ve been striving for in boxing. I deserve to be on that superstar level. My opponent has never fought anyone like me and he is just another hurdle in the way of me making my dreams come true so I must knock him out. I will punch the snooze button on him, live on February 2 on DAZN. This is the perfect platform for me to officially introduce myself to those who may have not heard of me yet.”
Panin (17-1, 10 KOs) returns to the ring after a similarly quiet 2023 but looks to make a statement as he also enters the ring against his most accomplished opponent to date. The 28-year-old made his Red Owl Boxing debut in 2022 at the Brampton, Canada arena with an impressive first-round knockout over Ricardo Lara. The Gomel, Belarus-native who lives and trains in Southern California, is currently riding a five-fight knockout streak.
“Thank you to Red Owl Boxing for the opportunity to display my skills in a great main event,” said Panin. “On February 2, I’m gonna show everybody why they’ve all been avoiding me and put the whole welterweight division on notice.”
“Following a successful and exciting series debut in 2023, we are excited to return on February 2 with a strong lineup of prospects and future contenders in truly competitive matchups,” said Gabriel Fanous, President of Red Owl Boxing. “Credit to all the fighters for taking difficult fights and daring to be great, which is at the core of our mission at Red Owl Boxing as we look to deliver the best combat sports entertainment to fans around the world on DAZN.”
The undercard will include Breyon Gorham, Ram Gandara, Lazaro Diaz and Jose Camacho Torres.