JoshuaPagán

Proudly representing his Puerto Rican heritage, Joshua "JJ" Pagan is rapidly establishing himself as a major force in the lightweight division, fighting out of Grand Rapids, Michigan—the hometown of the legendary Floyd Mayweather. Pagan built an elite foundation in the amateurs as a 3X Michigan Golden Gloves State Champion and the 2021 USA Boxing National Champion. Since turning professional, his career skyrocketed following a high-stakes, breakout performance against Maliek Montgomery for the vacant WBO NABO Lightweight Title. The bout proved to be a grueling, high-intensity war that drew massive attention to Pagan's skill set; utilizing precise counter-punching and sharp angles, Pagan opened a severe laceration over Montgomery’s left eye in the second round, adjusting his tactical output to consistently target the injury until a decisive right uppercut in the ninth round forced a doctor's stoppage. Now reigning as the current, undefeated NABO Lightweight Champion, Pagan has successfully defended his regional strap twice via dominant 10-round unanimous decisions against veteran challengers Bryan Jimenez and Rodolfo Bustamante Salazar. Currently holding the #8 spot in the WBO world rankings, the Michigan native is hunting for world title opportunities and actively targeting matchmaking showdowns with fellow elite prospects Abdullah Mason and Floyd Schofield. Outside of the gym, Pagan famously enjoys fueling his grueling training blocks with Snickers bars and Little Caesars Pizza, and he openly jokes that he's just waiting for either brand to finally step up and sponsor him.