Promoter Dmitriy Salita proudly announces the signing of decorated amateur boxer from Detroit, Jarico “The Great Lakes King” O’Quinn, to a promotional agreement.
O’Quinn (1-0, 1 KO as a pro) started boxing in eighth grade at age 14 after realizing he could end up being paid for the fighting he was already doing in the rough streets of his West-side Detroit neighborhood.
He went on to rack up 130 wins against 18 losses as an amateur, while winning countless national tournaments including the USA Nationals as the number-one-ranked bantamweight in the country. He also traveled extensively with Team USA to fight internationally in places like Poland, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Ukraine.
The confident 21-year-old is trained by Chad Jaquillard and Paul Soucy at Dynamic Boxing in Westland, Michigan. “I can be aggressive,” said O’Quinn of his fighting style, “But my strongest ability is that I make adjustments in the ring. I might go in there with a game plan, but figure out in the ring changing up will work better. I adapt very well to whatever is in front of me.”
O’Quinn, who has an older brother Robert who is also an undefeated professional at 3-0, says his eventual goal is to help Salita put Detroit back on the boxing map by putting on his own world championship fights there. “I want to take over the pros like I did the amateurs,” he continued. “I want to win title belts and build a strong legacy. I’m ready to make a name for myself and help bring this city back to the good old days. I’m turning Detroit into the new Vegas. When I fight, I want people to come out from all over the world. I want to bring the city up and bring celebrities back to Detroit. Somebody has to.”
Manager Mike Leanardi of Victory Sports & Entertainment, who helped set up the promotional agreement for his client, says he’s very happy with the agreement. “Rico is a tremendous talent and now, with Salita Promotions, he has a promoter who really believes in him and has a plan to get him to the top. Salita Promotions also gives Rico the opportunity to fight regularly in Detroit, which was very important to us. I feel like this is the perfect fit and couldn’t be happier about it.”
The goal for this year, says Salita, is to keep O’Quinn busy and help him make the complete transition from amateur to professional against the kinds of opponents who will push his development.
“Jarico is a special prospect,” said Salita. “The goal will be to help him reach his full potential and become Detroit’s next boxing superstar. I’m happy he’s decided to join my growing stable and look forward to helping him build his career from the beginning.”
