On Sunday, October 12, Kris Lawrence’s The Heavyweight Factory will present the eighth installment of the “Fists of Fury” boxing series at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, FL, featuring former Cuban amateur star and red-hot middleweight prospect Yoenli “Yoyo El Diablo” Hernandez (8-0, 7 KOs) facing Mexican spoiler Carlos Mohamed Rodriguez (16-14-1, 7 KOs) of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico in the 10-round main event.
And in the night’s 10–round lightweight co-feature power-punching WBA #4- and WBC #13-ranked lightweight Armando Martinez Rabi (16-0, 15 KOs) will take on tough Mexican veteran Willmank Canonico Brito (13-8-2, 11 KOs).
In another heavyweight special attraction, Gustavo “The Cuban Assassin” Trujillo (8-0, 7 KOs) of Miami via Morón, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, will face the more experienced Juan Camilo Novoa (35-13-1, 32 KOs) of Coral Gables, Florida, for the WBO Latino Heavyweight Championship.
In a significant eight-round heavyweight battle, 20-year-old promising local heavyweight prospect Lorenzo “Giant Killer” Medina (13-0, 11 KOS) of Hollywood, Florida, will take on once-beaten Jardae Anderson (9-1, 7 KOS) of Davenport, Iowa.
Also scheduled for eight-round bouts are undefeated super lightweight Raynel Mederos (8-0, 2 KOs) of Santa Clara, Cuba, facing Isidro Curiel (11-5-1, 6 KOs) of Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico; plus super lightweight Aaron Aponte (12-3-1, 3 KOs) of Hialeah, Florida, doing battle against Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico’s Luis May (22-21-1, 8 KOs); and undefeated super featherweight Neslan “Pitbull” Machado (20-0, 9 KOs) of Miami, via Cuba, going against California-based veteran Diuhl Olguin (17-46-7, 10 KOs).
In scheduled four-round supporting bouts, undefeated female super flyweight Evelyn Romo (2-0) of Jupiter, Florida, will face Cocoa Beach, Florida, Shawna Ormsby (0-4-1); super welterweight Andrew Garcia (1-0, 1 KO) of Sunrise, Florida, will look for his second career victory against pro debuting Dominicque McBride of Dallas; undefeated lightweight Miguel Rosario Paredes (3-0, 2 KOs) of Miami, will take on Kadhim Alkhazaali (0-2) of Woburn, Massachusetts; and Orlando middleweight Carlos Velez will make his pro debut against Brandon Trollinger (0-1) of North Charleston, South Carolina.
Rounding out the action will be a light heavyweight four-rounder, featuring Elliot Sven Taylor (1-0) of Sunrise, Florida, taking on pro debuting Joaquin Lagree of West Palm Beach.
In an era of rising Cuban stars that includes David Morrell Jr., Andy Cruz and others, Yoenli Hernández is looking to change the perception of Cuban fighters as risk-averse combatants. With knockout victories in seven of his eight pro bouts, Hernandez is one of the most exciting fighters to come out of the current wave of Cuban boxers looking to overtake the sport.
Originally from Camaguey, Cuba, Hernandez had an outstanding amateur career, competing for the Cuban National Team internationally. He abandoned the Cuban delegation in May 2023 during a stopover in Panama, and is now living in Providence, Rhode Island.
The undefeated Hernández competed at the 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships, winning the gold medal at middleweight.
After his first two pro fights took place in Mexico, Hernandez’s last six outings have come stateside. His last bout, in May of this year, saw him win the toughest test of his career to date, a shutout unanimous decision over established contender Kyrone Davis (then 19-3-1, 6 KOs). The formidable Davis is a stablemate of former Interim WBA Super Middleweight Champion Caleb Plant, but Hernandez had little trouble controlling him in a dominant performance.
In addition to the experience gained under the bright lights of fight night, Hernandez has been buoyed by rounds spent sparring with former multi-weight, undisputed champion and future hall of famer Canelo Alvarez.
Originally from Havana, Cuba, 30-year-old Armando Martinez Rabi is a former top international amateur for the esteemed Cuban National Team and has also competed in the World Series of Boxing and Team Combat League. Quick and agile, Martinez Rabi can stand right in front of his opponents and seldom get touched while firing world-class power shots of his own that have resulted in knockouts in 14 of his 15 professional wins, dating back to his debut in 2021. Martinez Rabi had his first nine fights in Dubai before relocating to the United States. He has also already held the WBC Latin Championship, which he won via TKO 3 over Argentina’s Damian Alejandro Rojas.
Martinez Rabi was last seen in July impressively knocking out formerly undefeated power puncher Albeiro Paredes in two rounds to retain his WBC and WBA Continental Lightweight Championships. Fighting in the main event of the last Fists of Fury event, Martinez Rabi studied Paredes for a round, Martinez Rabi stepped up his attack in the second and landed a devastating right hand around the left glove that dropped Paredes for Referee Frank Gentile’s full 10 count at 1:09.
Heavyweight Gustavo Trujillo brings a diverse combat sports background to boxing, having practiced both boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling from a young age. By age 10, he joined the Provincial Youth Greco-Roman Wrestling team, and at 17, he was a member of the Cuban National Olympic team, ranking second in the 97-kilogram category. His impressive combat sports record includes 26 victories with his last 22 wins coming by first-round knockout across Bare Knuckle, MMA, and Boxing.
In July 2024, he achieved significant success in Bare Knuckle boxing, becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World and the Police Gazette Diamond Belt holder and Unified Champion—a historic title dating back to 1889. Standing an imposing 6′ 5″ and currently ranked #1 in the heavyweight division and #2 in the light-heavyweight division in Bare Knuckle world rankings, he’s earned the moniker “Most Dangerous Heavyweight.”
All bouts subject to change. On fight night, doors open at 3:30 pm and the actions starts at 4:00 pm. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood is located at 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood, FL. For more information, visit them online at visit them online at seminolehardrockhollywood.com or call (866) 502-7529.
