Henry Cejudo will make his professional boxing debut against Javon Walton on Sept. 26 at James L. Knight Arena in Miami after the originally scheduled opponent withdrew due to injury, Misfits Boxing announced.
Cejudo, a former two-division UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist, will face the 20-year-old best known for playing Ashtray in the HBO series Euphoria, who holds a professional boxing record of 3-0-1 with one knockout. The bout is the main event of the Misfits Boxing card.
Cejudo’s original opponent, influencer boxer Nurideen Shabazz, was forced out due to injury. In a statement, Cejudo said the withdrawal did not surprise him and that his new opponent thinks he is a fighter, but that Walton will be playing another robot by the time the fight is over.
He said Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist and former UFC champion, and that he knows exactly the level of athlete he is stepping in with. He said the fight came up on short notice and he stepped up without hesitation. He added that boxing is his world.
Walton’s background
Walton began boxing as an amateur before turning professional in 2023. He has gone 2-0 in Most Valuable Promotions events, appearing in December 2024 and September 2025. MVP, the promotional company co-founded by Jake Paul, is not promoting the Misfits event but signed off on his participation.
MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said the company will not stand in the way when a meaningful opportunity presents itself for one of its athletes, even when MVP has no involvement in the event. He said Misfits offered a significant financial guarantee for the fighter to step in on short notice against a two-division UFC champion. He said he is confident the young boxer will demonstrate why you don’t play boxing and will shine as the star he is while defeating a UFC great.
The matchup
Cejudo won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Beijing Games and became a two-division UFC champion by holding both the flyweight and bantamweight titles. He retired in 2020 and has not competed in MMA since returning briefly in 2022.
Walton, for his part, is stepping up on short notice against a more decorated combat athlete than he has faced in his professional record, whatever the form.
