RJJ World Goes LIVE From Toppenish
RJJ World brought professional boxing back to Legends Casino Hotel in Toppenish, Washington, on October 3, with a card showcasing fighters from across the Pacific Northwest and a main event built around more than two years of unfinished business
From a Yakima fighter making his professional debut just minutes from home to undefeated prospects and an anticipated all-Washington rematch, the night provided a platform for fighters at different stages of their careers to step into the ring.
Washington Talent Takes the Ring
The local connection began with the opening bell. Yakima’s Abel Lucas made his professional debut just a short drive from home against Spokane’s Brandon Watley.
Fellow Yakima fighter Jesus Velazquez stepped into the ring against Erik Lopez of Dillon, Montana, while undefeated Johnathan Magana of nearby Kennewick entered the night with a 2-0 record, both victories coming by knockout, to face Spokane’s Brandon Sly.
The Pacific Northwest representation continued with Isaac Russell, a member of the Kalispel Tribe from Spokane. Russell entered the night 1-0 with one knockout and faced Portland’s Micah Mitchell in a four-round featherweight bout.
The heavyweights also got their opportunity to take center stage as Union Gap’s Carlos Villanueva faced Spokane’s Theo Doukas.
Spokane’s Gerald Powell-Wood and Salt Lake City’s Christian Aguirre then met in a four-round super middleweight contest leading into the night’s highly anticipated main event.
Two Years of Unfinished Business
At the top of the card were two Washington fighters who already knew each other very well. Undefeated Andrew “White Lightning” Murphy entered the night 13-0 with 10 knockouts to once again face Devontae McDonald, who came into the rematch at 8-6 with two knockouts. Their story began in the same building.
Murphy and McDonald first fought at Legends Casino Hotel in January 2024. Eight hard-fought rounds ended with Murphy earning a unanimous decision, but the rivalry didn’t end when the judges’ scorecards were announced. McDonald wanted another opportunity. For more than two years, the possibility of a rematch followed both fighters until they finally returned to Toppenish and stepped through the ropes again on October 3.
For Murphy, the objective entering fight week was to answer the questions surrounding their first encounter inside the ring.
For McDonald, October 3 represented what he described as two years of preparation and “unfinished business.”
That history turned the main event into much more than another bout on the schedule. Two Washington fighters were returning to the same ring where their rivalry began, this time with an audience extending far beyond the people sitting inside Legends Casino.
The Audience Became Part of Fight Night
While the fighters battled inside the ring, RJJ World introduced another element outside of it. The entire card was available free through TikTok LIVE and the RJJ World YouTube channel, allowing boxing fans well beyond Washington to follow the action. Viewers could also participate through RJJ World’s Live Fan Score experience, powered by PunchIQ.
Instead of simply watching the judges determine a fight, viewers were able to score the action themselves, round-by-round, and compare their individual cards with the larger viewing community.
The Schmo Joins the Conversation
The digital fight-night experience also included a familiar face to combat sports fans: Dave Schmulenson, better known as The Schmo.
The sports journalist, interviewer and digital creator has built a recognizable presence across boxing, MMA and the wider sports world through his distinctive interview style and personality-driven coverage. His work focuses heavily on combat sports and has included interviews with some of the biggest personalities in the industry.
On TikTok, @theschmo312 has built an audience extending his reach to a generation of fight fans increasingly consuming sports through social and mobile platforms.
His presence on TikTok LIVE surrounding the RJJ World event was particularly fitting; combining live fights with commentary, reactions, interviews and direct interaction with fans while gaining a viewership on both his TikTok account and the RJJ World TikTok.
Bringing that kind of social-first combat sports personality into the conversation complemented what RJJ World was building in Toppenish: a fight broadcast where the digital audience could do more than simply watch.
Between the live conversation and RJJ World’s Fan Score experience, viewers had an opportunity to become active participants in fight night.
Behind the Fight
For Streaming Media Live, the objective was to remain where behind the fighters and for the fans.
SML supported RJJ World as its TikTok LIVE production and transmission partner, helping bring the action from Legends Casino Hotel in Toppenish to viewers watching digitally around the world.
The technology, transmission and production workflow provided the bridge between the fighters inside the venue and an audience that could be watching and scoring from virtually anywhere.
But the story belonged inside the ring.
It belonged to a fighter making his professional debut near his hometown, to young undefeated fighters continuing to build their records, and to the main event: to two Washington fighters finally getting the opportunity to continue a rivalry more than two years in the making.
At Streaming Media Live, we’re proud to work behind the scenes so the athletes creating those moments can be seen.
The fighters create the story. We help bring it to the world, from anywhere to everywhere.
