Young, up-and-coming prospect Ashton ‘H20’ Sylve, promoted by Jake Paul and his company Most Valuable Promotions, has made it on the Boxing’s top 25 under 25 by ESPN, which was revealed on November 6th. This came four months after, the 20-year-old suffered a massive upset loss at the hands of Lucas Bahdi.

The duo were fighting on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry on July 20th at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Despite dominating Bahdi the entire first 6 rounds of the fight, putting on a career-best performance, a devastating overhand right stopped Sylve in his tracks, as Bahdi followed up with a three-punch combination that knocked out Sylve.

Career ruining knockout

‘H20’ was sent face-first crashing onto the canvas in the 6th round. While ‘Prince’ Bahdi celebrated his win by trying to address the 17,000 fans in attendance, the referee stopped him from climbing on the ropes. The situation was so concerning that MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, who was on the commentary team, couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

“Holy smokes! He was losing every minute of that fight. Every round. Every minute,” he said. “He’s just shocked the world and has knocked out ‘H20’ Sylve out cold.” Shortly after, ‘H2O’ was seen sitting upright on the stool inside the ring. The commentators speculated that he had been examined by the ringside doctor and was confirmed to be okay.

Despite this shocking loss and a brutal knockout, the 20-year-old seems to have made it to Boxing’s top 25 under 25 by ESPN. Upon learning about this update, Most Valuable Promotions shared the news on social media. However, it appears all fans remember was that scary knockout ‘H20’ suffered against Bahdi. 

Ashton ‘H20’ Sylve asked to become an Instagram model

Even though some time has passed since the 20-year-old was knocked out cold, people seemed to have a vivid memory of what had happened. One user could not believe ESPN decided to add ‘H20’ to the list because of the knockout. “The guy who got completely flatlined?” the user asked. However, it’s worth noting that one loss doesn’t define a boxer’s entire career. 

Another user rudely asked Sylve to pursue another career. “He [is] better off trying to be [an] IG model,” the user wrote. Notably, before his unforeseen loss to Bahdi, Sylve was racking up win after win. He won his first eight professional bouts via knockout. 

While there was negativity towards the 20-year-old, he also had support for his cause. “Can’t wait for rematch! H20 will have no mercy, ko under 5,” the user commented. However, there’s no word on whether there will be a rematch between Sylve and Bahdi. 

Meanwhile, this user hoped ‘H20’ learned from the experience rather than getting held back by the knockout. “Just hope the KO doesn’t change him in a bad way like it does some fighters. I just hope he learns to always keep his hand and defense up. He was winning that fight hands down,” the user wrote. A solid comeback early next year, possibly on the undercard of one of Jake Paul’s fights, will be a good first step.

The next user expressed absolute confidence that Sylve would return stronger than ever. “He [is] coming back stronger [that’s] for sure,” the user commented. However, only time will tell when that may happen. Considering MVP is posting about ‘H20,’ that date might not be far away.

That said, Most Valuable Promotions seems to be preparing for Ashton ‘H20’ Sylve’s return to the ring after his brutal knockout loss to Lucas Bahdi. As the comments suggest, a huge chunk of fans will be waiting for the fight announcement. What do you think is next for Sylve?