As a prospect develops and nears contender status, the run of fights left behind builds them up for what lies in front.

The experience gleaned from fighting tall, short, orthodox, southpaw, brawlers, boxers and punchers builds qualifications for an eventual title shot.

But as the work is done and momentum builds, the consequences of a loss or setback become more and more costly.

At 12-0 (10 KOs), Darrelle Valsaint’s confidence is building, but the junior middleweight also knows that the pressure intensifies as rungs on the ladder are climbed.

“Pressure?” he asks rhetorically. “A little bit, but it goes away as soon as I step in that ring. Everyone is gonna have a little fear. [But] I know what I can do. I trust in what I can do, and God blessed me with it. I definitely feel like the momentum is coming into play. Everything’s looking beautiful, everyone’s doing great, and I’m ready to look great on May 10.”

On Saturday, May 10, “Blast” boxes in his adopted hometown of Orlando, at Kissimmee’s Silver Spurs Arena in front of his fans, and those supporters of his stablemate Erickson Lubin, who faces Ardreal Holmes in the bill-topper.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Valsaint continued. He will soon fight Mexican veteran Rodolfo Orozco, 33-4-3 (25 KOs), who is stepping back in the ring for the first time since losing to Conor Benn and failing a post-fight test for PEDs. 

Orlando has quietly emerged as a boxing location, with the Caribe Royale hosting MVP and Matchroom shows as well as the WBA convention at the end of 2024. It is also where U.S. Olympian Omari Jones, who is also from the area, aims to – in part, at least – build his brand.

“It looks like it,” Valsaint said of Florida’s growing reputation. “Everybody loves boxing in Orlando. Everybody loves coming down and going to the fights, and we’ve got a big fight with a few thousand people at the Silver Spurs Arena, so I guess Orlando is gonna be a new home for boxing.”

Valsaint is learning as he goes. He studies fight films, and he names Mike McCallum and Willie Pep as two of his favorites, along with Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather.

“I love watching the old-school boxing more than the new school of boxing,” he said.

As seriously as he takes it, and as hard as he might be working, there is no disguising Valsaint’s enthusiasm for boxing. He answers questions with a smile on his face and is indebted to boxing for the opportunities it continues to present him with.

“Nothing comes close to the buzz of fight night and nothing comes close to the buzz of winning and getting your hand raised,” he enthused. “I love how you’re just in the gym, working on your craft, and it’s just a one-man sport. I love that everything’s on you. That’s what I love about it.

“I was always told I wasn’t going to be nothing growing up, so that lit a fire in me and was always my motivation. I just want to be great. I love fighting. This is what I do. I live this. I was just a troubled child growing up, I would always hear that [he would not amount to much]. Nothing too crazy, I was just a bad child. I needed this [boxing]. I needed this. Boxing was an outlet. I don’t think boxing gets enough respect for that. It’s the toughest sport, but I’m tough. I’m very tough. I love combat. The art of war. [It’s] probably [from] how I was raised, and it’s in my genes.” 

Boxing is, of course, part business and part sport. It is physical and political, but Valsaint has that clean-cut and charming naivete that implies that life is about boxing – the physical part – and only that.

“The less you get hit in this sport, the longer you last,” he admitted. “That’s the whole point. Hit and not get hit, but I love me some offense. I love putting hands on people.”

Of the business element, he explained: “I don’t worry about that because it can cause a lot of stress, but I am aware of listening to what’s going on, the politics and stuff like that. I’m also just focused on the training, but I have a strong team, a great team, so we’re looking out for everybody.”

Lubin is part of that team, and he is the headline act in a fight that has seen a grudge manifest since tempers flared between him and Ardreal Holmes at a public workout in Las Vegas last month. 

“He’s a dog, he’s an animal,” Valsaint said of his friend. “And right now, he’s bouncing back and Ardreal Holmes – he’s gonna put him on his ass.” 

Valsaint is still only 22. The story is that he lied about the details on his birth certificate to claim his Olympic spot, or else he would have been too young. He still made it to the quarterfinals of the 2020/2021 Games. But now he has the ambition and excitement of youth to propel him through his pro career. He’s talked about a possible future Florida clash with fellow Olympian Jones.

He also knows that boxing can give him a life he would have never been able to dream of while growing up in Haiti. Boxing has been a way out, a new journey, a fresh start, and it has given him hope where previously there might have been little.

“My parents were from one of the roughest parts of Haiti, Port-au-Prince,” said Valsaint. “And where I’m from, there’s a war going on, so I come from somewhere tough. But I want to be undisputed. I want to be one of the greatest in the sport of boxing. I want to be a superstar. I believe I’ll get there. I have the skillset to get to the top.”