The Euphoria Season 2 finale made it clear that Ashtray knows how to fight. So does the 17-year-old who plays him.
Javon Wanna Walton has signed with Most Valuable Promotions, the boxing promotion company co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. MVP will work with Walton on brand building, content creation and event marketing as he finishes his amateur career, with his professional debut set for 2024. His first appearance with MVP will take place on Aug. 2 in Dallas, where he will participate in the open workouts as part of the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight week.
Along with his role in Euphoria, Walton is known for playing Stan in The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, with other credits including Amazon Prime Videos Utopia and the upcoming Hulu series Under the Bridge. In a 2022 interview with Variety, he said that it was his boxing career that led him to acting after an appearance on Steve Harveys talk show where he discussed boxing, he was scouted by legendary casting director Jennifer Venditti, who was then working on Euphoria.
Walton began boxing at age four. Fighting at 125 pounds, he is a multi-time junior regional champion in the state of Georgia and two-time Junior Olympic national silver medalist. Additionally, he was a USA Gymnastics-ranked elite rising star and was one of seven southeast gymnasts to join their Future Star program at age eight. He went on to compete at the elite level in trampoline and floor tumbling, finishing with top three in the nation with a silver medal in all-round in 2016. Walton is the first and only athlete in the state of Georgia to hold the youth gymnastics all-around and USA Boxing/Silver Gloves boxing champion state titles simultaneously.
He is also the youngest-ever athlete to sign with Nikes Jordan brand, with other partnerships including Drakes OVO, Gap, Venmo, Essentia Water and PSD Underwear.
Ive been training so hard and working for the majority of my life for this moment, Walton said. MVP feels like family and thats very important to me. I know they can help me reach my goals in professional boxing and do it in a way that feels special to me.
We see this as an incredible opportunity to make a big impact on Wannas entrance into professional boxing. The way Nakisa and Jake have been able to disrupt the boxing promotion business in such a considerably short period of time is inspiring. Were honored to be MVPs youngest signee, said Waltons coach and father, DJ Walton
Wanna Walton is uniquely positioned to become the face of combat sports over the next decade, said Bidarian and Paul. With an unmatched blend of skills and pedigree, strong values, and a large highly engaged fan base before turning pro, he embodies a true superstar in the making. Were honored to welcome Wanna into our family of exceptional athletes and under MVP, he will be headlining global pay-per-view events in no time. MVP is leading a new era of boxing and Wanna is the future. We cant wait to see his greatness unfold.