Henry Cejudo’s ring return has a new opponent, and it comes with a much bigger spotlight than the one he originally signed up for.
The former two-division UFC champion was set to face Deen The Great (Nurideen Shabazz) on September 26 in Miami, but that match has fallen apart just over a week before bout night. Shabazz withdrew after picking up an injury in sparring, and Misfits Boxing wasted no time finding a replacement.
Cejudo will instead share the ring with Javon Walton, the 20-year-old actor and boxer best known for playing Ashtray on HBO’s “Euphoria.”
Misfits confirmed the change on X, informing fans that Cejudo would still headline in Miami, just against a very different kind of opponent.
“HENRY CEJUDO VS WANNA WALTON – MISFITS, MIAMI, SEPTEMBER 26. Olympic Gold Medalist and former two-division UFC Champion Henry Cejudo takes on 3-0-1 pro boxer and Superstar Euphoria actor Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton, one of MVP’s brightest young prospects.”
HENRY CEJUDO 🆚 WANNA WALTON – MISFITS, MIAMI, SEPTEMBER 26 🌴🥊
Olympic Gold Medalist and former two-division UFC Champion Henry Cejudo takes on 3-0-1 pro boxer and Superstar Euphoria actor Javon “Wanna” Walton, one of MVP’s brightest young prospects.
🎟️ Tickets on sale now -… pic.twitter.com/BDwUXmhiOa
— Misfits Boxing (@MisfitsBoxing) September 15, 2026
Walton isn’t just a familiar face from television. He signed with Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian’s Most Valuable Promotions back in 2023 and has built a genuine boxing resume alongside his acting career, going 3-0-1 as a professional after a 20-9 amateur run.
His role on “Euphoria,” a series that also launched Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi to wider fame, gave him a platform most young prospects never get, and MVP has clearly been positioning him to cash in on it.
For Shabazz, the timing could hardly have been worse. He was gearing up to headline in Florida after months of calling out bigger names in the sport, including Max Holloway, and finally landing a bout with an athlete of Cejudo’s caliber looked like a breakthrough moment. Instead, an MRI revealed a shoulder problem serious enough that pushing forward wasn’t worth the gamble.
He addressed the setback directly on his Kick channel, apologizing to the promotion and the network for the late change.
“My apologies to DAZN, my apologies to Misfits who believed in me and were putting me in a main event bout in Florida,” he said. “A few weeks ago while I was sparring I had an injury, and I’m sure as you’ve seen I haven’t sparred, hit the bag or did any boxing workouts in weeks or really over a month.”
He explained that the issue had lingered far longer than he let on publicly, and that scans eventually showed why.
“Really, we were waiting for my shoulder to heal and I went to get an MRI which showed an injury that could potentially ruin the future of my career if I don’t take it seriously. I 100% needed to take a precaution and do what was best and what was smart.”
Shabazz said the decision came down to protecting his long-term future rather than pushing through for one night.
“Obviously no boxer goes into a compete 110%, but I wasn’t going to get in there with a risk of injury especially for my future. So it was better for me and my team to push it back.”
Rather than disappearing from the card entirely, Shabazz said he plans to be ringside on September 26 and intends to face whoever comes out on top between Cejudo and Walton before the year is out.
He didn’t hold back while discussing Cejudo either, taking aim at the former champion with some pointed jabs at his appearance and demeanor.
