Isley, The Ring’s No. 5-ranked middleweight, added that he was injured heading into his loss against Hicks at the Olympic trials and had surgery afterwards.
The Alexandria, Virginia, native fought for the first time under Salita Promotions in his last fight, beating Leonardo Di Stefano by fifth-round stoppage. Isley, who is ranked No. 9 by the WBC at middleweight, was signed to Top Rank upon turning pro in 2021 but became a free agent in late 2025.
“They’ve been promoting me how I should have been, and they believe in me,” Isley said of his partnership with Salita Promotions so far. “They’re 10 toes on you know getting me back to championship positions. I like Salita [Promotions]. They’ve been doing me justice.”
Hicks, 32, is coming off his first win since 2024, a unanimous decision against Todd Manuel in a six-round bout on February 10.
While Isley believes their experience against each other holds some weight, he knows he’s a much different version of himself compared to the one Hicks faced. Beyond winning the rubber match, Isley believes he needs more than just a win if he’s going to keep ascending in a wide-open middleweight division.
“It’s important to win impressively, so I can start getting some of these big fights and start chasing a world title opportunity,” Isley said.