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SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION FINAL WEIGHTS

Published

9 years ago

December 11, 2015

The Sweet Science

SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION FINAL WEIGHTS, QUOTES & PHOTOS FOR QUADRUPLEHEADER TOMORROW/FRIDAY LIVE ON SHOWTIME ^®

Local Favorite Regis Prograis Headlines Against

Fellow Top Prospect Abel Ramos in Main Event

From Bayou City Event Center In Houston

Photos From Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME

HOUSTON (Dec. 10, 2015) – Eight fighters, including seven undefeated prospects, with a combined record of 92-1-5, weighed-in Thursday for the ShoBox: The New Generation quadrupleheader taking place tomorrow/Friday, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT) from Bayou City Event Center in Houston.

Headlining the DiBella Entertainment- and Savarese Promotions-promoted event will be talented local prospect Regis Prograis (15-0, 12 KOs), who faces fellow unbeaten Abel Ramos (14-0-2, 9 KOs) in the 10-round super lightweight main event.

In the co-feature, Bryant Cruz (16-0, 8 KOs) takes on Belgium’s Dardan Zenunaj (10-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout.

Rounding out the telecast, Steed Woodall (8-0-1, 5 KOs) and Steve Rolls (12-0, 6 KOs) clash in an eight-round middleweight match, and fast-rising Ivan Baranchyk (8-0, 7 KOs) faces Shadi Shawareb (9-0-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round super lightweight match.

OFFICIAL WEIGHTS:

Super Lightweights Main Event – 10 Rounds

Regis Prograis – 140 Pounds

Abel Ramos – 139 Pounds

Lightweights Co-Feature – 8 Rounds

Bryant Cruz – 132¾ Pounds

Dardan Zenunaj – 131½ Pounds

Middleweights – 8 Rounds

Steed Woodall – 159¼ Pounds

Steve Rolls – 159½ Pounds

Super Lightweights – 8 Rounds

Ivan Baranchyk – 139¼ Pounds

Shadi Shawareb – 141¾ Pounds

FINAL QUOTES:

REGIS PROGRAIS:

“He’s a tougher opponent than the guys I’ve faced, and a bigger guy, but I’m coming to win.

“I’ve been living in Houston fighting those rugged Mexican fighters for the last 10 years. I know how to fight tough guys like that. I know what he’s bringing.

“I didn’t get the knockout [against Amos Cowart], which is what I wanted, but I did land a lot of punches.

“I think if I hurt Ramos early I’ll be able to take him out, but I feel that he won’t hurt me.

“I have a lot of people coming out from New Orleans. I’m not worried about the crowd – I’m here to do what I have to do.

“We can fight on the inside and pound it out or fight on the outside. We’re ready for anything.”

ABEL RAMOS :

“I don’t feel like I’m coming in as the underdog at all. I have much more amateur experience and I have more of an edge over him.

“This time you’re going to see the real Abel Ramos. I’m feeling really good. I’m prepared and conditioned. You’re going to see a little bit of everything in the ring on Friday.

“He’s [Prograis] a very busy guy in the ring and throws a lot of punches but we will see how we handle it in the ring.

“I know he throws a lot of punches and I believe I can do the same but better. He throws a lot, but they’re not effective. Going anywhere from eight to 10 rounds, I have an advantage to wear him down.

“I want to dedicate this fight to my cousin Margarito Camacho who passed away of a heart attack this Monday at only 43 years old.”

BRYANT CRUZ :

“I’ve been living here [Houston] and training here. I’m trained by the best with Ronnie (Shields) and I’ve learned a lot from him. I’m getting a lot of attention with him as my trainer and I’m getting to learn much more about myself as a fighter and my technique.

“Of course I believe there’s always more to learn and with a trainer like Ronnie I’ve gained much more confidence. I feel the difference improving my technique.

“Sometimes I just have the instinct [to get aggressive] and I want to go at it and put the pressure on to really please the crowd.

“He’s [Dardan] not hard to look for and he likes to come forward. I know he will be right in front of me and I know what to look for there.

“I’m a New York guy, so here in Houston I am a little bit out of my element, but I do have some people from back home coming out to support me. I am going to go out there and go for it.

“I want to put on a good show but I’m also going to be a smart fighter and go in with my game plan to do what I came here to do.

“I knew I was serious about boxing after my first time sparring. I got beat up and I knew I couldn’t just give the guy that. After that, I stopped partying, stopped drinking and started running and training. When I went back I knew I was ready to beat him and I did.

“Since I started, I haven’t missed a single day in the gym; even when I’m not training for a fight I’m always training and refuse to miss a day in the gym.”

DARDAN ZENUNAJ :

“Moving to Oxnard to work with Robert (Garcia) has been a big step in my career. I’ve sparred with (Vasyl) Lomachenko, Mikey (Garcia), (Jesus) Cuellar, Brandon Rios, some of the best fighters in boxing.

“I spared with Lomachenko for four weeks for his last fight.

“This is my first fight after moving to Oxnard so we are excited to show what we have been working on, show how we’ve improved.

“I took this fight on short notice, but we’ve been working in the gym. This is a good opportunity for us. This is the fight we’ve been waiting for. He’s undefeated but beatable.

“I wasn’t worried because I was only about four pounds off-weight.

“I’m the type of guy who wants to fight the toughest fights.

“I knew that if I wanted to make a real name for myself in boxing I would have to go after it myself. I knew I would have to come to America for I wanted to accomplish.

“I have watched Cruz and I know the way he fights. It’s all mental. I have that drive – I’d die in the ring. I’ve seen Cruz and he doesn’t have that.”

STEED WOODALL :

“We’ve been working with Ronnie Shields for about five months now, sparring with Jermall Charlo and Edwin Rodriguez. Having those guys around is a great experience. I’m always in competition with them, pushing myself to the limit and learning from them.

“I have a naturally aggressive approach, even when I started as an amateur at 14 years-old. Now I am working off different approaches and know that I just need to let my hands go. Ronnie is putting the finishing touches on me.

“Through training I’ve learned different approaches with my style. Different guys come in and with each of the different fights I learn different styles. I am always in competition to learn more and I am always training.

“I want to show the judges and the fans how much this fight means to me. I am going to be aggressive but will be fighting intelligently as well.

“This is a pivotal fight for me because I’ve been alone in most of my fights, but this time by mom will be here along with my brother, sister and brother-in-law. My mom is my biggest inspiration and to have her here means the world to me.”

STEVE ROLLS :

“He’s a young hungry guy that is coming to fight. I’m not taking him lightly. This is definitely the toughest fight for both of us.

“I feel great. I have had six to eight weeks of training and I feel great and ready.

“I’ve watched a little bit [of Woodall] and learned about him. He looks aggressive and has a good amateur background, as do I.

“I let my trainers watch the fight footage and I just see whatever I need to see. I love to capitalize on my opponent’s mistakes.

“I feel better than ever. During running and training I feel much better than when I was in my twenties. Regardless of my age, I still feel that I haven’t even reached my prime.

“Now, as a fighter, I am much more confident and more relaxed with my strategy.

“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity to fight on national TV against an undefeated guy. This is my big shot.”

IVAN BARANCHYK :

“I have been training very hard for this fight. This opportunity is what I have been working so hard for.

“As a young, motivated fighter, I want to continue to improve and never stop working towards getting better every day.

“When I first started training, even as an amateur, I realized the potential and the impact of my power punch.

“I do not stop training. I am extremely motivated and will keep working harder than anybody else to get where I want to be.”

SHADI SHAWAREB :

“I am not worried that I took the fight on short notice. I stay prepared and I have been in the gym staying in good shape.

“I am always busy. When I’m not working, I’m in the gym training.

“I know I need to mix it up, get inside and outside. I’m going to throw out a little bit of everything.”

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

9 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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