Showtime Announces First Four Cards Of 2011

NEW YORK (Jan. 10, 2011) – Undefeated and heralded prospects Luis Franco, Lateef Kayode, Archie Ray Marquez, Rico Ramos and Cornelius White highlight an action-packed February of ShoBox: The New Generation fights while two SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events will follow, including a March 19 battle for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super Middleweight World Championship between champion Lucian Bute and Brian Magee.

“In our 25th year of boxing on SHOWTIME, we're pleased to formally announce our first four dates of 2011,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “ShoBox continues to feature boxing's hottest up-and-coming stars like Lateef Kayode and Rico Ramos. And with great lightweight action, Lucian Bute's SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING debut and the dramatic conclusions to the Super Six and bantamweight tournaments already planned for 2011, this is a strong start for what promises to be a landmark year on the network.”

Here’s a quick capsule look at each of the four cards coming up on SHOWTIME:

Feb. 4, on ShoBox: The New Generation:
•    Who’s Fighting:
10-Round Featherweight Main Event
Luis Franco               vs.                   Leonilo Miranda
Miami, Fla.                                           Huatabampo, Mexico
(8-0, 5 KOs)                                        (26-2, 25 KOs)

10-Round Cruiserweight Co-Feature
Lateef Kayode                                   Nicholas Iannuzzi
Hollywood, Calif.                                 Tampa, Fla.
(15-0, 14 KOs)                                    (16-1, 9 KOs)

8-Round Lightweight Co-Feature
Archie Ray Marquez                         Marvin Quintero
Albuquerque, N.M.                               Tijuana, Mexico
(10-0, 7 KOs)                                      (20-3, 16 KOs).

•    TV Time: Live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast)
•    Venue: Chumash Resort and Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif.
•    Promoter: Gary Shaw Productions.
•    What’s at Stake: The former Cuban Olympian Franco, fighting for the third time on ShoBox, is out to prove he’s a legitimate contender and worthy of a world championship fight in 2011 when he takes on the 27-year-old Miranda of Sonora, Mexico. The crowd-pleasing and Freddie Roach-trained Kayode will be looking for his 15th consecutive knockout as he squares off against Iannuzzi. Marquez appeared on ShoBox on Oct. 1, 2010, and tallied a third-round knockout of Juan Santiago. ShoBox fans saw both Franco and Kayode register convincing victories on Dec. 3, 2010, from the same venue.

Feb. 11, on ShoBox: The New Generation:
•    Who’s Fighting:
10-Round Super Bantamweight Main Event
Rico Ramos               vs.                   Alejandro Valdez
Pico Rivera, Calif.                               Ciudad Obregon, Mexico
(18-0, 10 KOs)                                    (23-4-2, 17 KOs)

10-Round Super Middleweight Co-Feature
Cornelius White                                Don George
Houston, Texas                                  Chicago, Ill.
(16-0, 15 KOs)                                    (20-1-1, 17 KOs).

•    TV Time: Live at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
•    Venue: Bally’s Grand Ballroom, Atlantic City, N.J.
•    Promoter: Goossen Tutor Promotions.
•    What’s at Stake: Ramos, 23, of Los Angeles is the No. 1-rated WBA contender and is looking to show ShoBox fans his flashy style and raw power. In his last fight he recorded a knockout worthy of a “Best of 2010” clip with a second-round one-punch annihilation of Heriberto Ruiz. The 27-year-old southpaw Valdez has world championship experience and a pair of stoppages in his last two fights. White, 29, is a native of Houston, Texas, and has knocked out all but one opponent. Newly signed by Goossen Tutor and TNT Productions, White goes by the moniker “Da Beast” and will be fighting against “Da Bomb” George, who was upset in his last fight by technical decision to Francisco Sierra. Prior to that, ShoBox fans remember George winning a unanimous decision over Osumanu Adama.

Feb. 26, 2011, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING:
•    Who’s Fighting:
12-Round WBA Lightweight World Championship Main Event
Miguel Acosta                                         Brandon Rios
Caracas, Venezuela                                 Oxnard, Calif.
(28-8-2, 22 KOs)                                       (26-0-1, 18 KOs)

12-round Lightweight Co-Feature           
Antonio DeMarco                                    Reyes Sanchez
Tijuana, Mexico                                         Mexico City, Mexico
(24-2-1, 18 KOs)                                       (20-3-1, 11 KOs)

•    TV Time: Live at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
•    Split-Site Venue: Acosta-Rios will fight at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.; DeMarco-Sanchez will fight at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Islands, Neb.
•    Promoter: Top Rank Boxing for Acosta-Rios; Gary Shaw Productions for DeMarco-Sanchez.
•    What’s at Stake: Acosta is riding a 19-fight winning streak and won his world championship belt with a 12-round split decision over Paulus Moses in May. In his last fight he knocked out Armando Cordoba in the first round in a non-title bout. The DeMarco-Sanchez fight pits two brawlers from Mexico taking their acts to central Nebraska.

March 19, 2011, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING:

•    Who’s Fighting:
12-round IBF Super Middleweight World Championship Main Event
Lucian Bute                                             Brian Magee
Montreal, Canada                                      Belfast, Northern Ireland
(27-0, 22 KOs)                                          (34-3-1, 24 KOs)

•    TV Time: Live at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
•    Venue: Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada
•    Promoter: InterBox.
•    What’s at Stake: The 30-year-old Montreal fan-favorite Bute will be making his seventh title defense against Irish opponent Magee, ranked No. 8 by the IBF. Magee, 35, hasn’t lost in four years since being stopped by Carl Froch in 2006 and will provide a stiff challenge to Bute, who is in line for a shot at the Super Six World Boxing Classic victor.

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