SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATIONTRIPLEHEADER LANDS AT FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO IN INDIO, CALIFORNIA ON AUGUST 9 FEATURING UNBEATEN HEAVYWEIGHT KNOCKOUT ARTIST DEONTAY WILDER AGAINST FORMER WORLD CHAMPION SERGEI LIAKHOVICH
ALSO, UNDEFEATED LIGHTWEIGHT PROSPECTS FRANCISCO VARGAS AND BRANDON BENNETT SET FOR BATTLE AND HIGHLY TOUTED PROSPECT JERMALL CHARLO TO SQUARE OFF
AGAINST VETERAN ANTWONE SMITH
INDIO, CALIF.(July 20, 2013) – In the midst of a sizzling summer season of boxing, Golden Boy Promotions will turn up the heat at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California on Friday, August 9 with a ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader featuring one of the hottest heavyweights in the game, unbeaten knockout artist Deontay Wilder live on SHOWTIME® (10:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
In a 10-round main event, Alabama’s Wilder puts his perfect 28-0 record on the line against former Heavyweight World Champion Sergei Liakhovich. In the co-featured bouts, unbeaten lightweights Francisco Vargas of Mexico and Cincinnati’s Brandon Bennett meet in a 10-round match-up and Houston’s undefeated Jermall Charlo risks his unblemished record against Miami veteran Antwone Smith in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.
The event is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona. The ShoBox: The New Generation telecast airs live on SHOWTIME at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Doors open at 5:00 p.m. PT with the first bell sounding at 5:30 p.m. PT.
Tickets, priced at $25, $35 and $45, are available at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
In addition to the exciting night of fistic action taking place in the ring, Three-Division World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley will be on hand as a special VIP guest to meet and greet fans. Mosley, who is the current WBC International Welterweight Champion, will meet ticket holders, sign autographs and take pictures from 6:30 p.m. PT to 7:30 p.m. PT inside the Fantasy Springs Special Events Center.
The only member of the 2008 United States Olympic boxing team to win a medal at the Beijing Games, Bronze Medalist Deontay Wilder (28-0, 28 KO’s) has soared up the heavyweight ladder since turning pro, not letting any of his opponents hear the final bell. His devastating power punching attack has made him a must-see for fight fans. After his 70 second destruction of British star Audley Harrison in April, he’s more than ready for a step up against former World Champion Liakhovich.
A native of Belarus now making his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, Sergei Liakhovich (25-5, 16 KO’s) has been one of the most respected heavyweights in the world for years, with his win over Lamon Brewster in 2006 earning him the WBO Heavyweight World Championship. Since losing the belt to Shannon Briggs later that year, the 37-year-old has done battle with Nikolay Valuev, Evans Quinn, Robert Helenius and Bryant Jennings. On August 9, he’ll step between the ropes in an attempt to stop Wilder’s meteoric rise.
2008 Mexican Olympian Francisco Vargas (16-0-1, 13 KO’s) may have gotten off to a late start as a pro, but he’s made up for lost time in impressive fashion, particularly with a 2012 campaign that saw him go 6-0 with five knockouts. 2013 has gotten off to a fast start as well, with the 28-year-old Mexico City native having already stopped Ira Terry and Cristian Arrazola in January and May respectively.
A decorated amateur with several medals in prestigious competitions such as the National Silver Gloves and National Junior Olympics, Brandon “Untouchable” Bennett (15-0, 7 KO’s) is the latest standout from Cincinnati to make his mark in the pro game, and at 25-years-old, the talented southpaw is ready to make his move on the top guns at 130 pounds beginning with Vargas.
Long considered one of the top prospects at 154 pounds, Houston’s Jermall Charlo (14-0, 10 KO’s) has picked up the pace considerably in 2013, clearly living up to all that potential. 4-0 with four knockouts thus far this year, the 23-year-old has ripped through everyone placed in front of him and he expects to do the same against Smith on August 9.
Coming off of two big wins over unbeaten Ronald Cruz and former World Champion Jose Luis Castillo, Miami’s Antwone “The Truth” Smith (23-4-1, 12 KO’s) is starting to hit his stride as a legitimate junior middleweight threat. A pro since 2006, the 26-year-old has been in the ring with former World Champion Kermit Cintron, Henry Crawford and Richard Gutierrez, clearly making him Charlo’s toughest test yet.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
