Showtime is celebrating its upcoming milestone 200th edition of ShoBox: The New Generation with a four-fight telecast filled with tough matchups for promising prospects this Friday, July 25. The landmark 200th telecast will be supported by a slew of exciting viewing opportunities – from the re-airing of the best ShoBox fights on a nightly basis on SHOWTIME EXTREME®, to compilation videos, digital content and more.
SHOWTIME EXTREME, the home of the best of the SHOWTIME Sports archive, will present an impressive collection of quintessential ShoBox fights leading in the 200th telecast. The lineup includes Robert Guerrero vs. Gamaliel Diaz I & II, Ricky Hatton’s ShoBox Greatest Hits, Timothy Bradley’s WBC light welterweight championship vs. Junior Witter, Andre Ward’s bloody battle with Edison Miranda, Shawn Porter’s ShoBox Greatest Hits and more.
ShoBox expert analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood has compiled some of the most memorable moments in ShoBox history on The Boxing Blog (http://theboxingblog.sho.com/). Classic moments include the infamous Sechew Powell-Cornelius Bundrage double-knockdown, the shortest fight in ShoBox history, the most dramatic knockouts, the bloodiest fight, the best one-punch KO and the best fights on the series.
To celebrate the 200th telecast, SHOWTME Sports is launching a micro site this Tuesday that recognizes the best fighters to appear on the series and features an immersive gallery of photos spanning the 200 episodes of the series. Additionally, the week-long editorials on The Boxing Blog will be complimented by short form content across all SHOWTIME Sports social platforms.
ShoBox carved out an identity by challenging top, talented prospects. From its inception, it has been dedicated to promoting competitive fights that often pit promising boxers in the toughest fights of their career. Fans have embraced the critically acclaimed series as boxing’s leading platform for developing talent for years.
“Everyone at SHOWTIME is extremely proud of the uniqueness of this series and the impact it has had on fighters since 2001,” said Gordon Hall, Executive Producer, ShoBox: The New Generation. “To have the ability to give exposure to young fighters and help them develop and transition from prospects to contenders is great not only for our series but for the sport of boxing.”
ShoBox is now regarded by many as the sport’s best developmental vehicle and the groundwork for success for countless future stars and world champions. Promising up-and-comers love ShoBox because it gives them their first opportunities to attain national exposure and tests their ability to move to the next level. To date, eight fighters have won a world title immediately following an appearance on ShoBox:
The success of the series can be directly attributed to Hall’s steadfast insistence on staying true to the series’ mission: to serve as a developmental workshop for hungry, willing competitors; match them against their sternest opponents and build future champions. To date, 120 fighters have suffered their first career loss on ShoBox – a testament to the strength of the matchups.
The results have been nothing short of staggering when you look at the talented future stars and titleholders who have passed through the series before reaching the top of the sport. Since its debut, there have been 54 fighters who went on to capture a world title after appearing on ShoBox. That’s an average of more than one future world champion every four telecasts.
There have been 75 matchups of undefeated fighters on the series and nine fighters who lost on ShoBox and went on to become world titlists. ShoBox, which has televised 18 world title fights, showcases prospects from across the glove and has originated from 68 different cities, 26 different states, and eight different countries.
The list of champions produced by ShoBox is long and impressive, featuring the likes of Shawn Porter, Erislandy Lara, Robert Guerrero, Andre Ward, Lamont Peterson, Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Nonito Donaire, Omar Figueroa, Victor Ortiz, Paul Williams, Carl Froch, Paulie Malignaggi, Andre Berto, Samuel Peter, Ricky Hatton, Juan Guzman, Diego Corrales, Alfredo Angulo, Ishe Smith, Rico Ramos, Juan Diaz, among many others
In the main event on July 25 from Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y., undefeated middleweight prospect Antoine Douglas (14-0, 9 KOs) will face former world title challenger Michel Soro (23-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round bout. Also on the card: hard-hitting super middleweight prospect Jerry Odom (11-0, 10 KOs) will face Cuban amateur standout Vilier Quinonez (8-0, 5 KOs) in an eight-round match, undefeated Cecil McCalla (18-0, 6 KOs), will face Oscar Godoy (13-2, 6 KOs), of Watsonville, Calif., in an eight-round welterweight bout and unbeaten Wanzell Ellison (11-0, 5 KOs) will square off with Tony Luis (17-2, 7 KOs) in the eight-round lightweight opening bout.
