It’s two and a half hours on the schedule, so who knows how many fights we’ll get to see tonight on Showtime’s ShoBox show.
The main event is a title bout for the vacant WBA-NABA middleweight title between undefeated Rob Brant (18-0, 11 KOs) and Decarlo Perez (15-3-1, 5 KOs). This fight looks like a coronation for Brant, but Perez might have an objection to that.
The primary undercard is a title fight too between Jarrell Miller (15-0, 13 KOs) vs Donovan Dennis (12-2, 10 KOs) for the vacant WBA-NABA heavyweight title.
Also on the docket is Bakhtiyar Eyubov vs. Jared Robinson, Demond Brock vs. Samuel Teah, Keenan Carbajal vs. Thomas Herrera, Alfonso Olvera vs. Colbert Lozoya and Carlos Cordova vs. David Courtney. We’ll probably see a couple of these fights as well.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for the press release from Showtime.
NEW YORK (Dec. 28, 2015) – ShoBox: The New Generation begins its 15th year on SHOWTIME® with an explosive quadrupleheader on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 live from Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Ariz. (10:35 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
In the main event of the evening, undefeated middleweight Rob “Bravo” Brant (18-0, 11 KOs, 0-3 in World Series of Boxing) of St. Paul, Minn., measures against Atlantic City’s Decarlo Perez (15-3-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-round matchup.
In co-featured bouts, unbeaten Harmonito “Hammer” Dela Torre (17-0, 12 KOs), of Las Vegas by way of Philippines, makes his United States debut against Rafael Guzman (16-1-1, 10 KOs), of Ensenada, Mexico in an eight-round super featherweight bout and undefeated heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (15-0-1, 13 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y. faces southpaw Donovan Dennis (14-3, 11 KOs, 2-1 in WSB) of Cleveland, Ohio in an eight-round scrap.
Opening the ShoBox telecast, hard-hitting Bakhtiyar Eyubov (9-0, 9 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y. by way of Kazakhstan, meets Jared Robinson (16-2-1, 7 KOs), of Sumter, S.C. in an eight-round super lightweight tiff.
The event is promoted by Greg Cohen Promotions.
Brant, Perez and Miller will be making their second consecutive appearances on ShoBox. Brant and Miller were victorious last Oct. 23, Perez last Aug. 28. Robinson will also be making his second ShoBox start; the four other boxers will be making their debuts.
Twenty-six-year-old Brant will be headlining his second consecutive ShoBox. In his first, he captured a hard-fought 10-round majority decision over Rose. Going 10 rounds for the first time, Brant triumphed in an entertaining tight fight.
Before turning pro in November 2010, Brant was a 2010 National Golden Gloves Champion at 178 pounds and a member of the U.S. national boxing team pro. He currently trains in Dallas alongside top prospect Errol Spence Jr.
Perez, who hails from a fighting family, has won four straight and nine of his last 10. He scored a surprising, upset, a 10-round unanimous decision over Cabrera (23-0 going in) in his last outing. Perez, who took the fight on a week’s notice, outpointed the two-time Dominican Republic Olympian by the scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92.
Perez’ last loss came on a split eight-round decision to world title challenger Wilky Campfort in January 2014. Outside the ring, Perez is a pharmacy technician at an Atlantic City hospital.
Miller, a former New York Golden Gloves finalist who turned pro in July 2009, is a confident, power-punching heavyweight who comes to knock you out. He won his ShoBox debut, stopping Akhror Muralimov with a devastating right hand to the chin at 1:03 in the third round.
The fights begin on Showtime at 10:35 p.m. Watch them with me.
