Olusegun Ajose & Ali Chebah Darley Perez & Oscar Meza Final weights and quotes; Slice-Bledsoe on 10/15; Coyne-Crawford on October 15th

NOTE: WEIGHTS (Sept. 29, 2011) – World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 1-ranked super lightweight contender Olusegun Ajose weighed in at 139 pounds and No. 6-ranked Ali Chebah tipped the scales at 140 pounds during Thursday’s weigh in at Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.

Ajose (29-0, 14 KOs), of Nigeria, and Chebah (33-1, 26 KOs), of France, will square off in the most important fight of their career, a WBC super lightweight eliminator on Friday, Sept. 30, in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.

The 12-round bout, which will be the United States debut for each fighter, will determine the No. 1 mandatory contender for the WBC 140-pound title currently held by Erik Morales.

The No. 5-ranked World Boxing Association (WBA) and 12th-ranked World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight, Darley Perez weighed in at 133 ½ pounds and hard-hitting Oscar Meza measured 136 pounds.

Perez (22-0, 17 KOs), of Colombia, who has never been knocked down as a professional or amateur, will make his ShoBox debut against the battle-tested Oscar Meza (22-4, 18 KOs), of Mexico, in a 10-round lightweight co-feature.

The event, the second of five ShoBox telecasts in eight weeks and first of two within a one-week span, is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions in association with DiBella Entertainment.

What the fighters had to say on Thursday:

OLUSEGUN AJOSE

“I don’t watch too much tape. When I get in the ring, I improvise. I don’t have different plans like Plan A and Plan B.

“My style is a little different. I don’t like to blend in, I like to stand out.

“I can’t wait to fight in America. That’s where the big fights are. There are big fights in the U.K., but I couldn’t get the fights that I wanted. People are more competitive over here. I want to fight the best.

“I want to be a champion. I’d love to fight Morales, but if he doesn’t want to fight me after this fight I’ll fight anyone else. I just want the belt.

“Waiting for this fight has been a nightmare. We’ve tried to put together this fight for a long time and now we’re finally going to get in there tomorrow night.”

ALI CHEBAH

“I know Ajose is a quick, mobile fighter. I will destroy him.

“We’ve been waiting for this fight for a while. We’re ready for our chance.

“We’re ready to fight for a title after Friday night. We’re not sure if Morales will face us, but we’re ready to fight for a title.

“This is the best country in boxing. We’re happy to make our debut here and make a name for ourselves.”

DARLEY PEREZ

“The level of fighting in the U.S. is completely different so we’re ready to come here and make a statement.

“I know I’m the hardest working guy in the gym. I always prepare myself. My dream is to become a world champion. I had a great amateur and pro career in Colombia and now I’m ready to prove myself in the U.S.

“I’ve been in the U.S. sparring with some good fighters. The sparring here is much better than Colombia.

“We’ve had 22 fights as a professional now so we’d like to fight for something meaningful within the next year.”

OSCAR MEZA

“I’ve had great preparation for this fight. All I’ve done is train since I’ve been here in the U.S.

“I’ve seen a couple of clips of Perez on YouTube but I’ve never seen him fight. That’s not a problem for me – I’ll be ready for him.

“We’ve been working on our game plan and trying to improve on consistency and rhythm. We’ve been working on a lot of different things and I hope it comes out in the ring tomorrow.

“In my losses against (Brandon) Rios and (Mercito) Gesta I took those fights on short notice. We had been in the gym for a while getting ready for another fight so we feel ready for this one.”

Curt Menefee will call the action alongside ringside analyst Steve Farhood and boxing expert Antonio Tarver. The executive producer is Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http:// sho.com/sports.

Ryan Coyne vs. James Crawford on October 15th

Undefeated World Boxing Council United States national champion Ryan “The Irish Outlaw” Coyne will return to action on Oct 15, when he faces James Crawford as a co-feature on “CHAMPIONS COLLIDE – A FIGHT FOR THE KIDS” card at the O’Reilly Family Events Center on the campus of Drury University in Springfield, Mo.

Coyne (17-0, 6 KOs), from St. Louis, Mo., also holds the World Boxing Association’s Fedelatin cruiserweight championship, which makes him a dual champion. He is looking to build on the momentum that has catapulted him to the higher echelons of the world rankings as the WBA’s No. 7 cruiserweight contender and the WBC’s No. 13.

The Irish Outlaw was a season four participant in the popular television series The Contender and is now being promoted by the legendary Don King. He will bring his St. Louis fans and crowd-pleasing style to Springfield to take on a serious challenge from Crawford, a battle-tested fighter.

Crawford (40-13-2, 17 KOs) hails from Grinnell, Iowa, and has twice fought for world titles during his lengthy career. He is a skilled professional who has challenged former world champions Danny Green, Jean Pascal, Adrian Diaconu, Sven Ottke, Eric Lucas and Jeff Lacy.

“I’ve been back in the gym and I’m coming to fight,” Crawford said. “I’m in shape and am coming to spoil Coyne’s future plans.”

Coyne said he will not be looking past Crawford, but he will not allow anyone to stand between him and his dream of fighting and winning a world title.

“Crawford has a lot of world championship experience and has been in some wars,” Coyne said. “His last four fights were against world champions. This will be a good test for me. I’m ready.”

Team Irish Outlaw has arranged for former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Michael Moorer as the new head trainer. Moorer, the first southpaw heavyweight champion and former trainer of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, has been brought in to hone the skills of fellow southpaw Coyne.

“I’ve been blessed to have a great team around me throughout my career,” Coyne said. “Michael was the first southpaw to become win a heavyweight world title, and I’m a southpaw, too.

“His addition to the team as head trainer brings a dynamic that will bolster me and my team. I bring plenty of speed, tenacity, power and athleticism to the ring, and it can only help me to learn from a master how to maximize the natural advantages I possess as a left-hander.”

In addition to utilizing Moorer, Coyne has also made the decision to drop down from the 200-pound limit of cruiserweight to campaign at the 175-pound light heavyweight limit. Coyne believes where he’ll gain a size and strength advantage on his march towards a world title in 2012.

Ryan has debuted at No. 7 in the WBA light heavyweight rankings for September 2011.

“Cruiserweight is a wonderful division, but I have no problem making weight at 175 pounds, so I feel like I should take this opportunity to take my power and skills down a division. Overall, the light heavyweight division is a more glamorous division, so it’s a better fit for me” said Coyne.

Also on the card is Springfield’s own world-ranked cruiserweight BJ Flores (25-1) taking on rugged Carolina cruiser Paul Jennette (11-3)

For tickets, call Scott ‘Skootch’ Hanke (314) 607-8025

Kimbo Slice vs. Tay Bledsoe on October 15th

TOTOWA, N.J. (September 29, 2011) – One of the world’s most feared fighters, heavyweight Kimbo Slice, returns to the ring October 15 for only the second time as a professional boxer, facing Tay Bledsoe in a four-round bout at Heartland Events Center in Grand Island, Nebraska.

“Kimbo Slice is a tremendous puncher,” his co-promoter Gary Shaw said. “We believe that he has unlimited potential in boxing. He’ll learn each fight and become even more of a threat in the boxing ring than he ever was in mixed martial arts.”

An underground combat-fighting legend, largely through You Tube, Kimbo Slice, aka Kevin Ferguson, made his much-anticipated MMA debut in a 2007 exhibition in Atlantic City, where he defeated former WBO heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist Ray Mercer by way of a guillotine choke at 1:12 of the first round. Slice soon signed a contract with ProElite and later joined the UFC.

Slice’s development as a boxer has been on an accelerated pace because of world-renown trainer John David Jackson’s presence in his corner as chief second.

In his pro boxing debut this past August in Miami, Oklahoma, Slice (1-0, 1 KO) needed only 17 seconds, including the referee’s 10 count, to register a sensational knockout of James Wade. In front of a sold-out crowd at Buffalo Run Casino, Slice immediately attacked Wade, cutting off the ring and throwing combinations, until a powerful right sent Wade through the ropes and into a deep sleep.

Slice’s other co-promoter, Tony Holden, believes Kimbo Slice is on his way to becoming the most exciting American heavyweight in years. “The heavyweight division is searching for a star that can punch like Mike Tyson and fill arenas,” Holden commented. “Kimbo is developing quickly as a heavyweight boxer and, when he gets some experience, look out!”

Go to www.garyshawproductions.com for more information about Kimbo Slice or any GSP boxers.