Undefeated heavyweight knockout artist Bakhodir Jalolov (10-0, 10 KOs), a two-time Uzbekistan Olympian and 2020 Gold Medalist, and rising heavyweight prospect Jack Mulowayi (11-2-1, 7 KOs) both showed off their towering stature at Thursday’s official weigh-in a day ahead of their eight-round main event on SHOBOX: The New Generation tomorrow night, Friday, June 10 live on SHOWTIME from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. The action begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT and helps kick off the International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in nearby Canastota, N.Y.
The co-feature pits undefeated Dominican heavyweight prospect George Arias (17-0, 7 KOs) and unbeaten Alante Green (10-0-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight bout. Plus, six-time Tennessee Golden Gloves Champion Tyler Tomlin (13-0, 9 KOs) squares off against Chann Thonson (10-0, 7 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout that opens the telecast.
Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins calls the action from ringside with former world champion Raul Marquez and veteran combat sports reporter Brian Campbell serving as expert analysts. Hall of Famer Steve Farhood will perform unofficial scoring duties, while Hall of Famer Al Bernstein will serve as ringside reporter and Hall of Famer Jimmy Lennon Jr. will serve as ring announcer. The executive producer of SHOBOX: The New Generation is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, whose owner, Lou DiBella, is a 2020 Hall of Fame inductee and will be formally inducted along with the classes of 2021 and 2022.
FINAL WEIGHTS
Heavyweight Eight-Round Bout
Bakhodir Jalolov – 251 lbs.
Jack Mulowayi – 242 lbs.
Referee: Benjy Esteves; Judges: Don Ackerman (N.Y.), Glenn Feldman (Conn.), John McKaie (N.Y.)
Heavyweight Eight-Round Bout
George Arias – 219 ½ lbs.
Alante Green – 223 lbs.
Referee: Charlie Fitch; Judges: Eric Marlinski (N.Y.), Tom Schreck (N.Y.), Don Trella (Conn.)
Lightweight Eight-Round Bout
Tyler Tomlin – 134 lbs.
Chann Thonson – 132 ½ lbs.
Referee: Mark Nelson; Judges: Don Ackerman (N.Y.), Glenn Feldman (Conn.), John McKaie (N.Y.)
FINAL QUOTES:
Bakhodir Jalolov
“I’m very honored to be fighting on such a big weekend on SHOWTIME. This is my first main event and the toughest fight of my pro career so I’m very prepared and I will show just how prepared I am.
“It hasn’t been that hard for me to switch styles and transition from the amateurs to the pros. But I understand that the opponents will get better, but so far up until this point there’s not a big difference.
“I’m looking at my opponent as just another fighter. I’m not looking at him as a special fighter. I do respect him as a fighter. I do understand he’s a tough guy, never been knocked down, but I look at any fight in the world as just another fight. I’m just getting ready to fight. I’m only looking forward to the world championship fight and that’s what I’m concentrated on. This to me is just another fight.
“If the knockout comes it comes but I’m not chasing it. I never chased it in the amateurs or the pros. It’s just when I land on people they get hurt. If I wanted to, I could drop anyone with a punch, a straight right, left, a body shot, in sparring people go down from jabs, body shots. I’m not looking for it, but if the punch lands clean, it doesn’t matter what punch it is. I’m 250 pounds and whatever I touch it will be painful.
“My father’s dream and my dream was for me to become an Olympic champion. When I went to the Olympics the first time in 2016, I was young. My dad passed away a little bit earlier than the Olympics in 2016, so I knew I wasn’t going to leave amateur boxing without Olympic gold. It was my dream and it was my father’s dream.”
Jack Mulowayi
“I know I have the tools to beat Jalolov and looking at him I know he’s an Olympic champion, but he never had an opponent like me. He never faced someone who’s as hungry and who can take a punch and can give a punch back and come forward the whole time. So we’re going to see on Friday what he’s all about. I think I have more experience in the heavyweight ranks than him, and I believe I have more strength and power than him and better fitness. It’s going to be a great fight.
“This is a big opportunity to show the American fans what I’m all about. In the Frank Sanchez fight (UD loss in 2019), I had way less experience than I have now. I got a new trainer (Ivan Filipović) and we’ve been working on a lot of things and I’ve proven that I’m a different fighter now than I was back then. Now I’m much more of an aggressive fighter and smarter when I fight.
“I’ve always been a basketball fan and a big Michael Jordan fan. My dream was to get into the NBA, so I came to the United States and played college basketball. I even wanted to be an NBA draft pick but I signed with a manager who advised me to play overseas so I played in Italy, Belgium, France. I had a good basketball career, but I got into a car accident and injured my left knee badly so I had to say goodbye to basketball. I gained a lot of weight, so I started boxing to lose weight and I was starting to build muscle that I didn’t have so I tried it out and I loved it. It’s my last chance to make it in sports so I went for it.”
George Arias
“This fight is just like most of my other fights. I always look at it as every guy that I’m fighting is a world championship fighter. I don’t ever look at anybody and treat them as a stepping-stone. I’ve always gotten ready the right way and taken them very seriously because everybody who gets in front of me is somebody that’s trying to disrupt my journey. I take it seriously and I’m always very grateful for every opportunity.
“To be honest, I can’t think that this fight card being during Hall of Fame weekend will be a factor for me. Once I’m in the locker room and I’m getting wrapped up, this is all I can think about. It’s the only thing. Now, it is very nice that the Hall of Fame is going on at the same weekend but as far as I’m concerned, I’m just thinking that I’m going up against a monster and I can’t afford to glamorize what possible meaning the weekend might have in store for other people. For me, it’s a war.
“I’ve studied guys before, and then when I fight them, they’re nothing like what I studied. So I’ve gotten used to not trying to put people in a box based on their previous fights. So I think it will take a round or two of me seeing him in person before I figure him out.
“One thing that has helped me improve is that I had to admit to myself, ‘I may not be the biggest puncher.’ So I can’t stand toe-to-toe with guys thinking that I’m going to get one big punch on them. I believe that by understanding that my footwork, my jab and my boxing is really my forte and would allow me to establish myself more and more. The biggest learning experience has been that I’m not a knockout puncher as much as I am a boxer and if I’m going to hurt you, it will probably be in the later rounds.”
Alante Green
“When I heard about the change in opponents, I said, ‘Bring it on.’ I trained hard for this fight so I’m ready for this opportunity. Camp went really well. I’ve been getting great sparring. I’m in great shape so it really hasn’t been a change for me at all. I’ve fought on the same card as Arias before, and I don’t believe that he’s anything that I haven’t seen before.
“We’ll see how it goes after I get this win whether or not I stay at heavyweight. If it makes sense, then yes, we’ll take every opportunity. That’s always been the plan. After I win a title at cruiserweight, go back up to heavyweight. I think that if it makes sense, I’ll definitely stay at heavyweight. But for right now, I’m really a cruiserweight. That’s what I prefer to be. I look leaner. I’m faster and stronger than all of my opponents.
“I didn’t start boxing until I was 18. Before boxing, I played football. When I was in high school, I had a boxing coach come in and we did a couple classes. After I graduated, I finally had the time and started training. It’s been up ever since then.
“When I switch up to southpaw, it really just happens naturally. I’m a big Terence Crawford fan, so I saw him doing it. I always tried it in sparring and in training. I’m pretty comfortable on both sides.”
Tyler Tomlin
“There’s always pressure to leave a lasting impression. You want to get in there and not just get the win, but leave people with an image that will last and put you in the conversation with a lot of these other top prospects. Obviously, we want to get the win and stick to the game plan, but if I see an opportunity to dazzle, I’m going to do that.
“This is my first TV fight but I’ve fought on some undercards in Vegas. But this is my first time on a big show with the big cameras and the big crowds. I’m used to the big crowds because I do have such a big fan base at home. But you add TV to it and that adds a little bit of pressure. But I’m used to it and I’m just going to get in there and take it like another day at the office for me.
“There are some things I do similar [to Caleb Plant]. Some of the outside work, some of the defense stuff. But he’s more of a slick boxer, which I’m working on myself trying to work on being more of. I’m still a young guy and working to add that. I’m still more of a pressure fighter just because my body isn’t as long and slick as Caleb’s is. When I was young, I was just a puncher and come-forward, really reactive fighter. But as I get older, and as the competition gets better, I’m going to have to be better at easing my mind and get my ring IQ up and putting things together.
“I think Thonson is my toughest test to date, and it’s a test I welcome. My prediction is a fifth, sixth-round TKO. That’s how I see it playing out in my head. If I have to go the eight rounds and get the win that way, I’m ready for that. But if I can get him out of there, I want to.
“I’m just a white kid from Tennessee who’s supposed to be this pretty boy. I’ve heard it all, ‘He’s not that good, he’s not all that.’ I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder. When I get in there I plan to go in and prove myself. I’ve said that a lot in interviews – that I am for real and I’m not just a pretender and a pretty face who can get in front of the camera and talk well. I’m a fighter.”
Chann Thonson
“There was a time before my last fight that a sensation came over me and I realized that I had lost my love for boxing. But after I won, I was able to regain that fire and know that that feeling should be with me all the time, which is the way I am feeling right now. So it’s amazing.
“All due respect, but there’s nothing specific about my opponent that I am worried about. I believe I am the superior fighter. We will see what kind of power he has during the fight. I believe I’ll be able to break him down, to be honest
“I’m expecting a chess match. Once he realizes he can’t win a chess match against me, he will know he has to fight and that will just put him in deeper trouble.
“He’s going to have to have a lucky shot to win, but at the same time I’m prepared to take a shot. I don’t see him having an advantage at all. As long as I do what I need to do then the fight should heavily fall into my favor.”