Corrales Scores Third
Round TKO, Smith Stays Unbeaten
Photos © Tom Casino/Showtime
Bouts Will Be Replayed
Today On SHOWTIME TOO At 11 PM ET/PT, Saturday, April
26, On SHOWTIME At 6 PM ET/PT And Monday, April 28,
On SHOWTIME TOO At 8 PM ET/PT
GULFPORT, Miss. (April 25, 2003) - Former International
Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight champion
Diego "Chico" Corrales registered a third-round
TKO over Felix "The Cat" St. Kitts as "ShoBox:
The New Generation" kicked off its second season
Thursday on SHOWTIME. In the co-feature, undefeated
Ishe "Sugar Shay" Smith won an impressive
10-round unanimous decision over World Boxing Council
(WBC) Continental Americas Super Welterweight Champion
Sam Garr in a non-title bout. The doubleheader from
the Grand Casino Gulfport in Gulfport, Miss., was promoted
by Gary Shaw Promotions, LLC, and aired live on SHOWTIME
at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The fight card was the 28th in a series
of "ShoBox" telecasts that began on July 21,
2001.
Corrales
(36-1, 30 KOs), of Sacramento, Calif., utilized
his huge advantages in height and reach to dominate
from the outset. Landing almost every punch he threw,
he knocked down St. Kitts three times in the third round.
The one-sided bout was stopped at 1:36. The confident,
hard-hitting Corrales floored St. Kitts the first time
with a big hand. St. Kitts was put down by a flurry
of punches on the two other occasions. The victory was
the third in a row inside the distance for Corrales
since he returned to the ring after a well-documented
two-year hiatus due to personal, managerial and promotional
problems.
In his first comeback effort, Corrales, who captured
the IBF junior lightweight title with a seventh-round
TKO over Robert Garcia on Oct. 13, 1999, and made three
successful defenses, scored a fifth-round TKO over Michael
Davis Jan. 25, 2003, on SHOWTIME in Atlantic City. The
following Feb. 22, Corrales triumphed by first-round
TKO over Roque Cassiani in Memphis. Corrales' lone loss
came on Jan. 20, 2001, when he fell to unbeaten Floyd
Mayweather.
Kitts (12-4-2, 7 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y., by way of St.
Kitts, Puerto Rico, tried to box on the inside but Corrales
was simply too big and tall. The setback was the second
straight for St. Kitts, who began his career 9-0-1.
Smith
(11-0, 6 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nev., was victorious
by the near-shutout scores of 100-90 and 99-91
twice. The strong, offensive-minded youngster had never
fought more than six rounds, but he showed excellent
stamina throughout as he wore down Garr by consistently
connecting with combinations to the body and head. Smith
is hopeful of becoming the first boxer born and raised
in Las Vegas to win a world title.
Garr (32-7, 28 KOs), of Quincy, Ill., was game and
gave his best, but was outgunned as he suffered his
second consecutive defeat. On Feb. 14, 2003, he had
a three-fight winning streak end when he lost to Christopher
Smith on a 10th-round TKO in Louisville, Ky.
"ShoBox: The New Generation" features up-and-coming
prospects determined to make a mark and eventually fight
for a chance at a world title. The best of the new generation
of hungry, young boxers will have an opportunity to
showcase their talent and heart as they battle each
other in competitive fights in front of a national television
audience. "ShoBox: The New Generation" is
pure, basic boxing, reminiscent of the golden days of
the sport.
SHOWTIME will televise "ShoBox: The New Generation"
at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Thursdays every other week. The
telecast will repeat the next day, Friday, on SHOWTIME
TOO at 11 p.m. ET/PT. It also will air the following
Saturday on SHOWTIME at 6 p.m. ET/PT and the following
Monday on SHOWTIME TWO at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
The next "ShoBox" telecast is May 8 from
Widnes, England.
Nick Charles called Thursday's action from ringside,
with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive
producers of the telecast were Jay Larkin and Gordon
Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.
For information on upcoming "ShoBox: The New Generation"
and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including
complete fighter bios, records and related stories,
please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.
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