Juarez Remains Unbeaten, Bojado Scores 10th Round TKO Over Santos

The Bouts Will Be Replayed In Their Entirety On SHO2 Tuesday, February 4, At 11 PM ET/PT

02.02 - Three of boxing's most highly regarded young boxers -- Rocky Juarez, Francisco "Panchito" Bojado and Juan Diaz - all registered impressive triumphs in their scheduled 10-round bouts Saturday on SHOWTIME. Juarez, 22, a fast-rising featherweight prospect and 2000 Olympic Games silver medallist, recorded a terrific ninth-round TKO over former United States Boxing Association (USBA) 122-pound champion Jason Pires. Bojado 19, won his second straight fight for new trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., with a dramatic 10th-round TKO over Frankie Santos and Diaz, 19, the youngest boxer to ever appear on SHOWTIME, defeated game, hard-trying John Bailey by seventh-round TKO. The crowd-pleasing bouts, which aired at 10 PM ET/PT from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, were promoted Main Events, Inc.

Juarez (15-0, 11 KOs), of the north side of Houston, Texas, decked the courageous Pires twice before the bout was stopped 16 seconds into the ninth round. In a dominant performance, Juarez dropped Pires in the second and eighth rounds and had him on the verge of going down on several other occasions. The smart, technically proficient youngster has now won six of his last seven fights inside the distance. During an outstanding amateur career, Juarez compiled a 145-17 record. A controversial decision in the championship bout cost the 2000 United States Olympian a gold medal.

Pires (21-3, 9 KOs), of New Bedford, Mass., tried hard but lacked the firepower to keep Juarez off him. Pires, whose only other loses were to world-ranked contenders Arthur Johnson and Oscar Leon, captured the USBA 122-pound crown with a first-round TKO over Andres Fernandez on Aug. 22, 1998. During an amateur career in which he compiled an 85-14 record, Pires won the New England Golden Gloves five times, was a two-time National Golden Gloves silver medallist and an alternate on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team.

Bojado (11-1, 10 KOs), of Los Angeles by way of Guadalajara, Mexico, knocked down Santos with a picture-perfect, devastating left hook early in the 10th. The referee halted the proceedings 45 seconds into the round. The dazzling, lightning-quick Bojado was ahead by the scores of 88-83 and 87-84 twice entering the final round. The victory was his second in a row. Bojado suffered his lone defeat when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision loss to veteran Juan Carlos Rubio on Feb. 16, 2002, on SHOWTIME. Bojado captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) junior welterweight youth crown on Oct. 13, 2001, with a second-round KO over Eleazar Contreras on SHOWTIME. The youngest member of the 2000 Mexican Olympic team compiled an outstanding record of 168-15 with 85 knockouts in the amateurs.

Santos (15-2-2, 7 KOs), of Salinas, Puerto Rico, performed well and was competitive throughout the exciting match until he got caught. In his only other defeat, Santos got nailed with an uppercut from Rogelio Castaneda and lost by fourth-round TKO in a bout for the FECARBOX 140-pound title on June 2, 2001, from Miami.

Diaz (20-0, 10 KOs), of Houston, Tex., connected early and often and was winning handily on all the scorecards when his terrific, non-stop action fight with Bailey was stopped at 2:16 of the seventh. Despite the huge discrepancy in the scores, Diaz could never relax as the courageous Bailey always tried to fight back. In his last start, Diaz, who was 17 when he made his debut on SHOWTIME, scored an impressive sixth-round TKO over Roy Delgado on SHOWTIME Oct. 19, 2002, in Houston.

Bailey (21-10-2, 13 KOs), of Weirton, W. Va., fought with as much courage and determination as one could expect, but he absorbed an enormous amount of punishment. An All-State wrestler in high school, he received his nickname "Macho Midget" for fighting bigger opponents in "Toughman" competitions. Competitive against tough opposition throughout his career, Bailey recorded one of his best victories when he won a 10-round unanimous decision over then-International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 2 contender Joel Perez on Dec. 29, 2000, in Chester, W. Va.

The tripleheader will be replayed in its entirety on SHO2 Tuesday, February 4, at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING's Steve Albert and former world champion Bobby Czyz called the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was Jay Larkin, with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

For information on upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, please go the SHOWTIME website at http:// SHO.com.