06.08.04 – Promising heavyweight contender Samuel Peter pulverized Jovo Pudar to register a 10-round unanimous decision by the scores of 100-90 (twice) and 98-92, Thursday on SHOWTIME. In the “ShoBox: The New Generation” co-feature, Juan Urango and Michail Arnaoutis fought an incredibly entertaining 12 rounds of boxing that brought about a standing ovation from the sellout crowd. The judges scored the slugfest 115-113 and 114-114 (twice), resulting in a majority draw.
The doubleheader, which took place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, was promoted by Duva Boxing and Warrior’s Boxing and aired at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). It was the 48th fight show in the popular “ShoBox” series, which debuted on SHOWTIME in July 2001.
Peter (20-0, 17 KOs), of Las Vegas, by way of Akwaibom, Nigeria, brought his powerful hooks and crosses right to Pudar throughout their 10-round affair. In the third round, a Peter punch bloodied Pudar’s nose. Since turning pro in 2001, 13 out of his 17 knockouts have come in the first or second round.
Pudar (22-3, 12 KOs), of Las Vegas by way of Bosnia, landed a solid straight right to Peter’s face. A winner of 15 of his last 17 bouts, the big, strong, durable fighter has never been stopped. In his last outing, and first since his 14-fight winning streak ended, Pudar registered a first-round TKO over Stacy Frazier on April 15, 2004.
Urango (13-0-1, 10 KOs) of Miami, by way of Cordova, Colombia, was the fight’s aggressor, landing his powerful cross to Arnaoutis’s face, opening a cut over his left eye in the third round. After turning pro in April 2002, the hard-hitting rookie knocked out his initial 10 opponents.
Arnaoutis (10-0-2, 4 KOs) of Vineland, N.J., by way of Athens, Greece, moved fluidly through the ring, almost always eluding danger. He was able to land his jab effectively throughout the fight and his charisma in the ring left the crowd chanting his name. In his previous bout, the well-schooled Arnaoutis tossed his second consecutive shutout by outpointing Marty Robbins from here to El Paso on June 17, 2004, in Glen Burnie, Md.
“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.
Nick Charles called Thursday’s action from ringside, with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of the telecast was Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.
The next “ShoBox” telecast is Thursday, August 19, on SHOWTIME. Highly regarded featherweight contender Bernard Dunne (13-0, eight KOs) will take on Mexican Super Bantamweight Champion Adrian Valdez (14-2-3, seven KOs). In the co-feature, unbeaten Junior Middleweight Matt Vanda (31-0, 21 KOs) wages war with WBC FECARBOX Welterweight Champion Carlos “Bolilo” Gonzalez (53-6-1, 45 KOs).
For information on “ShoBox: The New Generation” and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios, records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http:www.sho.com/boxing.