LEMOORE, California (April 1, 2005) – In an intense offensive war, unbeaten Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero defended his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) featherweight title with a 12th round TKO over Adrian “Gallero” Valdez, Friday on SHOWTIME. In the “ShoBox: The New Generation’’ co-feature, undefeated Malcolm “The Show Stopper” Tann scored an impressive second-round knockout over Leroy Childs.. The doubleheader, which took place at the Palace Indian Gaming Facility, was promoted by Goossen-Tutor Promotions and aired at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). It was the 59th fight show in the popular “ShoBox” series.
Guerrero (15-0-1, eight KOs), of Gilroy, Calif., was leading on all three scorecards, 110-98, 109-99 and 108-100 at the time of the stoppage. The overwhelming crowd favorite, Guerrero dominated the fast-paced fight landing his straight left with regularity to begin the fight and added an effective jab in the later rounds. The southpaw pushed Valdez around the ring, stalking his opponent. In the final round, as the action-packed fight hit a fever-pitched pace, Guerrero opened a bloody welt under Valdez’s right eye. Finally, the referee stopped the bout at 1:55. With the convincing victory, “The Ghost” moves closer to a world title bout, possibly in 2005.
Valdez (16-4-3, eight KOs), of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, kept it close in almost every round. The southpaw demonstrated a tough chin and counterpunched effectively. In his best round of the fight, Valdez nailed Guerrero with an uppercut to open the ninth. He followed with two more uppercuts and a straight to seemingly hurt Guerrero. Game to the end, Valdez gave every indication that he could continue the fight at the time of the stoppage as he was still throwing leather.
Tann (15-1, eight KOs), of Seaboard, N.C., threw quick combinations successfully in the bout’s first two rounds. He landed a body shot to send Childs to the canvas in the second round. When Childs regained his feet, Tann sent him crumpling to the mat again with another perfectly placed belt-high body shot. The referee reached the count of 10 after the bell to end the second round. Including his “ShoBox” debut, Tann has won his last seven fights, including a second-round TKO over Innocent, Otukwu, on Feb. 10, 2005, in Lemoore.
Childs (11-1, 10 KOs), of Jefferson City, Mo., indicated that he had been hit below the belt for both knockdowns. He threw quick explosive jabs to rock Tann before the knockdowns. Childs captured the International Boxing Council (IBC) Continental heavyweight crown on June 11, 2004, with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ralph West in Kansas City, Mo.
Nick Charles called Friday’s action from ringside, with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of the telecast is Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.
The two boxers widely recognized as the most talented in the exciting cruiserweight division will square off when undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Wayne “Big Truck” Braithwaite faces his World Boxing Association (WBA) counterpart, Jean-Marc Mormeck, in an eagerly anticipated world title unification bout Saturday, April 2, on SHOWTIME. The division’s most enthralling match-up in years will be shown on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). Don King Productions will present the event.
The next “ShoBox’’ telecast is Friday, April 22, on SHOWTIME features undefeated Paul “The Punisher” Williams and former Olympic bronze medallist Terrance “The Heat” Cauthen in a scheduled 10-round welterweight tussle. In the co-feature from Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif., Jose Antonio Ojeda will trade leather with Rolando Reyes in a 10-round junior welterweight bout. SHOWTIME will televise the Gary Shaw Productions doubleheader at 11 p.m. ET/PT (tape delayed on west coast).
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