HINCKLEY, Minn. – It was a cold night in Minnesota, but there were two action packed, sizzling fights on Friday night’s ShoBox: The New Generation.
Alfredo Angulo stormed into the ring against Ricardo Cortes an undefeated prospect fresh off an impressive first round TKO with another tough challenge in front of him. He walked out victoriously once again, his unblemished record intact, with another knockout in the first stanza and world title hopes in his near future.
In the co-feature from the sold out Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minn., undefeated prospect and 2004 United States Olympian Mickey Bey, Jr. remained unbeaten by defeating late replacement Roberto Acevedo with an 8-round unanimous decision.
Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, presented the exciting doubleheader, which aired on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Angulo (12-0, nine KOs), matched against a tough opponent with an impressive record, was the aggressor from the outset. Less than a minute into the fight, the 25-year-old, Mexican-born prospect staggered Cortes (22-2, 15 KOs) with a left then knocked him down with a powerful right. Angulo continued with great left, right combinations, and Cortes had trouble keeping up with ferocious attack. Another powerful right hook from Angulo sent Cortes to the canvas for the second time, ending matters at 1:59 of the first round.
“I wanted to get as much work as possible in there and gain more experience,” Angulo said. “But it happened so fast and I am very happy.
“Cortes had a great record and I knew he was a tough fighter. I trained hard for him so I was really comfortable in there. I want to go back to the gym and get ready for my next fight.”
Angulo did all the right things, violating Cortes’ space and landing a flurry of devastating punches to his opponents head. He hopes to fight again on SHOWTIME, and a convincing win against a veteran opponent who may try to use Angulo’s aggressive style against him could catapult him into title contention.
The 27-year-old Cortes of San Jose, Calif., by way of Mexico, felt that he got up in time and that referee Mark Nelson should have let the fight go on.
“I absolutely could have kept going,” a confident Cortes said. “He stopped the fight too quickly. I was back up and ready to go.”
While the Angulo-Cortes matchup was slugfest from the start, the Bey and Acevedo bout was an aggressive struggle for Bey who couldn’t hit stride against the southpaw.
The 24-year-old Bey (10-0, six KOs) was effective in the early rounds, landing a handful of sweeping left hooks that staggered Acevedo. As the fight continued, the boxers’ styles clashed and the two either locked up or Acevedo (5-4-3) ducked when Bey got aggressive and tried to engage him
“I don’t blame him for trying to duck out,” said Bey, of Cleveland. “That’s just boxing and that’s his style. But I came here to fight and I came to win.
“I tried to make it a good fight, but he just wanted to fight dirty. The judges saw right through him and I came out victorious. Be on the look out for Mickey Bey, Jr. I’ll be back on SHOWTIME.”
The 21-year old Acevedo, of Puerto Rico, took the fight on a few days notice and disagreed with Bey’s verbal shots.
“That’s just my style; I was just trying to win.” Acevedo said. “He wasn’t the cleanest fighter either. He hit me on the back of the head a few times.”
Popular play-by-play announcer Nick Charles and expert analyst/boxing historian Steve Farhood called the action from ringside. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
Friday’s bouts will re-air this week as follows:
DAY CHANNEL
Saturday, Feb. 2, at 1 a.m. ET/PT SHOTOO
Monday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME
Tuesday, Feb. 5, at Midnight ET/PT SHO EXTREME
Thursday, Feb. 7, at 10 p.n. ET/PT SHOTOO
Available On Demand starting Monday, Feb. 4 and ending Monday, March 3.
Also coming up on SHOWTIME….
In anticipation of the impending Saturday, March 1 rubber match on SHOWTIME between super bantamweight world champions Israel Vazquez & Rafael Marquez, SHOWTIME will re-air both scintillating boxing matches between the offensive-minded sluggers in their entirety tonight, Saturday, Feb. 2 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. The instant classics—titled Marquez-Vazquez I & II—will also air on SHO2 on Friday, Feb. 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
The one-hour telecast includes all the action, drama and the surprising ending of the first fight (Marquez, TKO 7), and moves quickly to the thrilling rematch (Vazquez, TKO 6), which has captured 2007 Fight of the Year honors from virtually every major boxing media outlet.
ShoBox returns Friday, Feb. 29 at Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, Calif., one night before Vazquez vs. Marquez III, live on SHOWTIME. In the main event, IBF featherweight champion Robert Guerrero (21-1-1, 14 KOs) defends hit title against Jason Litzau (23-1, 19 KOs) in a 12-round championship bout live on Shobox: The New Generation (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Guerrero, who’s wife was recently diagnosed with leukemia, fought with newfound determination and wasted no time in his last fight, dropping Martin Honorio with a straight left at the :56 mark of the first round. He will have a tougher time defending his crown against Litzau, who is a big, battle-tested featherweight eager for a world title.
The under-card showcases a 10-round heavyweight rematch with new rivals TJ Wilson (12-1, 8 KOs) and Travis Walker (26-1-1, 20 KOs). In their first meeting, Wilson won an unpopular, controversial 15-second, first-round technical knockout over the previously undefeated Walker. Walker hopes to settle the score the second time around, as he believes the fight was stopped prematurely.
For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive video, photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and EliteXC mixed martial arts telecasts, please go www.SHO.com/sports.
About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talented fighters matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise crowd-pleasing and competitive fights while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik and Malignaggi.