Photos by: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME – WBC Super Lightweight Champion Junior Witter, who weighed in today 139 ½ pounds, squares off with his No. 1 ranked challenger Timothy Bradley, who measured 139 ¼ pounds. Witter and Bradley will collide in a special world championship edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on Saturday night at 10:45 ET/PT on SHOWTIME..
Hard-hitting super middleweight Carl Froch squares off with Albert Rybacki, who he will be facing in the co-feature of Saturday night’s telecast.
Froch, who weighed in at 167 ½ pounds, is the No. 1 ranked mandatory challenger to WBC super middleweight Joe Calzaghe. Rybacki, who tipped the scales at 168 ¼ pounds, is an undefeated and hard hitting late replacement for Denis Inkin.
ShoBox: The New Generation returns to the United Kingdom on May 10, 2008, with an outstanding world title showdown and a promising undercard bout featuring two undefeated prospects. On a special Saturday night edition of the popular, prospect-oriented SHOWTIME boxing series, World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Lightweight Champion Junior Witter will defend his crown for the third time when he takes on WBC No. 1 contender Timothy Bradley at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham, England (same day tape delay at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME).
In the co-feature, hard-hitting super middleweight Carl Froch will be facing late-replacement Albert Rybacki of Poland (15-0, 8 KOs). Froch was added to the card, scheduled for Saturday, May 10, after lightweight contender John Fewkes, complaining of Gastroenteritis, pulled out of his ShoBox co-feature fight with John Murray. The evening of boxing will be promoted by Hennessy Sports.
Junior Witter (WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION)
“Timothy Bradley has had some success already. He’s a young, talented fighter. He’s done quite well for himself, but on Saturday night he’s going to understand what it feels like to be in the ring with a world champion.
“I’ve seen Bradley box. He’s aggressive and active. He’s got quick hands. We have a plan in place that will take him out of his comfort zones.
“Lets be honest; the champion will remain the champion. I’m going out there to deliver some pain.”
Timothy Bradley (WBC 140-Pound NO.1 CONTENDER)
“I can’t wait for the bell to ring. I’m very anxious for my first title fight. People ask me if I’m nervous. It’s a world title fight; I’m itching to get inside the ring. It’s like when you run around in fresh, cut grass. You get that itch.
“During the face off, I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. Saturday, on SHOWTIME, I’ll unleash all of my energy on Junior Witter.
“I’m going to fight a smart fight. We have an elaborate game plan in place. I’m a versatile fighter so we’ve prepared for a lot of things. I’ll know how and when to attack Witter.”
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. To date, 24 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox have advanced to garner world titles includes Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paulie Malignaggi and Paul Williams.
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.