NOTE: WEIGHTS (July 30, 2009) – Undefeated, hard-hitting prospect Chris Avalos weighed in at 118 pounds and once-beaten Jose Nieves tipped the scales at 119 pounds during Thursday’s weigh in at the Jockey Club at the Downs of Albuquerque in Albuquerque, N.M.
Unbeaten, hometown favorite Archie Ray Marquez weighed in at 131 pounds and Derrick Campos measured 132 pounds for the ShoBox co-feature..
The first ShoBox telecast of 2010 will mark the return of respected ShoBox play-by-play announcer Nick Charles to his familiar ringside spot.
Charles has been given the OK to return to action following a five-month battle with stage IV bladder cancer. It was announced in August that Charles was taking a leave of absence from his duties at SHOWTIME because of his illness. The last fight he worked was on July 31, 2009.
In the co-feature at Tingley Auditorium in Albuquerque, N.M, local favorite Marquez (8-0, 6 KOs) of Albuquerque will risk his unblemished record against the vastly more experienced Campos (20-7, 11 KOs) of Topeka, Kan., in an eight-round super featherweight bout.
The doubleheader is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.
What the fighters had to say on Thursday:
CHRIS AVALOS:
“I’m going to bring the pressure, but we’ve been working on our defense and sparring against the best, southpaw, orthodox, all of it.
“He’ll switch around on us, but we’re ready for anything he brings.
“I’m not worried about climbing into the top 10. I know that will come. I’m just focusing on my fights.
“I stay focused and give it 100 percent. I’m always focused and never off my game. I do nothing but train and box.”
JOSE NIEVES:
“I’m very motivated for this opportunity and well trained for this fight. If Avalos can somehow beat me, he’ll be a great champ.
“We are ready for everything. I can box, I can be aggressive. We’re ready for a complete fight.
“I’ve been inactive, but I’ve always been in the gym training and sparring.
“I can switch between orthodox and southpaw; it just depends where I am comfortable. We’ll see what happens in there tomorrow night.”
ARCHIE RAY MARQUEZ:
“I haven’t fought in Albuquerque since my first pro fight, but this is just another fight to me. There’s no added pressure. I just think about the guy in front of me and focus on my job.
“People are excited because of what we’ve been doing on the road. No one has seen me fight since I turned pro. Now, they’re excited to see me in action.
“Of course I followed Johnny Tapia growing up, he’s a world champ from Albuquerque. He’s a huge deal around here. It’s a goal to be a world champ like Johnny was, but I want to be Archie Ray.
“Sparring went well, camp went well. We had a six week camp. I’m definitely ready for my first ShoBox appearance.
“I know he’s durable and that he’s never been knocked out. We have to prove ourselves against this guy. We’re not looking for the KO, but, if it’s there, we’ll take it.”
DERRICK CAMPOS:
“I took this on short notice, but I’m ready to fight because I was already in the gym. The short notice shouldn’t hurt me. We had some good sparring leading into this. We’ve had plenty of sparring.
“He had a lot of amateur experience, but that doesn’t surprise me. We’re prepared for anything he brings. We’ll do whatever we need to do to win.
“We’ve been working on a lot of different stuff in the gym. I got a late start in boxing, so I’m still learning. But, we’re ready. I’m here to win.
“I’m ready 100 percent to go eight rounds, but I want to knock him out.”
Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
Prospect Chris Avalos Puts Unbeaten Record On The Line This Friday on SHOWTIME
Promising, undefeated bantamweight Chris Avalos (14-0, 11 KOs) of Lancaster, Calif., will make his main event debut when he when he faces Jose Nieves (17-1-3, 8 KOs) of Carolina, Puerto Rico, in a 10-round match on Friday, Jan. 29, on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME ® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). The first ShoBox telecast of 2010 will mark the return of respected ShoBox play-by-play announcer Nick Charles to his familiar ringside spot.
Charles has been given the OK to return to action following a five-month battle with stage IV bladder cancer. It was announced in August that Charles was taking a leave of absence from his duties at SHOWTIME because of his illness. The last fight he worked was on July 31, 2009.
In the co-feature at Tingley Auditorium in Albuquerque, N.M, local favorite Archie Ray Marquez (9-0, 7 KOs) of Albuquerque will risk his unblemished record against the vastly more experienced, former world title challenger Derrick Campos (20-7, 11 KOs) of Topeka, Kan., in an eight-round super featherweight bout.
The doubleheader is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.
Avalos, 20, who’ll be making his third appearance on ShoBox, was named by several publications in end-of-the-year stories as a Prospect to Watch in 2010. The 5-foot-7-inch youngster has maintained an extremely active schedule since turning pro on Feb. 1, 2008, fighting eight times that year and six times in 2009.
An aggressive fighter with solid two-fisted punching power, Avalos tends to get reckless on occasion and forgets to play defense, but it’s his all-out style that makes him that much more entertaining to watch.
In his last start, the Mike Criscio-managed stablemate of unbeaten two-time light heavyweight world champion Chad Dawson and junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo, registered a second-round TKO over Jose Pacheco on Dec. 4, 2009.
Three outings ago, on ShoBox, Avalos scored a thrilling fourth-round knockout over Giovanni Caro in a slugfest on Sept. 18, 2009, at Santa Ynez, Calif. Avalos registered a second-round TKO over Andre Wilson in his ShoBox debut on July 31, 2009, at Temecula, Calif.
“It’s really exciting to be in the main event on Shobox,” Avalos said. “It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to. Once I heard that, it was crazy. I do nothing but smile. Just watch me grow as I grow. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be here for a long time.”
Nieves is a 5-foot-6-inch, 29-year-old southpaw who turned pro on June 22, 2001. He went unbeaten in his initial 18 starts (16-0-2) and won 12 consecutive fights between October 2002 and November 2006. But he’s fought just three times since – twice in 2009 and once the year before.
In Nieves’ last outing on July 17, 2009, a fight with Felipe Almanza ended in a three-round technical draw. Nieves unanimously outpointed Jose Garcia Bernal across eight rounds on Jan. 14, 2009.
Marquez has also impressed boxing insiders, who have also tabbed him as One to Watch in 2010. He will be appearing in his hometown for the first time since he turned pro at the Tingley Auditorium on Jan. 12, 2007.
The 5-foot-6-inch, 21-year-old Marquez was born and raised in Albuquerque’s North Valley – the same neighborhood that produced world champions Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero.
“I grew up right between Johnny and Danny,” said Marquez, who won a six-round majority decision over Andres Ledesma in his last outing on Dec. 4, 2009.
Marquez is prepared for what likely will be the most dangerous assignment of his young career. “Campos is a durable fighter, but I’m ready,’’ Marquez said.
The 5-foot-5, 28-year-old Campos has won three of his last four, the defeat coming in his last start on a majority 10-round decision to Andrey Isaev on Nov. 7, 2009.
Campos once fought for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) 140-pound title, losing a decision to Dmitriy Salita on Nov. 8, 2008.
Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.