Lara and Velasquez Remain Undefeated On ShoBox: The New Generation

LAS VEGAS (April 2, 2010) – Young prospect Erislandy Lara outworked and controlled his toughest opponent to date, Danny Perez, to remain undefeated by unanimous decision Friday evening on ShoBox: The New Generation. In the SHOWTIME® co-feature Carlos Velasquez impressed with a fourth-round knockout over late replacement Ira Terry to also remain undefeated.

The evening of fights took place at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Lara (11-0, 6 KOs) from Miami, Fla., controlled the 10-round junior middleweight bout from the opening bell. The more experienced Perez (34-7, 17 KOs) of Carlsbad, Calif., struggled to find his rhythm and had no answer for Lara’s quick punches and swift footwork. Perez’s corner urged him to throw his combinations and let his hands fly but he wasn’t able to answer their pleas..

Lara refused to back down and was awarded the unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 99-91. After the fight he only had praise for his team and his new trainer Ronnie Shields. “I felt great. I can really feel the difference my new team has made. My preparations were strong and we executed it tonight, especially now that I have Ronnie in my corner. I know my team will guide me to my dream of a world title this year.”

Velasquez (12-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas, started off strong wreaking havoc on Terry’s body with fierce and unrelenting shots, taking away any movement he hoped to have. Terry (24-3, 14 KOs) of Memphis, Tenn., was a late replacement, taking the fight on only five days notice when Velasquez’s originally scheduled opponent Alejandro Perez had to pull out of the fight due to injury.

Ten seconds into the fourth round Velasquez unleashed a hellacious flurry of punches that sent Terry to the canvas where Terry was counted out just 20 seconds into the round. The super featherweight bout was scheduled for eight rounds. After the fight Velasquez spoke about his victory. “I felt great in there. I worked really hard for this fight. I knew he was getting tired because I kept hitting his body with shots. This was the biggest fight of my career. It meant a lot to me because I haven’t fought in a while. But I came back strong with a big knockout.”

Boxing royalty Mike Tyson and Roberto Duran were on hand to watch the night’s fights along with two-time former world champion Fernando Vargas, mixed martial arts star Jason “Mayhem” Miller and kickboxing legend Ray Sefo.

The fights will re-air as follows.

DAY CHANNEL

Monday, April 5, at 10 p.m. ET/PT SHO 2

Friday’s fights will be available ON DEMAND beginning on Wednesday, April 7.

Nick Charles called 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 SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

Lara-Perez, Velasquez-Terry Weights and Quotes

LAS VEGAS.: WEIGHTS (April 1, 2010) – Undefeated Cuban junior middleweight rising star Erislandy Lara weighed in at 156 ½ pounds and the dangerous Danny Perez measured 155 ½ pounds during Thursday’s weigh in at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The two will square off in the main even of a 10-round junior middleweight bout on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME.

Featherweight standout Carlos Velasquez measured 127 ½ pounds and late replacement Ira Terry tipped the scales at 128 pounds. The two will face off in Friday’s eight round super featherweight co-feature.

The doubleheader will headline an exciting night of professional boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate from The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

What the fighters had to say on Thursday:

ERISLANDY LARA:

“I really feel like every fight is a stepping stone to winning a world title. Hopefully, I’ll win my first world title in 2010.

“I just want to prove myself. Tomorrow night is just the beginning. This is just the start of my great career.”

DANNY PEREZ:

“Training has been perfect. My weight is where it’s supposed to be. Fighting on SHOWTIME is perfect for me.”

“I have a lot of respect for my opponent, but once we get in the ring it’s a different ballgame. I trained hard so when we get in there I’ll go at it.”

CARLOS VELASQUEZ

“I want the world, not just Puerto Rico, to know what type of prospect I am. Come tomorrow night, everyone will see what I’ve got on SHOWTIME.”

IRA TERRY:

“I’m just happy and grateful for the opportunity to fight, especially with it being on SHOWTIME. I feel really good, no jitters. I’m ready.”

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/sport.