SOUTHAVEN, MISS. (July 14, 2010)–- ShoBox: The New Generation headliners Fernando Guerrero and Ishe Smith were joined by co-main event fighters and fellow prospects Shawn Porter and Ray Robinson on Wednesday for a final press conference at The Boiling Point in Southaven, Miss., just two days before the ShoBox tripleheader on Friday, July 16, live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
World-ranked middleweight prospect Guerrero (18-0, 15 KOs) will put his undefeated record on the line against tough veteran Smith (21-4, 9 KOs) in a 10-round bout in the main event of the tripleheader, which will take place at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, just days from the ninth anniversary of the first ShoBox telecast.
And, in emblematic fashion, this edition of ShoBox will feature highly-regarded prospects in the toughest and arguably most important fights of their careers..
Promising, unbeaten knockout artist Porter (15-0, 12 KOs), of Cleveland, Ohio, will face fellow prospect Robinson (11-1, 4 KOs), of Philadelphia, Pa., in a 10-round junior middleweight (catch weight 150 lbs) bout.
Houston’s Lanard Lane (12-0, 7 KOs), another talented, undefeated prospect, will put his perfect record up against Mike Dallas, Jr., (14-0, 5 KOs), of Bakersfield, Calif., in an eight-round welterweight bout.
The tripleheader, which is promoted by Prize Fight, will be the 143rd ShoBox telecast since the series began on July 21, 2001.
Here’s what the fighters had to say at Wednesday’s press conference:
Fernando Guerrero on whether he’ll be looking for a knockout on Friday:
“The only times I’ve ever looked for a knockout, turned out to be my only three decision victories. I won’t look for it. But if it’s there, I’ll take it.”
After sparring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Chad Dawson in his camp for this fight, Ishe Smith spoke about facing Guerrero at this point in his career:
“It’s been 10 years since I turned pro. My second act starts on Friday. I feel no pressure and I’m confident.”
Shawn Porter reacted to people referring to him as a knockout artist:
“I prefer to make it quick work. That makes for excitement. That makes an exciting fight for the fans. It’s an exclamation point on the win.”
Dressed to impress in a full suit, Ray Robinson answered questions about fighting in the Memphis area, where Porter has amassed most of his victories as a pro:
“I’m not here to put another win on (Porter’s) record. I came to win. There are only two fighters in the ring. They can’t bring the whole city in the ring.”
Curt Menefee 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 telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete fighter information and more, please go the SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.
Six Questions With Fernando Guerrero
NEW YORK (July 13, 2010) –- Undefeated Fernando Guerrero will be gunning for his fourth win on ShoBox: The New Generation when he faces veteran Ishe Smith (21-4, 9 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight main event bout of a tripleheader telecast on Friday, July 16, live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). “I have to keep my winning streak on SHOWTIME going,” the 23-year-old Guerrero (18-0, 15 KOs) said. “I’ve had three wins on SHOWTIME and I think I belong there.
The fight will take place at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss., and is being promoted by Prize Fight. Just days away from celebrating nine years on the air, the tripleheader will be the 143rd ShoBox telecast since the series began on July 21, 2001.
Also scheduled, promising, unbeaten knockout artist Shawn Porter (15-0, 12 KOs), of Cleveland, Ohio, will face fellow prospect Ray Robinson (11-1, 4 KOs), of Philadelphia, Pa., in a 10-round junior middleweight (catch weight 150 lbs) bout. Philadelphia’s Lanard Lane (12-0, 7 KOs), another talented, undefeated prospect, will put his perfect record up against Mike Dallas, Jr., (14-0-1, 5 KOs), of Bakersfield, Calif., in an eight-round welterweight bout.
The power-punching Guerrero, of Salisbury, Md., by way of the Dominican Republic, has scored all 15 of his knockouts inside of four rounds. He says he is eyeing a shot at a world title. “One thing that my parents and everyone else I’ve ever been involved with in boxing have said to never set your eyes on a person but on the prize. That prize is the belt,” he said, answering the question of who he would like to face next. “Whoever has that championship belt is the one I want. I think I’ll get my championship shot at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.”
Guerrero recently answered six questions.
Question: Do you have a different approach to the fight when it’s not in your hometown of Salisbury, Md.? Does it make a difference fighting at home?
Guerrero: “Fighting in Salisbury is icing on the cake but I didn’t start out there. I had nine fights on the road before we got to bring it home and four others on the road including a main event on SHOWTIME in Minnesota. I love fighting in my hometown for my fans but it makes no difference where I fight. I look at this as an opportunity to win some new fans in a different place, so it’s all good.”
Question: You are so active in the community. What drives you to volunteer so much of your time to others?
Guerrero: “I do a lot of community service and help out the kids. If there is a race for cancer or anything else I try to help them out. I don’t live for myself, I live for others. I would like to have a little bit more money and give that away but right now what I can give is my time. As soon as I’m done training or get out of the gym I go to the schools to see the kids. It makes me feel good.”
Question: We hear your golf game may need some work?
Guerrero: “(Laughing) Yeah. I just finished 18 holes with my manager Hal Chernoff. He beat me. I’m really not that good. I can’t even break 100. I’m now sneaking to the golf course by myself so I can get some practice in without him knowing. I’m going to surprise him.”
Question: What can you beat him at?
Guerrero: “I beat him in everything he taught me except golf and swimming. We bet on everything we do and I’ve got him in chess, racquetball and basketball and I think I beat him at Ping-Pong. In underwater swimming he went from one side to the other without taking a breath and I couldn’t do it.”
Question: Living so close to Washington D.C., have you taken in all the sites?
Guerrero: “I have. I’ve been to the Smithsonian and a lot of the other monuments. I love it. I get to meet a lot of interesting people living here. I started my own running club called the Potomac Runners and I run with senators and doctors and lawyers. I’m a people person and some of them have come to my fights. I’m just loving my life right now.”
Question: Maybe you could get the President out for a jog?
Guerrero: “(Laughing) Yeah. I haven’t been invited to the White House yet but I hope to someday. I think (Barack Obama) is the man and he’s doing a great job. It’s been a great change for us. He offers hope to a lot of kids who now say, ‘Hey, I can do that now too.’ “
Curt Menefee 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 telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete fighter information and more, please go the SHOWTIME Sports website at http://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 talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches 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, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley, Bernard Dunne, Yonnhy Perez, Yuri Foreman and Andre Ward.
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™, SHOWTIME 2 HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™ and FLIX ON DEMAND®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution which recently launched SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL™. 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®.