NOTE: WEIGHTS (Sept. 8, 2011) – Hector “El Flaco” Sanchez (19-1, 9 KOs) and Vincent “Vinsanity” Arroyo (11-1, 7 KOs) both weighed in at the contracted maximum 143 pounds while Lateef “Power” Coyote (17-0, 14 KOs) and Felix “Bad News” Cora Jr. (22-5-2, 12 KOs) both tipped the scales at an even 198 pounds one day before their ShoBox: The New Generation showdowns Friday, Sept. 9, at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) LIVE on SHOWTIME® from the Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minn.
Live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) on SHOWTIME®
Hector Sanchez: 143 pounds
Vincent Arroyo: 143 pounds
Lateef Kayode: 198 pounds
Felix Cora Jr.: 198 pounds
Both main event fighters said Thursday they respected one another but are each predicting victories for themselves.
The co-feature will highlight Kayode in his fifth ShoBox fight in the past 13 months. He debuted on ShoBox a little more than a year ago at this same venue, recording an eighth-round TKO over Alfredo Escalera, Jr., in Hinckley on Aug. 6.
With an eye on fighting current WBA cruiserweight world champion Guillermo Jones from Panama sometime in January, Kayode is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach.
Here are what the fighters had to say on Thursday:
Hector Sanchez:
“I’m very happy to be here and I know I will win by KO in the later rounds.
“He (Arroyo) is an excellent fighter and a very good test for me at this stage in my career.
“I respect him, but I’m ready for anything he might throw at me.”
Vincent Arroyo:
“It’s going to be sensational. I’m going to be sensational. I feel excellent. Training couldn’t have gone better.
“I feel good about my success, but I still have a lot to learn and I still have to train very hard.
“Hector is a good fighter, but he’s got to go because he’s my next victim. I’m the stronger and smarter guy and I’m determined to win.”
Lateef Kayode:
“I trained so hard for this fight and I’m so well-prepared. It depends how he fights. If he runs around and slaps, he might last for a while. If he fights he won’t last.
“He (Cora) makes the same mistake over and over and exposes his chin. I have to capitalize on that because he doesn’t have a great chin.
“ShoBox has really made my career what it is up to this point. I’m just so proud to be back on SHOWTIME. Sure, I’m looking for bigger and better things but I have to be patient right now and realize there isn’t a huge market for cruiserweights like myself in America.
“We’re not looking past Felix Cora. He could present problems being a southpaw, but we’ve studied him and just have to keep to our game plan and we’ll be fine.”
Felix Cora Jr.:
“I feel good and very confident. I won’t make predictions, but it’ll be an entertaining fight. I’ll feel him out early and do my best.
“He’s a great fighter, very tough, well-conditioned and very determined.
“I appreciate him giving me this opportunity and it’ll feel good to be champion.”
ShoBox, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will feature Bernard Osuna calling the action alongside expert analysts Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver. Gordon Hall is the executive producer of ShoBox with Richard Gaughan producing the Rick Phillips directing.