MIAMI, Okla. (April 26, 2012) – All six fighters participating in an eagerly awaited tripleheader on ShoBox: The New Generation tomorrow/Friday, April 27, live on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) made weight on their first attempts Thursday at Buffalo Run Casino.
In the ShoBox main event at Buffalo Run Casino, unbeaten southpaw and IBO super middleweight champion Thomas “Tommy Gun’’ Oosthuizen (18-0-1, 13 KOs) of Gauteng, South Africa, will make his ShoBox debut when he meets Marcus “Too Much” Johnson (21-1, 15 KOs), of Houston, in a 10-round super middleweight bout.
The co-featured bout will match undefeated Luis Orlando Del Valle (15-0, 11 KOs) of Bayamon, P.R., against his toughest opponent to date, Christopher Martin (23-1-3, 6 KOs), of Chula Vista, Calif., in a 10-round super bantamweight battle.
Former international amateur standout and current World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight Youth champion Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza (7-0, 6 KOs), of Caguas, P.R., will open the telecast against Gil Garcia (5-2-1, 1 KO) in an eight-round super featherweight match.
WEIGHTS: Oosthuizen weighed 169 pounds, Johnson 169½; Del Valle and Martin each tipped the scale at 123 pounds; Pedraza weighed 131½ pounds, Garcia 132¼ .
What the fighters said Thursday:
THOMAS “TOMMY GUN’’ OOSTHUIZEN
“Marcus might be hungry for a win but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my hunger. The hunger comes from both sides and I’m still hungry to destroy whatever comes my way.
“I had a great camp in South Africa and I’m peaking at the right time. I feel sensational. Good luck to Team Johnson but I’m here to do a job.”
MARCUS “TOO MUCH’’ JOHNSON
“I’m glad to be back on SHOWTIME. I guarantee you’ll see a totally different ‘Too Much’ tomorrow night. Winning tomorrow night’s fight would mean everything for me and my family. That’s why I’m here.
“A win tomorrow is going to change my family’s life. So I have to knock this guy off his pedestal.”
LUIS ORLANDO DEL VALLE
“I guarantee everybody who tunes in is going to see a great fight. It’s SHOWTIME. It’s my time.
“I hope Christopher Martin has come prepared because I know that I am. I’m the new generation. I’m the new face of boxing.”
CHRIS MARTIN
“Don’t call it an upset when I beat Del Valle tomorrow. It is going to be a good fight. You can expect fireworks. I’m coming off some tough fights but I learned a lot. I need to let my hands go. Round by round, I’ll break him down.
“This challenge helped me keep focused throughout camp. It will show tomorrow in my performance. The pressure is on him. Let him be the favorite. I’ll take the victory.’’
JOSE PEDRAZA
“I’m inspired by the fact that people say I’m the most promising prospect out of Puerto Rico since Miguel Cotto. It makes me work harder for the fans. I’m happy to have those expectations.
“I’ve seen Garcia’s fights. I know his techniques. He’s aggressive but I will tire him out and go after him late.”
GIL GARCIA
“It motivates me to fight a guy like Pedraza. I like challenges. I like to fight the best. That’s what this is, fighting. We fight fights to win and go on to next one. I’m a tough guy. I just like fighting. I don’t care who or where.
“Tomorrow is going to be a war. They are going to see a no-quit guy who won’t stop throwing punches.”
Tickets are priced at $75, $45 and $35 and can be purchased through Buffalo Run Casino by visiting: http://www.stubwire.com/event/shoboxthenewgeneration/buffaloruncasino/miami/3130/.
Mike Crispino will call the blow by blow action on ShoBox with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. Gordon Hall is the executive producer of ShoBox with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, visit the website at http://sports.SHO.com.