The May 13th edition of the hit SHOWTIME series, ShoBox: The New Generation will feature some of boxing’s top unbeaten stars as they risk their “0’s” on a stacked card led by 19-0 Sharif “The Lion” Bogere, 21-0-1 Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell and 15-0 Gary Russell Jr. The action-packed “Night of Unbeaten Stars” featuring these three of ESPN.com’s top prospects to watch for 2011 will take place from Buffalo Bill’s Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nevada.
In the main event, Las Vegas prospect Bogere takes on Hollywood’s “Sugar” Raymundo Beltran in a 10-round battle for the vacant NABO lightweight title. The stacked ShoBox broadcast will also feature Mitchell in a ten round heavyweight battle against Evans “The Sandman” Quinn and Russell Jr. in an eight round featherweight fight against Dat Nguyen.
Uganda-born Sharif Bogere (19-0, 12 KO’s) has been on a fast track to a world title shot at lightweight, and a win over Beltran will move him even closer to his goal. A five-time African champion who now lives and trains in Las Vegas, the 22-year-old is coming off of one of the biggest wins of his career in March, when he knocked out veteran Shamir Reyes in the first round. It was his 10th knockout in two rounds or less and he’s hungry for more early success.
An 11-year professional from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, Raymundo Beltran Jr. (24-4, 16 KO’s) bounced back from a shaky early career start to win 19 of his last 21 bouts. The current USBA Lightweight Champion, the 29-year-old turned away David Torres and Carlos Vinan with seventh round technical knockout victories in his last two fights, and when he enters the ring on May 13, he’s prepared to give the performance of a lifetime against the undefeated Bogere.
A former star linebacker at Michigan State University, Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (21-0-1, 15 KO’s) dropped the pads and helmet and put on boxing gloves, captivating fight fans since his professional debut in 2008. The owner of wins over Johnnie White, Derek Bryant and Taurus Sykes, the hard-hitting 28-year-old has injected life into a division in desperate need of new blood.
Nicaragua native Evans Quinn (20-5-1, 18 KO’s) possesses concussive punching power with both hands, as evidenced by his 90% knockout rate. A seven-year professional, Quinn has battled with the likes of Kali Meehan and former Heavyweight World Champion Sergei Liakhovich, and after scoring back-to-back first round knockouts over Marvin Aguilar and Juan Luis Gonzalez, his confidence is higher than ever entering his May bout with Mitchell.
Featherweight Gary Russell Jr. (15-0, 9 KO’s) went 7-0 in 2010 and he’s already got two wins in the bank in 2011, with a decision wins over highly-respected Feider Viloria in January and veteran Adolfo “Terror” Landeros on April 15. Eager to stay busy, the former U.S. Olympian will be back in action in May against the dangerous Nguyen as he continues to navigate the treacherous waters of the 126-pound weight class en route to a world title shot.
On May 13, former amateur star Dat Nguyen (17-1, 6 KO’s) returns to the ring for the first time since October of 2009 after putting promotional issues behind him and he’s looking forward to picking up where he left off in his quest for a world championship. Winner of six in a row, the 28-year-old native of Ho-Chi Min City, Vietnam is ready to take the next step in his career, and a win over Russell will catapult him into the conversation about the best featherweight prospects in the world.
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Super middleweight Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KOs) has resumed training and is eyeing a summer return, promoter Gary Shaw told ESPN.com. “He is medically cleared to fight and excited that he will be returning to the ring,” Shaw said. “He trains every day in Florida.” Shaw is hopeful of lining up a June or July ring return for Dirrell on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.” Dirrell has been idle since dominating Arthur Abraham in their March 2010 Group Stage 2 bout of Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic. In the 11th round, Dirrell was way ahead on all three scorecards when Abraham was disqualified for knocking Dirrell cold with an illegal blow after he had slipped to the canvas. Dirrell was supposed to face 2004 U.S. Olympic teammate Andre Ward in the next round, but suddenly withdrew from the tournament under a cloud of suspicion. He claimed he still had lingering neurological issues stemming from the illegal blow from Abraham.