SHO’s Prospect Factory Churns Through Milestone Anniversary

By Lyle Fitzsimmons

Saturday night was a big HBO boxing night.

But one night earlier, it was all about Showtime.

The network’s 15th anniversary broadcast of ShoBox: The New Generation took place Friday night from Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Conn., and ringside analyst Steve Farhood -- who’s now worked each of the 219 shows since July 21, 2001 -- said the mission statement hasn’t changed.

The first fight on the series was John Molnar scoring a technical decision over Victor Rosado. In the initial show’s main event, lightweight Leo Dorin stopped Martin O'Malley in the ninth round. Six months later, Dorin won the WBA lightweight crown, becoming the first ShoBox fighter to win a world title.

These days, the series’ travel log includes 71 cities, 26 states and eight countries.

Friday’s show featured undefeated 122-pounder Adam Lopez against Roman Ruben Reynoso fighting to a split draw in their 10-round main event. In an eight-round co-feature, super middleweight Jerry Odom stopped Julius Jackson in three rounds.

Two other scheduled eight-rounders rounded out the telecast, including O’Shaquie Foster dropping a split decision to Rolando Chinea in a lightweight fight and previously unbeaten Khiary Gray-Pitts falling in two rounds to Ian Green in a 154-pound opener.

“I believe ShoBox is a worthwhile watch today for the same reason it's always been a worthwhile watch. If you want to see tomorrow's champions, this is the place to do so,” Farhood said.

“In the beginning of their careers, prospects are often fed subpar opposition. I don't have a problem with that, especially in the first 10 fights or so. But in most cases you're going to see ShoBox prospects matched reasonably tough. And that in itself makes the fights a good watch.

“If you're a baseball fan, how cool would it have been to watch Mike Trout rising through the minor leagues? With ShoBox, dedicated viewers have gotten to do that with fighters like Timothy Bradley, Shawn Porter, Robert Guerrero, Andre Ward, etc.”

Sixty-seven fighters on the series have become world champions and another 75 fighters who appeared have fought for a title, and no fewer than 150 fighters have suffered their first loss.

In fact, there have also been 11 fighters who lost on ShoBox and went on to become world titlists – including Luis Collazo, Robert Guerrero, Eric Aiken, David Diaz, Isaac Hlatshwayo, Cornelius Bundrage, Rodrigo Guerrero, Ishe Smith, Gamaliel Diaz, Mickey Bey and Badou Jack.

And Farhood claimed some of the future champions seemed far less than a sure thing.

“Kermit Cintron was so nervous in his ShoBox debut that I thought he'd freeze when fighting for the highest stakes, but he made it all the way to a title,” he said. “K-9 Bundrage and Luis Collazo were both stopped in their ShoBox debuts, so their ultimate success was a bit of a surprise. But the best surprise of all was Ishe Smith, who overcame so much before winning his world title. He's my personal favorite of all the ShoBox fighters, and the poster boy for the series.”

The series grind is a full-time occupation for Farhood, a former magazine editor who says hours of research – initially via VHS tapes and now typically on YouTube – go into every episode.

And if footage isn’t available, he dips into his pool of fight contacts.

“In that case, I'll make a phone call or two and find out what I can from people who've seen him fight. That's a rare occasion, however,” he said.

“A day before the show, we sit down with the fighters and interview them. After that's done, we have a decent idea what we're dealing with. In addition, I'll compile the Behind the Numbers info, write a preview article for Showtime's Boxing Blog, study the format, help out on the script and share storyline ideas with the rest of the staff.
 
“For me, preparation is everything. Without it, I'd never feel comfortable on air.”

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This week’s title fight schedule:

WEDNESDAY
WBO bantamweight title – Site TBA, Thailand
Pungluang Sor Singyu (champion/No. 5 IWBR) vs. Marlon Tapales (No. 1 WBO/No. 13 IWBR)
Sor Singyu (52-3, 35 KO): Second title defense; Zero losses since 2014 (6-0, 4 KO)
Tapales (28-2, 11 KO): First title fight; Sixth fight outside the Philippines (4-1, 2 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Tapales is a young guy, a southpaw and on a bit of a winning streak, but I won’t believe he can beat a guy on the champion’s level – on his turf – until I see it. Sor Singyu by decision

FRIDAY
IBO super featherweight title – Johannesburg, South Africa
Jack Asis (champion/No. 32 IWBR) vs. Malcolm Klassen (No. 9 IBO/Unranked IWBR)
Asis (35-18-5, 18 KO): First title defense; Eighteen losses between 2002-11, none since (14-0-1, 8 KO)
Klassen (32-6-2, 17 KO): Sixth title fight (2-3); Two reigns as IBF champ at 130 (zero defenses)
Fitzbitz says: As much as I like the Australian’s resurgence and his nickname (“Assassin”), he’s simply not accomplished the things Klassen has. Unless the South African has faded, he’ll win. Klassen by decision

WBC light heavyweight title – Quebec City, Quebec
Adonis Stevenson (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Thomas Williams Jr. (No. 8 WBC/No. 14 IWBR)
Stevenson (27-1, 22 KO): Seventh title defense; Stoppages in 12 of last 14 wins (56 total rounds)
Williams (20-1, 14 KO): First title fight; Three straight wins since lone career loss
Fitzbitz says: I want to believe in Williams. I think Stevenson has leveled off after a few years at the top. But the stoppage loss to Campillo scares me. That’ll be what makes me regret the pick. Williams in 8

SATURDAY
WBA featherweight title – Brooklyn, New York
Leo Santa Cruz (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Carl Frampton (No. 2 WBA/Unranked IWBR)
Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KO): Second title defense; Former champ at 118 (IBF) and 122 (WBC) pounds
Frampton (22-0, 14 KO): Fifth title fight (4-0); Eighth fight above 122 pounds (7-0, 5 KO)
Fitzbitz says: I’ve never picked against Frampton. And part of me sees him using speed and legs to win a boxing match. But more of me sees Santa Cruz wearing him down and winning late. Santa Cruz in 10

Last week’s picks: 3-0 (WIN: Guzman, Crawford, Valdez)
2016 picks record: 56-11 (83.5 percent)
Overall picks record: 788-259 (75.2 percent)

NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.

Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.