Mike Jones, Antwone Smith on Collision Course this Friday
The card of this Friday night's ShoBox: The New Generation telecast on Showtime has been set. The card will come out of the ballroom of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall and will be headlined by hot young welterweight Mike Jones (21-0, 17 KOs). The prospect from Philadelphia will defend his NABA and NABO welterweight titles when he takes on veteran Puerto Rican brawler Irving Garcia (17-4-3, 8 KOs) in the main event.
Garcia was involved in one of the most exciting fights of the year last year when he was in a memorable ShoBox fight against the undefeated Carlos Abregu. Garcia knocked Abregu down twice in the early rounds before being stopped in the fourth round. He's proven that he's not afraid to mix it up against tough, undefeated talent and he should prove to be a tough battle for Jones.
The 27-year-old Jones has fought his way to contention in the welterweight division by beating some tough opponents in the last few years. Among his impressive victories were eight-round unanimous decisions over Germaine Sanders and Gilbert Venegas in 2008, a 10-round decision over tough veteran Lenin Arroyo last year and another 10-round unanimous decision over game contender Henry Bruseles in February. Jones last fought on April 17 when he knocked out journeyman Hector Munoz in the fifth round.
Jones has earned respect with his recent performances. He's currently highly ranked in the welterweight division by all four of the world sanctioning bodies. He is the No. 2 contender for the WBO crown and the No. 3 challenger for the WBA title. In addition, Jones is also ranked No. 7 by both the WBC and IBF. He's also become a very popular fighter in Atlantic City, where he's fought his last five contests. Some members of the media have even suggested that he could become the top local draw in the Atlantic City area since legendary former champion Arturo Gatti. The Atlantic City fight scene has been devoid of exciting, championship level talent for several years now and Jones could be the right boxer to fill that void.
The night's co-feature has another welterweight contender with something to prove, as Antwone Smith (18-1-1, 10 KOs) takes on Lanardo Tyner (23-3, 14 KOs) in a 10-round contest. The Miami-based Smith should be the favourite against Tyner, having beaten some tough opponents on big cards in his current nine-bout unbeaten streak. His most recent victory was a third-round knockout over Franklin Gonzalez in Florida on April 10. Before that, he beat two previously unbeaten prospects in Henry Crawford and Norberto Gonzalez along with tough Colombian fighter Richard Gutierrez. Smith is currently ranked 13th in the welterweight division by the IBF.
There has been much speculation that Smith will be on a collision course against Jones if the two fighters win on Friday night. In order for Smith to stay on track for that bout, he'll have to get past a tough and gritty veteran in Tyner. The Houston native has rebounded with a pair of victories since losing his bid for the NABF welterweight title to top young prospect Saul Alvarez last December. Most recently, he's outpointed Tazrone Washington in Februrary and then knocked out Anthony Middlebrooks on May 22 for the Texas State welterweight title.
The undercard is fully stocked with potentially solid fights. Two six-rounders are highlighted by junior welterweight Ryan Belasco (11-4-3, 3 KOs), who is looking to halt a two-fight losing streak against journeyman Kevin Carmody (10-12-2, 1 KO). Promising young super featherweight Ardrick Butler (5-1, 2 KOs) will also be in action in a six round contest, taking on Manuel Guzman (6-9-2, 2 KOs).
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