Faces Toughest Test In TONY LUIS This Friday, Jan. 17 At COOK CONVENTION CENTER, Memphis, Tenn.
Four-Fight SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION Begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT; Live on SHOWTIME®
New York / Memphis, Tenn. (Jan. 13, 2014) – There is a notion in boxing that the valuable skill of pure power is something you are either born with or you’ll never have. Watch Ivan Redkach for just one round and that pure power is evident. When he lands a punch his opponent’s demeanor immediately changes. If he lands flush his opponents are disconnected from their senses. Redkach’s power and ferocity in the ring are downright scary, leading many boxing insiders to believe that it won’t be long before Redkach is wearing a piece of the lightweight championship around his waist.
ShoBox: The New Generation will kick off 2014 this Friday, Jan. 17, when the promising Ukrainian lightweight, puts his undefeated record (15-0, 13 KO’s) on the line against once-beaten Tony Luis (17-1, 7 KO’s) in the 10-round main event of a four-fight telecast airing live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
Growing up on the rough streets of his native Ukraine, Redkach amassed an impressive 260-40 record as an amateur, which culminated in him being a 2008 Olympic Team alternate for his country. Redkach relocated to Los Angeles and turned pro in November 2009. Since then, Redkach has continued to impress every time he steps into the ring and forced boxing insiders to take notice. Twelve of Redkach’s 13 knockouts have come in three rounds or less, with six coming in the first. Redkach has made ESPN.com’s “Top 20 Prospects to Watch” list the last two years (2012 & 2013) and has garnered rave reviews from a number of esteemed boxing media and personnel.
Redkach knows that an impressive showing against the talented Luis on a nationally televised ShoBox event will take him one step closer to fulfilling his ultimate goal of capturing a world championship.
“This has been the best camp of my life,” stated a confident and focused Redkach. “My team has transformed me into a machine that is built to fight. On Jan. 17, Tony Luis will realize this very quickly and he will feel it in each and every one of my punches. 2014 is my year and I am not going to let Tony Luis stand in my way.”
Manager Larry Army is equally as confident that this will be Redkach’s breakout year and coming out party, proclaiming, “The Chinese have called 2014 the year of the horse, but in boxing, 2014 will be the year of Ivan Redkach.”
In co-featured bouts on Jan. 17, unbeaten junior middleweights John Thompson (14-0, 5 KO’s) and Frank Galarza (11-0-2, 7 KO’s) collide in an eight-round matchup and fast-rising and highly regarded up-and-coming prospect Antoine Douglas (11-0, 7 KO’s) squares off against Marquis Davis (8-0-2, 5 KO’s) in an eight-round middleweight showdown. Opening the telecast will be hard-hitting Maurice Hooker (12-0-1, 9 KO’s) fellow undefeated prospect Abel Ramos (8-0, 4KO’s) in an eight-round junior welterweight matchup.
The card is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with GH3 Promotions, Greg Cohen Promotions and Prize Fight Boxing, and will take place at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn. The SHOWTIME telecast will air live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former World Champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Berto, Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley, Bernard Dunne, Yonnhy Perez, Yuri Foreman, Andre Ward, Cornelius Bundrage, Austin Trout, Rico Ramos and, most recently, Shawn Porter. Follow us @SHOSports or visit us at www.facebook.com/SHOboxing.
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CONTACTS:
Kevin Rooney Jr., DiBella Entetainment: (212) 947-2577
Chris DeBlasio, Showtime Networks Inc.: (212) 708-1633
Annie Van Tornhout, Showtime Networks Inc.: (212) 708-1663
Nicole Chayet, Showtime Networks Inc.: (212) 708-7319
John Beyrooty/Matt Donovan, BZA/SHOWTIME: (562) 233-7477/(818) 462-5613
Media Credentials: kevin@dbe1.com
