The four boxers who will compete on ShoBox: The New Generation tomorrow, Friday, March 8, made weight on their first attempts Thursday at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif.
Promising unbeaten junior middleweight Hugo “The Boss” Centeno Jr. (17-0, 9 KO’s) of Oxnard, Calif., faces KeAndrae “Lightning” Leatherwood (17-2, 10 KO’s), of Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the main event at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Centeno tipped the scale at the division-limit of 154 pounds while Leatherwood weighed 153.4 pounds.
In an eight-round collision of junior lightweights in the ShoBox co-feature, Braulio “Unstoppable” Santos (9-0, 8 KO’s), of Carolina, P.R., risks his unbeaten record against Kevin “Hostile” Hoskins (7-1, 5 KO’s), of Los Angeles. Santos weighed 127.4 pounds and Hoskins 127.6 pounds.
What the fighters said Thursday at the weigh in:
HUGO CENTENO JR.
“This is such an awesome opportunity I’m getting on Friday and I’m ready to take advantage of it. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to get here this fast. I definitely thought it would take me longer to headline my first fight card on a big television network like SHOWTIME.
“I’m not nervous at all; I know I’m well prepared because my training camp went great. I really want to thank all my sparring partners for the great work they gave me, including (WBO Middleweight World Champion) Peter Quillin.
“The last few weeks I split my time where I sparred. I worked three days a week in Oxnard and three days a week at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif.
“I know Leatherwood is a strong fighter and I’m definitely not underestimating him. Going in, my focus is on what I do best, my game plan and not on what he does or can do. I want to make him fight my fight.
“I’m definitely ready to seize the moment.”
KEANDRAE LEATHERWOOD
“I look at this fight as not only a great opportunity for me, but as my coming out party. This is the kind of fight I’ve been waiting for. A win opens all kinds of new doors for me.
“I want to thank my promoter, Boxing 360, for helping me get to this position, Golden Boy for giving me my chance of a lifetime and SHOWTIME for giving me the chance to display my skills on network television.
“I don’t know much about Centeno. He’s a mystery to me. It doesn’t matter who I’m up against, my mindset is to seek and destroy.”
BRAULIO SANTOS
“I’m very happy to be fighting on SHOWTIME and for the exposure this fight will give me. This is the biggest opportunity of my career. I plan to be at my best.
“I’ve only seen a couple of videos of my opponent. I know he has good power, but I have power, too. When the bell rings, I will just do my work.
“I’m one of many Puerto Rican prospects coming up who wants to become a world champion. Right now, there’s only one current world champion who was born in Puerto Rico and that’s (Ramon) Rocky Martinez. With all the talent out there, Puerto Rico should have more than one home-grown champion.
“I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. It’s because of them that I am on this card after fighting just two weeks ago. I love that I am fighting again so soon.”
KEVIN HOSKINS
“Obviously this is a great opportunity for me and I’m excited about fighting on SHOWTIME. I train hard all the time. I don’t know much about Santos, but I don’t need to know much. When I sign for a fight, I know it’s time to go to work.
“I’m looking forward to going to work on Friday.”
