In the midst of a sizzling summer season of boxing, Golden Boy Promotions will turn up the heat at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California on Friday, August 9 with a ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader featuring one of the hottest heavyweights in the game, unbeaten knockout artist Deontay Wilder.
In a 10-round main event, Alabama’s Wilder puts his perfect 28-0 record on the line against former Heavyweight World Champion Sergei Liakhovich. In the co-featured bouts, unbeaten lightweights Francisco Vargas of Mexico and Cincinnati’s Brandon Bennett meet in a 10-round match-up and Houston’s undefeated Jermall Charlo risks his unblemished record against Miami veteran Antwone Smith in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.
The only member of the 2008 United States Olympic boxing team to win a medal at the Beijing Games, Bronze Medalist Deontay Wilder (28-0, 28 KO’s) has soared up the heavyweight ladder since turning pro, not letting any of his opponents hear the final bell. His devastating power punching attack has made him a must-see for fight fans. After his 70 second destruction of British star Audley Harrison in April, he’s more than ready for a step up against former World Champion Liakhovich.
A native of Belarus now making his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, Sergei Liakhovich (25-5, 16 KO’s) has been one of the most respected heavyweights in the world for years, with his win over Lamon Brewster in 2006 earning him the WBO Heavyweight World Championship. Since losing the belt to Shannon Briggs later that year, the 37-year-old has done battle with Nikolay Valuev, Evans Quinn, Robert Helenius and Bryant Jennings. On August 9, he’ll step between the ropes in an attempt to stop Wilder’s meteoric rise.
2008 Mexican Olympian Francisco Vargas (16-0-1, 13 KO’s) may have gotten off to a late start as a pro, but he’s made up for lost time in impressive fashion, particularly with a 2012 campaign that saw him go 6-0 with five knockouts. 2013 has gotten off to a fast start as well, with the 28-year-old Mexico City native having already stopped Ira Terry and Cristian Arrazola in January and May respectively.
A decorated amateur with several medals in prestigious competitions such as the National Silver Gloves and National Junior Olympics, Brandon “Untouchable” Bennett (15-0, 7 KO’s) is the latest standout from Cincinnati to make his mark in the pro game, and at 25-years-old, the talented southpaw is ready to make his move on the top guns at 130 pounds beginning with Vargas.
Long considered one of the top prospects at 154 pounds, Houston’s Jermall Charlo (14-0, 10 KO’s) has picked up the pace considerably in 2013, clearly living up to all that potential. 4-0 with four knockouts thus far this year, the 23-year-old has ripped through everyone placed in front of him and he expects to do the same against Smith on August 9.
Coming off of two big wins over unbeaten Ronald Cruz and former World Champion Jose Luis Castillo, Miami’s Antwone “The Truth” Smith (23-4-1, 12 KO’s) is starting to hit his stride as a legitimate junior middleweight threat. A pro since 2006, the 26-year-old has been in the ring with former World Champion Kermit Cintron, Henry Crawford and Richard Gutierrez, clearly making him Charlo’s toughest test yet.
