ShoBox: The New Generation returns on Friday, Oct. 23, with a quadrupleheader that matches eight young prospects against each other in the toughest fights of their budding careers.
In the main event at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., undefeated Rob “Bravo” Brant (17-0, 11 KOs, 0-3 in World Series of Boxing), of St. Paul, Minn., faces Louis “The Unknown” Rose (13-2-1, 5 KOs), of Los Angeles, in a 10-round bout for the vacant WBC Continental Americas middleweight title.
In the televised co-features, unbeaten Filipino prospect Harmonito “El Huracan de Gensan” Dela Torre (16-0, 11 KOs) will make his U.S. debut against Angel “El Gato” Luna (12-1-1, 7 KOs), of the Dominican Republic; in a heavyweight scrap, undefeated Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (14-0-1, 12 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., will face Akhror “Aha” Muralimov (14-1, 11 KOs), of Houston, Texas via Uzbekistan; and Lavarn “Baby Bowe” Harvell (15-1, 8 KOs) of Atlantic City will face southpaw Samuel “The Main Event” Clarkson (16-3, 10 KOs), of Cedar Hills, Texas, in a light heavyweight match-up. All but Clarkson will be making their ShoBox debuts.
All three co-featured bouts are scheduled for eight rounds.
Brant vs. Rose:
The 5-foot-11½-inch Brant, who turned 25 on Oct. 2, was the 2010 National Golden Gloves champion at 178 pounds and was a member of the U.S. national boxing team. He has won all 17 of his fights since turning pro in 2012, including the last five in a row by knockout. He scored a third-round TKO over Lekan Byfield in his last fight on Aug. 28. Brant currently trains in Dallas alongside top prospect Errol Spence Jr.
The 5-foot-11-inch Rose, is 26 years old and a pro since November 2011. He has beaten six undefeated fighters and is 8-1-1 in his last 10 fights. The lone loss came against highly regarded, unbeaten (and 2011 world amateur champion and 2012 Ukrainian Olympian) Ievgen Khytrov on Nov. 21, 2014. Rose has won his last two outings including an upset sixth-round TKO over previously undefeated prospect Milorad Zizic (11-0 going in) on March 13 and in his most recent outing, a highlight-reel, last-minute eighth-round TKO over Andrew Hernandez on Aug. 15.
Dela Torre vs. Luna:
Dela Torre, a 5-foot-7½-inch, 21-year-old, is considered one of the most promising young talents in the Philippines. After an amateur career that featured 47 wins with 40 KOs and membership on the Philippine national amateur boxing team, Dela Torre turned professional at the age of 17 in January 2012. He recently relocated to Las Vegas, and will be fighting outside of Asia for the first time. Dela Torre has stayed active in the ring, fighting six times in 2012, five times in 2013, three times in 2014, and this will be his third fight this year. In his last fight on June 7, he recorded his sixth consecutive knockout on a fourth-round stoppage over Eusebio Baluarte.
Luna returns to the ring for the fourth time in 2015, having beat Jose Lopez in his most recent bout on June 6 by unanimous decision. Luna fought his first eight professional matches in his native Dominican Republic, winning five by knockout. In his U.S. debut on May 21, 2014, Luna notched a second-round knockout over Joey Arroyo. The 5-foot-5 inch junior lightweight prospect suffered his lone defeat against prospect Tevin Farmer in his second to last bout on April 17.
Miller vs. Muralimov:
Miller, 27, stands six-foot-four inches and has an impressive physique with fast and powerful hands. The former New York Golden Gloves finalist was born and raised in Brooklyn and made his professional debut in July 2009, notching a first-round knockout. This is Miller’s fifth fight of 2015. He won his last three fights by knockout, all within the first two rounds, including a first- round knockout of Excell Holmes in his most recent bout on June 2. While Miller is now fully focused on his boxing career, he comes from an MMA and kickboxing background, having competed 10 times on an international level. Miller has sparred extensively with Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko.
The 27-year-old Muralimov, who was born in Uzbekistan but now lives and trains in Houston, had an impressive amateur career with over 150 fights and world championships at three different divisions. Muralimov suffered the only loss of his career on Feb. 14 via 10-round unanimous decision to tough veteran Derric Rossy. Miller will be just the second undefeated fighter that Muralimov has faced and looks to be his toughest opponent to date. Prior to his loss to Rossy, Muralimov recorded six knockouts in his last eight bouts.
Harvell vs. Clarkson:
Harvell is a 27 year old from the Ventnor Heights section of Atlantic City who has fought sporadically since turning professional in February 2008 (although this will be his third fight this year and he appears to be approaching top form). Harvell has won two in a row since suffering his lone defeat in his 14th fight by a shocking, upset six-round decision to big underdog Edgar Perez on June 14, 2014. In his last bout on Aug. 22, Harvell defeated Quincy Minor by first-round knockout.
The 6-foot-1-inch 25-year-old Clarkson continues to perform with a strong urgency after he’d been mostly dismissed as a legitimate prospect after three disappointing losses on his record. Having since focused on growing as a fighter inside the ring and as a person outside of it, Clarkson has developed a unique blend of speed, power and confidence. He stamped himself as a super middleweight prospect to watch in his ShoBox debut two outings ago when he produced a stunning third-round TKO over hard-hitting, highly regarded Jerry Odom on July 17. In his most recent scrap, he scored a 1:30, first-round knockout over outclassed Rayford Johnson on Aug. 28. Clarkson is a two-time Texas Golden Gloves State Champion and Police Athletic League National Champion at 175 pounds.
