World-ranked bantamweight prospect Chris Avalos weighed in at 118 pounds during Thursday’s weigh in at Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minn. Avalos will face fellow unbeaten Chris Martin, 120 pounds, in Friday’s ShoBox: The New Generation main event, LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). Avalos will take his aggressive style and devastating KO power into the ring against Martin, a talented boxer on an eight-fight winning streak.
Lateef Kayode, 198 ½ pounds, will face Alfredo Escalera, Jr., in the eight-round cruiserweight co-feature at Grand Casino Hinckley, in Hinckley, Minn. Escalera, the son and namesake of the former world champion, tipped the scales at 199 pounds during Thursday’s weigh in. The undefeated, hard-hitting Kayode will have his coach and Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach in his corner on Friday night.
Avalos vs. Martin & Kayode vs. Escalera Jr. Weigh-In Photo Gallery
World-ranked bantamweight Chris Avalos measured 118 pounds and Chris “The San Diego Kid” Martin weighed in at 120 pounds during Thursday’s weigh in at Grand Casino Hinckley, in Hinckley, Minn. The hard-hitting Avalos (16-0, 13 KOs), of Lancaster, Calif., by way of San Diego, will face fellow unbeaten Martin (18-0-2, 5 KOs), of Chula Vista, Calif., in the 10-round ShoBox: The New Generation main event THIS Friday, LIVE on SHOWTIME® (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). Martin was two pounds the contracted weight limit, however both fighters agreed to continue with the scheduled 10-rounder. Martin was fined by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Commission for missing weight.
Undefeated, hard-hitting cruiserweight Lateef “Power’’ Kayode, a pupil of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, weighed in at 198 ½ pounds and Alfredo Escalera, Jr., tipped the scales at 199 pounds. The two will face off in the eight-round cruiserweight co-feature at Grand Casino Hinckley, in Hinckley, Minn. The doubleheader is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.
Avalos has been steadily ascending through the ranks and is currently rated No. 5 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and No 11 by the World Boxing Association (WBA). He’ll face one of his toughest tests to date in Martin, a slick boxer who has won eight in a row.
Kayode (12-0, 11 KOs), of Nigeria, will seek his 12th consecutive knockout when he makes his ShoBox debut against Puerto Rico’s Escalera, Jr., 18-2-1, 12 KOs), the son and namesake of the former world champion.
What the fighters had to say on Thursday:
CHRIS AVALOS
“I’m going to take care of Martin. Just watch.”
CHRIS MARTIN
“After tomorrow night, you’ll remember Chris Martin. This is my moment.”
LATEEF KAYODE
“I’m happy and ready for this fight. Tomorrow, I’m going to do my best for everybody watching.”
ALFREDO ESCALERA, JR.
“Everybody likes a redemption story – tomorrow night is mine.”
