Following his exciting 10-round battle with Raymundo Beltran in May in a bout which marked his debut on the hit series ShoBox: The New Generation, NABO Lightweight Champion Sharif “The Lion” Bogere will return to the SHOWTIME® airwaves on Friday, October 7 to defend his title against fellow unbeaten Francisco Contreras at the Dallas Events Center at Texas Station Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. in a rare battle of young, undefeated prospects. Unbeaten Jermell Charlo takes on Francisco Santana in another compelling match-up of prospects on the rise.
“The fans saw what I could do in my last ShoBox fight against Beltran and I promise that they will get more of the same on October 7,” said Bogere. “I am not going to stop punching until I get a world championship and right now, Contreras is in my way.”
“I’d like to thank SHOWTIME and Golden Boy Promotions for this opportunity, and I definitely won’t disappoint them or the fans when I fight Bogere,” said Contreras. “This is the fight I’ve been waiting for, to show the world how I fight on the big stage and it’s going to be a great night for me on October 7th.”
“ShoBox is known for showcasing the top prospects in the sport in competitive fights and this is a prime example of that commitment,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Bogere and Contreras are two of the top rising, unbeaten stars at 135 pounds and everyone is expecting a fight to remember on October 7.”
“This is a main event that I’m looking forward to as much as any this ShoBox season,” said SHOWTIME boxing analyst Steve Farhood. “It will be the speed and quickness of Bogere vs. Contreras’ power. Bogere proved his heart and fighting spirit against Raymundo Beltran in his ShoBox debut and we got a brief glimpse of Contreras on ShoBox in 2010 where he was spectacular. It’s a sensational matchup of undefeated lightweights.”
Bogere vs. Contreras, a 10-round bout for the NABO lightweight championship and Charlo vs. Santana, an eight round junior middleweight bout, are presented by Golden Boy Promotions and will be televised LIVE on ShoBox: The New Generation at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) on SHOWTIME.
Tickets, priced at $25 and $50, go on sale Friday, Sept. 23 at the Texas Station Rewards Center or through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
A native of Uganda who captained his country’s national boxing team, Sharif “The Lion” Bogere (20-0, 12 KO’s) relocated to the United States in 2008 to continue his career as a professional. Known for his aggressive style, knockout power and extravagant ring entrances, he quickly became a favorite in his adopted home of Las Vegas. As he progressed up the lightweight ladder, Bogere defeated tougher competition, including prospects Rodolfo Armenta and Jose Hernandez, as well as veterans Ilido Julio and Shamir Reyes. In May of 2011, the 22-year-old went the 10-round distance for the first time, outlasting the tough Raymundo Beltran to win a unanimous decision and the vacant NABO title. On October 7, he defends that title for the first time.
Like Bogere, the Dominican Republic’s Francisco Contreras (16-0, 13 KO’s) was a stellar amateur, compiling a reported 350 wins while earning a place on the Dominican Republic National Team. In 2007, he turned professional in his home country and proved to be too much for the local competition, going 7-0 with seven knockouts. In September of 2008, he won his first professional title, the WBC CABOFE belt and then began competing in the United States. His string of excellence has not stopped, as he has compiled four first round knockout wins to increase his record to 8-0 in the United States. In his last bout on March 18, 2011, Contreras decisioned veteran Adolfo Landeros and he’s looking forward to keeping his “0” intact while capturing the NABO title in his Las Vegas debut in October.
21-year old junior middleweight phenom Jermell Charlo (15-0, 7 KO’s) has been on the radar of boxing fans ever since his teenage years as a stellar amateur in Houston, Texas. Now 15 fights into his professional career, the anticipation for Charlo’s fights has grown even higher. In November of 2010, Charlo made a huge statement with his near shutout victory over previously unbeaten prospect Luis Grajeda, and after defeating Larry Smith in his most recent bout in June, he will look to take out another up and comer in Francisco Santana.
Fighting out of Santa Barbara, Calif., Francisco Santana (12-2-1, 6 KO’s) earned his reputation as a rising star on the always competitive California fight scene where he has consistently tested himself against solid competition. A professional since 2005, the 25-year-old owns a 2009 win over 7-0-1 Antonio Johnson and in 2011, he stopped Adan Leal in a single round and drew with 6-0 Julian Williams. The next “0” he wants to rtarnish is that of highly touted Jermell Charlo.
