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Promising, undefeated bantamweight Chris Avalos (14-0, 11 KOs) of Lancaster, Calif., will make his main event debut when he when he faces Jose Nieves (17-1-3, 8 KOs) of Carolina, Puerto Rico, in a 10-round match on Friday, Jan. 29, on ShoBox: The New Generation live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast.
The first ShoBox telecast of 2010 will mark the return of respected ShoBox play-by-play announcer Nick Charles to his familiar ringside spot.
Charles has been given the OK to return to action following a five-month battle with stage IV bladder cancer. It was announced in August that Charles was taking a leave of absence from his duties at Showtime because of his illness. The last fight he worked was on July 31, 2009.
In the co-feature at Tingley Auditorium in Albuquerque , N.M, local favorite Archie Ray Marquez (9-0, 7 KOs) of Albuquerque will risk his unblemished record against the vastly more experienced, former world title challenger Derrick Campos (20-7, 11 KOs) of Topeka , Kan. , in an eight-round super featherweight bout.
The doubleheader is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.
Avalos, 20, who’ll be making his third appearance on ShoBox, was named by several publications in end-of-the-year stories as a Prospect to Watch in 2010. The 5-foot-7-inch youngster has maintained an extremely active schedule since turning pro on Feb. 1, 2008, fighting eight times that year and six times in 2009.
An aggressive fighter with solid two-fisted punching power, Avalos tends to get reckless on occasion and forgets to play defense, but it’s his all-out style that makes him that much more entertaining to watch.
In his last start, the Mike Criscio-managed stablemate of unbeaten two-time light heavyweight world champion Chad Dawson and junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo, registered a second-round TKO over Jose Pacheco on Dec. 4, 2009.
Three outings ago, on ShoBox, Avalos scored a thrilling fourth-round knockout over Giovanni Caro in a slugfest on Sept. 18, 2009, at Santa Ynez, Calif. Avalos registered a second-round TKO over Andre Wilson in his ShoBox debut on July 31, 2009, at Temecula, Calif.
“It’s really exciting to be in the main event on Shobox,” Avalos said. “It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to. Once I heard that, it was crazy. I do nothing but smile. Just watch me grow as I grow. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be here for a long time.”
Nieves is a 5-foot-6-inch, 29-year-old southpaw who turned pro on June 22, 2001. He went unbeaten in his initial 18 starts (16-0-2) and won 12 consecutive fights between October 2002 and November 2006. But he’s fought just three times since – twice in 2009 and once the year before.
In Nieves’ last outing on July 17, 2009, a fight with Felipe Almanza ended in a three-round technical draw. Nieves unanimously outpointed Jose Garcia Bernal across eight rounds on Jan. 14, 2009.
Marquez has also impressed boxing insiders, who have also tabbed him as One to Watch in 2010. He will be appearing in his hometown for the first time since he turned pro at the Tingley Auditorium on Jan. 12, 2007.
The 5-foot-6-inch, 21-year-old Marquez was born and raised in Albuquerque ’s North Valley – the same neighborhood that produced world champions Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero.
“I grew up right between Johnny and Danny,” said Marquez, who won a six-round majority decision over Andres Ledesma in his last outing on Dec. 4, 2009.
Marquez is prepared for what likely will be the most dangerous assignment of his young career. “Campos is a durable fighter, but I’m ready,’’ Marquez said.
The 5-foot-5, 28-year-old Campos has won three of his last four, the defeat coming in his last start on a majority 10-round decision to Andrey Isaev on Nov. 7, 2009.
Campos once fought for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) 140-pound title, losing a decision to Dmitriy Salita on Nov. 8, 2008.
Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
For information on Showtime Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new Showtime Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports
