Showtime Boxing: Malcolm Tann Will Step In Against Chris Arreola On ShoBox!

Malcolm “The Show Stopper’’ Tann (23-2, 12 KOs) has signed to fight hard-hitting, undefeated heavyweight Cristobal “The Nightmare” Arreola (19-0, 17 KOs) in an eight-round bout Friday, May 4 on “ShoBox: The New Generation,” it was announced Tuesday.

Tann, who has never been knocked out, replaces Devin Vargas, who was forced to withdraw after hyper-extending his elbow during a recent sparring session. The six-foot-six-inch, 28-year-old Tann has won his last seven fights in a row, and 15 of his last 16.

In the “ShoBox’’ main event, undefeated “Fast” Eddie Chambers (28-0, 16 KOs) will face Dominick “The Southern Disaster’’ Guinn (28-4-1, 19 KOs).

The doubleheader, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions from Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., will air on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Tann, of Chandler, Ariz., by way of Seaboard, N.C., will make his second “ShoBox” start. In a smashing debut, he scored two second-round knockdowns en route to an impressive second-round technical knockout over previously unbeaten Leroy Childs (11-0 going in) on April 1, 2005.

A late bloomer, Tann went 57-14 in the amateurs and won the 2002 National Golden Gloves title as a super heavyweight. He began boxing during a six-year stint in the Air Force in which he was a senior airman during “Operation Enduring Freedom’’ in Afghanistan.

“A couple guys and I were in the community room,’’ he said. “This guy had some boxing gloves and we put them on and started swinging. I dropped everybody. It was sort of like the “Toughman’ of our hall. Everybody said I should take up boxing, so I did. And hey, look what it has blossomed into.’’

Tann is coming off of a six-round majority decision over Wade Lewis on March 9, 2007, at Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Former two-time world heavyweight champion Chris Byrd will serve as special guest commentator on the telecast, joining “ShoBox” announcers Nick Charles (blow-by-blow) and Steve Farhood (color analyst).

For information on “ShoBox: The New Generation” and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios, records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.