Showtime Announces Spring Boxing Schedule

Showtime will smash into the second quarter of 2008 this weekend with consecutive live ShoBox: The New Generation and Showtime Championship Boxing telecasts on April 11 and 12, respectively.

America’s No. 1 Boxing Network will continue to enhance its reputation as the place to go for the best boxing on television with a world championship doubleheader on June 7 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville , Conn. , and two outstanding ShoBox telecasts slated for May 2 and May 10.

A glimpse of the five upcoming Showtime boxing telecasts, three of which will include world title fights, follows.

Friday, April 11 — ShoBox: The New Generation 11 p.m. ET/PT
Josesito Lopez vs. Edgar Santana: 10 rounds junior welterweights
James McGirt, Jr. vs. Carlos De Leon, Jr. 10 rounds super middleweights

Exciting prospect Josesito Lopez, 22-2 (13), of Riverside, CA, is stepping up from lightweight to take on the dangerous Edgar Santana, 23-3 (15), of New York, by way of Puerto Rico, in a 10 round junior welterweight bout.

In the co-feature, two sons of former world champions collide as undefeated prospect James McGirt, Jr. (18-0, nine KOs), of Vero Beach, FL., faces his toughest test to date against Carlos De Leon, Jr. (19-2-2, 12 KOs), of Puerto Rico, in a 10-round super middleweight fight.

DiBella Entertainment will promote the fights, which will air from the Miccosukee Casino in Miami , Fla.

Saturday, April 12 – Showtime Championship Bopxing 9 p.m. ET/PT
World Championship Doubleheader
IBF Light Heavyweight Championship: Antonio Tarver vs. Clinton Woods
WBC Light Heavyweight Championship: Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson
From St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL.

International Boxing Organization (IBO) 175-pound champion and former undisputed light heavyweight kingpin Antonio Tarver will square off against International Boxing Federation (IBF) world titleholder Clinton Woods.

In the co-feature, World Boxing Council (WBC) Light Heavyweight Champion Chad Dawson will defend his title against former world champion Glen Johnson. The world championship doubleheader, billed as “TNT: Title Night in Tampa ,” is being promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and AT Entertainment in association with Fight Academy .

Tarver, 26-4 (19), of Tampa , will appear on Showtime for a third consecutive time. A southpaw who owns two victories over Roy Jones Jr., registered a fourth-round TKO over Danny Santiago on Dec. 1, 2007, on Showtime.

Woods, 41-3-1 (24), of Sheffield, England, will make the fifth defense of the crown he won via fifth-round TKO over Rico Hoye on March 4, 2005. It will be Woods’ second start in the United States and his Showtime debut.

In his last outing, the hard-punching Woods retained his crown with a unanimous 12-round decision over former light heavy champ Julio Gonzalez on Sept. 29, 2007, in Sheffield .

Dawson, 25-0 (17), of New Haven, CT, – a ShoBox alum – will defend his WBC belt for a third time since winning it on Feb. 3, 2007. In his last outing, he registered an impressive fourth-round TKO over Epifanio Mendoza on Sept. 29, 2007.

Johnson, 47-11-2 (37), of Miami, by way of Jamaica , is seeking his fourth consecutive victory. The former IBF light heavyweight champ has fought the best in his division throughout his career including title defense victories over Jones Jr. and Tarver.
Friday, May 2 – ShoBox: The New Generation 11 p.m. ET/PT
Andre Dirrell vs. Anthony Hanshaw: 10 rounds super middleweights

In a match-up of top 168 pound prospects, the unbeaten Dirrell, 14-0 (9), of Flint, MI, will take on the once-beaten Hanshaw, 21-1-1 (14), of Warren, OH.

The fight will be promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC. and take place from Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, CA.

Saturday, May 10 – ShoBox: The New Generation Special Edition 10:45 p.m. ET/PT
WBC Super Lightweight Championship: Junior Witter vs. Timothy Bradley
WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator: Carl Froch vs. Dennis Inkin

Witter will attempt to make it three consecutive successful defenses when he takes on the undefeated and championship-ready Timothy Bradley from Nottingham Arena in Nottingham , England .

In his last outing, Witter, 36-1-2 (21), of Bradford , England , finished off Vivian Harris with a stunning, seventh-round knockout. In his outing before that, Witter again looked every bit the world champion that he is by out-boxing Arturo Morua en route to a ninth- round TKO for his first successful title defense.

Bradley, 21-0 (11), of Palm Springs , Calif. , will make his fourth ShoBox appearance. If victorious against Witter, the promising unbeaten will become the 25th ShoBox fighter to win a world title. Bradley, long considered one of the super lightweight division’s top prospects, has won his last two fights by lopsided unanimous decisions.

The 12-round championship fight is promoted by Hennessy Sports.

In the co-feature, the undefeated Froch, the WBC No. 1 super middleweight contender, will battle Inkin, the No. 2 contender in a much-hyped, WBC 168 pound title eliminator. The winner potentially will secure a world title fight against reigning WBC 168 pound champion and future Hall of Famer Joe Calzaghe.

Froch, 22-0 (18), of Nottingham, England , is a big-time boxer with tremendous punching ability. Five of his last six fights have ended via knockout.

Inkin, 32-0 (24), of Hamburg , Germany , has won three out of his last four outings by knockout.

The combined record of the four boxers is a remarkable 111-1-2 with 74 knockouts.

Saturday, June 7 – SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING 9 p.m. ET/PT

World Championship Doubleheader
WBC Super Welterweight Championship: Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora
WBO Welterweight Championship: Carlos Quintana vs. Paul Williams II
From Mohegan Sun in Uncasville , Conn.

Forrest will defend his WBC super welterweight title against Mora and Quintana will look to defend his newly acquired WBO welterweight belt against the boxer he dethroned, the previously unbeaten Williams. The event, will be promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and Fight Nite, LLC, in association with Tournament of Contenders, LLC, DiBella Entertainment and Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Northeast Promotions. It will emanate from Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.

In his last start, Forrest, 40-2 (29), of Atlanta, Ga., continued his rebirth atop the 154 pound division when he successfully defended the WBC belt against Michele Piccirillo with an 11th round TKO on Showtime on Dec. 1, 2007.

Forrest, a former three-time welterweight champion, won the vacant crown with a 12-round unanimous decision over Carlos Baldomir on July 28, 2007.

Mora, 20-0-1 (5), of Los Angeles, won The Contender television series on Oct. 15, 2005 with an entertaining and hard-fought split decision over Peter Manfredo, Jr. The fight with Forrest is exactly what Mora has been aiming for and should prove to be his toughest challenge to date.

The Quintana-Williams bout is a rematch of a WBO welterweight title fight that Quintana won in a shocking upset on Feb. 9, 2008. Williams, who came into the fight confident — perhaps looking past Quintana, an 8-1 underdog, lost a 12-round unanimous decision by the scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113.

Quintana, of Puerto Rico , is 25-1 (19). The only blemish on his record came in a hard-fought bout to Miguel Cotto for the WBA welterweight title on Dec. 2, 2006 on Showtime.

Williams, 33-1 (24), of Augusta, GA , captured the belt with a close decision over Antonio Margarito, who had made seven successful defenses, on July 14, 2007.