Showtime Boxing: DeMarco vs. Reyes Headline September 5 ShoBox Card

ShoBox: The New Generation delivers a thrilling night of boxing as the always exciting ShoBox alum Antonio DeMarco faces more experienced Jose Reyes and unbeaten ShoBox alum Yonnhy Perez takes on the aggressive Tomas Rojas, Friday, September 5, live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/Pt, delayed on the west coast.

In the 10 round main event, lightweight contender DeMarco, 19-1-1 (14), of Los Mochis, Mexico, will attempt to score his third ShoBox victory in one year when he takes on WBO Latino Lightweight Champion Reyes, 23-4 (8), of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico.

The 10 round bantamweight co-feature will pit NABF Bantamweight Champion/WBC No. 6 contender Perez, 17-0 (12), of Santa Fe Springs, CA., by way of Cartagena, Colombia, against former Mexican 115 pound champion Rojas, 27-10 (18), of Veracruz, Mexico.

The fights will be promoted by Gary Shaw Productions from the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nevada.

In his last ShoBox outing, DeMarco recorded his eighth consecutive victory by scoring three knockdowns en route to a fifth round TKO over previously undefeated Juan Castaneda May 2, 2008, on Showtime.

ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood praised DeMarco after the bout for a valiant effort. “DeMarco is a pure fighter and a fantastic television fighter,” he said.

Nearly eight months earlier in his 10 round debut on Sept. 7, 2007, DeMarco dazzled the ShoBox audience by scoring an impressive 10 round unanimous decision over fellow-prospect Nick Casal. Making his fifth start in six months, DeMarco opened a brutal cut at the top of Casal’s nose in the seventh round and cut his opponent’s lip with punishing combinations throughout. Two of the judges scored the contest 97-93, while the other had it 96-94.

DeMarco will be taking a major step up when he fights Reyes, who will be his toughest opponent to date. Naturally larger and stronger for a lightweight, DeMarco can use his power against Reyes to control the fight. While Reyes has been down at least five times in his career, he has never been stopped.

If DeMarco can capitalize on his power and stop Reyes, he will prove that he belongs in the upper tier of the lightweight prospects. “I try to use my intelligence in the ring,” DeMarco said. “I’ve got some momentum right now, so I’ve just got to stay smart. Reyes is a dangerous opponent and I need to beat him before I can think about my next move.”

The once-beaten lightweight is known for his aggression and speed, but he knows he needs to keep his head cool and not look past Reyes.

“I want to fight the best and the toughest opponents,” DeMarco said. “Right now, Reyes is a tough opponent because he’s motivated and has five wins in a row. I know it’s important to keep my winning streak alive. I’ve won eight straight. I need to bring my best to Nevada.”

The five-foot-seven-inch Reyes captured the WBO/LA lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Humberto Tapia on March 23, 2007. Reyes has since made three successful defenses of his title. In his last outing on May 16, 2008, Reyes retained his belt with a 12-round unanimous decision over Noe Bolanos in Kissimmee, FL.

A winner of five straight, Reyes has proven that he is fighting better then ever. His experience over DeMarco, having fought 189 rounds to DeMarco’s 73, presents the opportunity to thrust his career into the next level.

Reyes cannot afford to lose this battle and must give a solid performance on ShoBox.

“I’ve won five in a row so I need to keep winning,” Reyes said. “This is a great experience to fight on national television. I’ve studied DeMarco. He’s a very good fighter and sharp puncher if you stand in front of him.

“I don’t plan on letting him control the fight by standing there in front of him. I’ve been working on my range to combat his fast combinations.”

Anxious to get back into the ring and in front of the cameras, Reyes has been training hard in preparation for one of the biggest fights of his career.

“I wish the fight was right now because I’m ready to go,” Reyes said. “I’m the underdog, but this is a big opportunity for me. We’re just excited to fight on Showtime and we want to make the best of it. We want to come ready and make a good showing.”

Perez, a four time Colombian national champion, is big for a bantamweight. His size, strength and punching power proved too much for Alexander Federov in Perez’ ShoBox debut on Oct. 5, 2007. Despite suffering a cut over his left eye in the third round, Perez won all three rounds on the scorecards before the referee stopped the bout 44 seconds into the fourth.

On June 27, 2008, Perez, who also is the WBA No. 8/WBO No. 9/IBF No. 11 bantamweight contender won the NABF bantamweight crown with a 12-round unanimous decision (80-72 and 78-74 twice) over former world title challenger Oscar Andrade.

A 13-year professional, Rojas captured the Mexican 115-pound title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Javier Torres on April 8, 2001, in Veracruz. In addition to three successful title defenses, Rojas also won the IBA flyweight crown by securing a third-round TKO over Alejandro Montiel on May 17, 2002.

Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing. ShoBox recently celebrated seven outstanding years on the air.

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.