Showtime Boxing: James Kirkland – Timothy Bradley

ByBoxing Press

Undefeated, hard-hitting James Kirkland (17-0, 15 KOs) and unbeaten Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley (17-0, 10 KOs) will risk their unblemished records against Billy Lyell (14-3, two KOs) and Michael “Cold Blood” Clark (36-4, 17 KOs), respectively, in the co-featured bouts Friday, Feb. 2, on “ShoBox: The New Generation.” SHOWTIME will televise both contests at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Kirkland and Lyell will collide in a 10-round junior middleweight fight. Prior to the main event, Bradley will square off against Clark in an eight-round junior welterweight match-up. Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, will promote the doubleheader at Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif.

A banger from the Aaron Pryor school, Kirkland, a native of Austin, Texas, looks to overwhelm opponents with brute force and tons of punches. The 22-year-old southpaw with dynamite in both hands has won nine straight by knockout, and is coming off of a fourth-round knockout over David Toribio on Dec. 1, 2006, at Chumash.

Lyell, of Warren, Ohio, is a strong, aggressive-minded, combination puncher who comes to win and makes for good scraps. After a six-fight winning streak ended two outings ago, the 22-year-old rebounded in his last outing to record an eight-round unanimous decision over Jarome Ellis on Nov. 2, 2006, in Washington, DC.

The talented, promising Bradley, of Coachella, Calif., will make his second consecutive “ShoBox” and Chumash appearances. In his network debut on Dec. 1, 2006, “Desert Storm” recorded an eight-round technical decision over veteran Jaime Rangel on SHOWTIME. The 23-year-old Bradley was ahead 79-73 on all three scorecards when the match was stopped due to a cut over Rangel’s right eye.

Clark, of Columbus, Ohio, won his initial 24 fights before losing to then-WBO lightweight champion Artur Grigorian in October 1999. Throughout his career, Clark has fought world-ranked boxers, including former world titleholders Vivian Harris and the late Levander Johnson. Clark, 33, who appeared on the “Contender” television series, scored a first-round knockout over Ricky Alexander in his last start on Nov. 17, 2006, in Chester, W. Va.