By: Matthew N. Becher
This Friday, July 17th, Showtime sports will once again present its young talents on a new edition of ShoBox, live from the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The prospects will be in full force for this edition, as all the televised cards will pit undefeated records against one another. When too many fighters have zero losses it can mean they have been carefully matched along in their respected careers, but on Friday the “0”s will have to go, and none of these fighters are going to let those unblemished records go so easily.
In the first undercard, 24 year old Texan Adam Lopez (12-0 6KO) will take on Eliecer Aquino (17-0-1 11KO) of the Dominican Republic. This will be a step up in competition for both men, and a chance to shine on a national level. Aquino will be fighting for the first time outside of his native Dominican Republic, while the young gun Lopez will be looking for his 5th knockout in his last 6 fights.
The Co-Main will highlight a rising star in the Middleweight division. Arif Magomedov (15-0 9KO), of Russia, is a 22 year old power puncher who has been quickly rising through the 160 pound rankings. He is already slated as the #3 middleweight by the WBC, and the #4 by both the WBA & WBO respectively. His last two fights were against veteran fighters Derrick Findley and Darnell Boone, who he knocked out. His opponent also carries knockout power, but is a little older to the fight scene. Derrick Webster (19-0 10KO) is a 33 year old trying to make a name for himself in the division and is trying to do so fast, he also sports a win on his resume over the journeyman Boone, and could make a big splash in the division if he were able to stop the young Russians ascension towards the top of the division.
The Main event of the evening is also in the Middleweight division. Istvan Szili (18-0-2 8KO) is 32 years old and fighting for the first time in the United States, he has done extremely well against lesser known fighters in his native Hungary and Switzerland, but looks to test his skills at the next level. His opponent is 22 year old Antoine Douglas (17-0-1 11KO) of Virginia. Douglas is currently ranked as the #11 middleweight by the WBA and was last seen on Showtime, Knocking out undefeated prospect Thomas “Cornflake” Lamanna in 6 rounds
