FIVE UNBEATEN FIGHTERS TAKE CENTER STAGE IN SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION QUADRUPLEHEADER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17
Exciting welterweight prospect Janelson
Figueroa Bocachica will meet fellow undefeated Mark Reyes, Jr., in a *ShoBox:
The New Generation* main event bout Wednesday, February 17 live on SHOWTIME at
9 p.m. ET/PT from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Bocachica vs.
Reyes headlines a four-fight card featuring eight compelling prospects with
a combined record of 119-4-1, five of whom are undefeated.
Detroit’s Figueroa Bocachica (16-0, 11 KOs) is following up on his
dominating performance in his ShoBox debut in October when he faces the
power-punching Reyes (14-0, 12 KOs) from Tampa, Fla., in a 10-round
welterweight bout. The co-main event will feature unbeaten Russian and
Detroit-trained Vladimir Shishkin (11-0, 7 KOs) taking on Ghana’s Sena
Agbeko (23-1, 18 KOs) in a 10-round super middleweight matchup. In
addition, Alejandro Guerrero (12-0, 9 KOs) of Irving, Texas, returns
to ShoBox and faces Mexico’s Abraham Montoya (19-2-1, 14 KOs) in an
eight-round lightweight bout. Another Russian-based in Detroit, Mich.,
Timur Kerefov (9-0, 4 KOs), will battle middleweight prospect Argenis
Espana (15-1, 14 KOs) of Venezuela in the eight-round telecast opener.
The four-fight telecast is promoted by Salita Promotions.
“I am delighted to promote an exciting night of boxing, featuring some of
the best young talent in boxing in opposing corners,” Salita said. “The
February 17 card features possibly the best new talent in four different
weight divisions in pick ’em fights. Middleweight Timur Kerefov, fighting
with trainer SugarHill Steward in his corner, is looking to quickly climb
up the ladder. Super featherweight Alejandro Guerrero is fighting his
toughest test against Abraham Montoya. Super middleweight Vladimir Shishkin
is looking for a breakout performance against the hungry Sena Agbeko, who
is looking to make a name for himself. This show may also be the crowning
of one of the best new welterweights in the world with an exciting matchup
between undefeated prospects, Janelson Figueroa Bocachica and Mark Reyes,
Jr.”
Steward, who legally changed his name to SugarHill Steward to honor his
late uncle Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward, calls Kerefov, “One of the
best middleweights in the world right now,” and that there is no limit to
how far the 30-year-old can go. “We don’t have long conversations because
of the language barrier, but I’m impressed how Timur is able to process the
information I tell him, and quickly get better in the short time we’ve
worked together,” said Steward, who is also training Anthony Dirrell at Big
Time Boxing and Fitness in Boca Raton, Fla. “The Russians who come to
Detroit are here to work and not run the streets, which I like. They have
families and know that boxing in the United States is the mecca. So, they
take it very seriously.”
*Bocachica vs. Reyes – 10-Round Welterweight Main Event Bout*
Bocachica returns for his second consecutive ShoBox appearance as the
22-year-old Detroit native overpowered Puerto Rico’s Nicklaus Flaz from the
start earning a first-round TKO at 2:43 of round one in October. Bocachica
is a four-year pro who began boxing at age eight. He won four consecutive
Ringside Championships (2011-14), the National PAL Championships and the
2015 Detroit Golden Gloves. He boasts an amateur record of 55-5. He is
trained by his father, Nelson Figueroa.
“After the last appearance on ShoBox, I felt like that was the performance
that I needed,” Bochachia said. “I picked Mark Reyes out myself because I
wanted better competition and he is 14-0. I want to put a statement out to
all of the fighters in the 147-pound division. A win gets me closer to my
dreams. I am fighting better opposition. It shows that Janelson is the
truth, and I am coming for everyone in the welterweight division. I am not
worrying about anything.”
Reyes is coming off of a first-round knockout of Diego Perez on November
21, in his hometown of Tampa. Reyes was a successful amateur winning the
PAL National Tournament in 2012, as well as the Junior Olympics and
Ringside Tournament. He also won two National tournaments competing for
Puerto Rico: the 2015 Frankie Larvae National Championships and 2016 Cheo
Aponte National Championships. Overall, he accumulated a record of
45-5 before turning pro in March 2016. He is now trained by Raul “Chino”
Rivas, who also coaches former world champion Tevin Farmer.
“I am excited to be in this position, fighting on ShoBox, where a win will
put my name on the boxing map,” Reyes said. “Bocachica is a solid fighter,
but I look forward to adding the first loss to his record and showing the
viewers why I took this fight on short notice. Training camp has been going
great and I will be ready.”
*Shishkin vs. Agbeko – 10-Round Super Middleweight Bout*
Shishkin has previously fought twice on ShoBox earning impressive wins over
Ulises Sierra and DeAndre Ware. Steward worked Shishkin’s corner for the
Sierra fight, but Steward’s commitment to heavyweight champion Tyson Fury
has not allowed the two to train exclusively together. Shishkin has
recently been working with L.J. Harrison. In his last fight on August 20,
he recorded a ninth-round technical knockout of Oscar Riojas. Shishkin is
currently ranked No. 9 by the WBC, No. 11 by the WBA and No. 12 by the IBF
in the 168-pound division.
“I’m grateful, once again, to get the chance to showcase my skills on
SHOWTIME,” said Shishkin, 29. “I’m preparing in a new gym called Superbad
with a new coach. I’m curious how that will affect me in the bout. I know
this fight puts me just one step closer to my goal of becoming a world
champion.”
Born and raised in Accra, Ghana, Agbeko was a member of the Ghanaian
National Team as a youth and had 69 amateur bouts. Agbeko turned pro in
2011 at the age of 19 and had his first 15 bouts in Ghana before relocating
to the United States in 2013 to pursue his dream of becoming a world
champion. Agbeko has fine-tuned his craft serving as a sparring partner for
Caleb Plant, Badou Jack and Brandon Adams. Agbeko currently lives in
Nashville, Tenn., with his wife.
“Training is going great and we’ve been training for a while already, so
we’re just doubling down on a few things and fine-tuning as well for the
fight,” Agbeko said. “I know my opponent has an extensive amateur
background and a style that’s reflective of where he’s from in Russia. I
expect an aggressive, yet well-calculated fighter. I will win this fight
because I know I want it more and, as a result, have put more effort into
preparation. My superior boxing skills coupled with desire and effort will
get it done.”
*Guerrero vs. Montoya – Eight-Round Lightweight Bout*
Fighting out of Houston, Texas, Guerrero is a big-punching prospect who won
a closely contested slugfest via majority decision over Jose Angulo in the
last ShoBox telecast before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports
world for several months in March 2020. Prior to that win, Guerrero had
stopped three consecutive opponents including a second-round TKO of Darnell
Jiles, Jr. in January 2020. A celebrated amateur who won two junior
national titles, the 22-year-old “Pork Chop” has sparred with the likes of
world champions Mikey Garcia and Brandon Rios at the famed Garcia Boxing
Academy in California.
“I know nothing about my opponent, but I’ve watched one clip of him and
that’s all I needed to see to know he will go down,” Guerrero said. “This
fight will mean a lot to me because it will show the world I’m the real
deal. I will win this fight for my career and my family.”
The 26-year-old Montoya, of Baja California, Mexico, will be making his
United States debut on February 17 and will be fighting outside of his
native Mexico for just the second time. After dropping his second
professional contest, Montoya rallied to go unbeaten in his next 18 bouts
before traveling to Russia in November 2019 to take on undefeated prospect
Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov, where he lost a 12-round decision. Montoya rebounded
to score a second-round TKO over Reyes David Lopez his last time out in
October, and also owns an impressive victory over then-undefeated prospect
Luis Alberto Lopez Vargas.
“Fighting in the U.S. and on SHOWTIME has always been my dream and I can’t
wait for February 17 to show what I can do,” Montoya said. “I’ve never
worked or trained as hard for a fight as I have for this one. I’ve seen my
opponent and know he will bring the action just like his last fight. He
will be tough, but I’m as ready for this as I’ve ever been.”
*Kerefov vs. Espana – Eight-Round Middleweight Bout*
Hailing from Shaluska, Russia, and now fighting out of Detroit, Mich.,
Kerefov will make his ShoBox debut on February 17. Kerefov, 30, amassed an
impressive 298-12 amateur record in his home country during his nearly
decade-long reign at the elite level of international amateur boxing. In
2019, Kerefov turned in five impressive victories in Russia prior to his
United States debut at the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit in August 2020, where
he turned in a dominating unanimous decision victory over Calvin Metcalf in
a middleweight bout.
“I am in the middle of a great training camp with trainer SugarHill Steward
in Florida,” Kerefov said. “I look forward to showing the boxing fans that
I am the new face of the middleweight division.”
The 31-year-old southpaw, Espana, will be fighting for the first time in
the United States as 14 of his 16 professional bouts have taken place in
Venezuela. The power-punching Espana’s only career loss was to Dervin
Colina in 2019 and 14 of his 15 victories have come via knockout. In
December, he TKO’d Leonard Carrillo in his last fight.
“This is a great opportunity for me to appear in the U.S.,” Espana said. “I
know very little about my opponent, but that does not bother me at all. I
am always training and ready to go the distance or less. Victory will get
me closer to a world title.”
International Boxing Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins will call the action from
ringside with fellow Hall of Famer and boxing historian Steve Farhood and
former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The
executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick
Phillips directing.
