{"id":59511,"date":"2016-04-15T13:20:37","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T18:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=59511"},"modified":"2016-04-15T13:21:36","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T18:21:36","slug":"shobox-the-new-generation-final-weights-quotes-and-more-for-card-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=59511","title":{"rendered":"Shobox: The New Generation Final Weights, Quotes and More for Card Tonight!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Shobox<\/a>All six fighters made weight on Thursday for the ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader taking place tomorrow\/Friday, April 15 live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET\/PT) from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y.<\/p>\n

The tripleheader features six prospects with a combined record of 99-1-2 with 59 KOs.<\/p>\n

In the 10-round main event, Russian Nikolay Potapov (14-0, 6 KOs) will take on St. Louis native Stephon Young (14-0-2, 6 KOs) in a matchup of undefeated bantamweight prospects. <\/p>\n

In the eight-round co-feature, undefeated Dominican Eudy Bernardo (21-0, 15 KOs), a 5-foot-10 lightweight trained by former Olympic Gold Medalist Frank Tate, will take on once-beaten Mason Menard (30-1, 22 KOs), of Rayne, Louisiana.<\/p>\n

In the eight-round opening bout of the telecast, Alexey Zubov (10-0, 6 KOs, who trains under Sugar Hill at the New Kronk Gym in Detroit, will meet fellow undefeated cruiserweight Constantin Bejenaru (10-0, 4 KOs), of Brooklyn by way of Moldova.<\/p>\n

Tickets for the event, which is presented by Salita Promotions in association with AASHA Record Breakers, are currently on sale and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Resort Casino Box Office, by calling 877.833.SHOW, or online at Ticketmaster.com. They are priced at $60 for ringside seats, $35 and $25.<\/p>\n

OFFICIAL WEIGHTS:<\/p>\n

Potapov \u2013 117 Pounds<\/p>\n

Young \u2013 116 \u00bd Pounds<\/p>\n

Bernardo \u2013 135 \u00bd Pounds<\/p>\n

Menard \u2013 135 Pounds<\/p>\n

Zubov \u2013 198 Pounds<\/p>\n

Bejenaru \u2013 198 Pounds<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the fighters had to say on Thursday:<\/p>\n

NIKOLAY POTPAPOV:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking to make a statement. My goal is to control the fight at every moment. Whether that leads to a KO or decision depends on the situation. The most important thing is I want to control every second of the fight and impress the fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s the best opponent I\u2019ve faced. I plan to box him, control the fight and be explosive.<\/p>\n

“My preparation has been different for this fight. I did a lot more sparring and I plan to be more aggressive. This is my first big fight on U.S. television and I want to make a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trained in Moscow for this fight, and I didn\u2019t come to the U.S. to lose.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is only my second fight in the U.S. The most important thing is to win. After that, we\u2019ll look into moving to the U.S. to train. I travelled a lot in the amateurs, so coming to the U.S. and fighting isn\u2019t an issue for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to fight full-time in the U.S. We know that our best chance to win a world title is to fight here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only fought one southpaw as a pro, but I faced plenty in the amateurs. I won\u2019t have any issues.<\/p>\n

“He may be awkward because he is a southpaw. He also has fast hands and is a good boxer. And he\u2019s undefeated, so I know he will be ready and motivated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learn with every fight and expand my arsenal in every fight. I\u2019m looking to show I have all the tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

STEPHON YOUNG:<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I\u2019ve moved to Miami in January, I\u2019m finally focused full-time on boxing. Everything is different now that I\u2019m training down in Florida.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been sparring with Juan Carlos Payano, the bantamweight champion of the world. That is the type of guy that I\u2019ve been in the gym with, and I know Nikolay can\u2019t punch like him. We\u2019ve easily sparred over 100 rounds the past few months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big opportunity for me. I know I need to be more active and throw more punches against this guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t have anything I can\u2019t handle. He\u2019s never fought an American. It\u2019s a big step for me, but it\u2019s a big step for him. He has a basic style and doesn\u2019t like to be backed up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hungry. This is the biggest fight of my career and I\u2019ve never been this focused ever in my life. I\u2019m hungry to become a champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my hardest fight on paper, but I have no doubt in my mind that I can get that guy out of there.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone he fought comes straight forward, and I\u2019m not that type of guy. He\u2019s got to work to hit me.<\/p>\n

“My opponent \u2013 he’s beatable. I believe that on April 15, he’ll get his first loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

EUDY BERNARDO:<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like my career is starting right now. I\u2019ve learned so much training with Frank Tate. I can\u2019t wait to get in the ring to show it off. Everything I\u2019ve learned, I\u2019ve learned from Frank Tate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sparring in Houston has been great. I\u2019ve really changed since I moved to the U.S. I eat healthy, I train differently. It\u2019s all hard work in the gym.<\/p>\n

“I describe myself as ready for anything. I\u2019m aggressive, but I can box and move, depending on who I’m fighting. We are coming fast, hard and with everything we have.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople might not know much about me because I\u2019ve fought mostly in the Dominican Republic. This is my opportunity to prove myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

MASON MENARD:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just been hiding behind the scenes until now. When we get to the big screen on Friday, people will know what I can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my time. I\u2019m 30-1, I\u2019m 26 years old. I need to make my move. If I beat this guy, it will open up some major doors for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fought Jerry Belmontes and Terence Crawford in the amateurs. We know we need to use our footspeed to our advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fighting a tall guy and know it may be tough to land shots, but I\u2019ve faced guys as tall as him before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an opportunity for me to rise up and surprise people. I want fans to say, \u2018wow, where did this kid come from?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is make or break for me. It\u2019s as simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALEXEY ZUBOV:<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to work with Sugar Hill, that\u2019s why I moved to Detroit. I first met Sugar when I sparred with Jonathan Banks before he fought Seth Mitchell. After that, I knew I wanted to work with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve trained with all the guys at the New Kronk Gym \u2013 Anthony Dirrell, Adonis Stevenson. Now I\u2019m in my first official fight with Sugar as my trainer. I feel different after training with him, and I want to show what I\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if this is the toughest guy I\u2019ve faced. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

“I don’t care fighting southpaws, I can fight anyone. My last two fights were with southpaws, so it’s not a problem for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve waited a long time for this moment. Now is my chance to make a statement in the cruiserweight division.\u201d<\/p>\n

CONSTANTIN BEJENARU:<\/p>\n

\u201cZubov is a good opponent. He\u2019s technical, he\u2019s big and he has a good background. We’re happy to have this fight. We need to go in there and do our job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the shorter fighter, so I know I need to get inside and attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been training for this fight for almost four months. I\u2019m ready to get in there and go to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with Steve Farhood and former world champion Ra\u00fal M\u00e1rquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.<\/p>\n