JOSE PEDRAZA REMAINS UNDEFEATED WITH EIGHTH ROUND TKO OF TEVIN FARMER

Lamar Russ Scores Stunning First Round TKO Over Jonathan Cepeda

Plus, Jermain Taylor Registers Second Round Knockout Of Raul Munoz

Friday, Oct. 12, Live on SHOWTIME^®,

Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, MO

Replay Will Air Tuesday, Oct. 16,
At 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME^®

ST. CHARLES, MO. (Oct. 12, 2012) – Unbeaten lightweight Jose Pedraza (11-0, 7 KOs), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, dominated late replacement Tevin Farmer (7-4-1, 1 KO), of Philadelphia, Penn., en route to an eighth round TKO in the main event Friday on ShoBox: The New Generation live onSHOWTIME^®.

Pedraza, who many regard as the best prospect to come out of Puerto Rico since Miguel Cotto, began the night cautiously, using the first round to feel out his opponent and get comfortable in the ring.  However, by the middle of the second round Jose found his rhythm and took control of the fight.  In the third round, Pedraza enforced his will with an onslaught of punches lasting for most of the last minute of the round.  Farmer, never quite recovering, was still a game opponent and continued to show his heart through Pedraza’s domination.

In the eighth round and final round, Farmer threw a punch that seemed to connect with Pedraza’s elbow clearly injuring his left hand.  With 0:47 gone in the round, referee Celestino Ruiz stopped the fight after Pedraza sent a flurry of body shots to finish off Farmer.

“After the second round it was all Pedraza,” said SHOWTIME announcer Raul Marquez after the fight.  “There’s only so much punishment a fighter can take.”

In the co-feature at Ameristar Casino, Lamar Russ (11-0, 7 KOs), of Wilmington, N.C., registered an impressive first round knockout over previously undefeated Jonathan Cepeda (12-1, 11 KOs), of Jersey City, N.J.  The quick fight ended at 1:45 when Cepeda was unable to recover from a devastating blow and properly respond to referee Mike England’s request to look at and walk to him. 

Earlier in the night, former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (31-4-1, 19 KOs) impressed the crowd with a dominating second round knockout of Raul Munoz (21-16-1, 16 KOs).  The 10-round bout was stopped at the 1:05 mark in the second round after a powerful straight-right punch sent Munoz falling to the canvas.  Referee Mike England called the fight with Munoz on his back.

Barry Tompkins called the action from ringside alongside Steve Farhood, Marquez and Joe Cortez. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

The evening of fights will re-air Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and will be available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND beginning Saturday, Oct. 13.

On Saturday, Oct. 20, there will be four world championship fights on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (8 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.: Defending champion Danny Garcia (24-0, 15 KOs) vs. Erik Morales (52-8, 36 KOs) for the Unified Super Lightweight World Championship, Paulie Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KOs) vs. Pablo Cesar Cano (25-1-1, 19 KOs) for Malignaggi’s WBA Welterweight title, Hassan N’Dam (27-0, 17 KOs) vs. Peter Quillin (27-0, 20 KOs) for N’Dam’s WBO Middleweight belt and Devon Alexander (23-1, 13 KOs) vs.Randall Bailey (43-7, 37 KOs) for Bailey’s IBF Welterweight crown. Live undercard fights will precede the telecast on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT).

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, visit the website at http://sports.SHO.com.

JOSE "SNIPER" PEDRAZA EMBRACES NEW OPPONENT ON SHOBOX THIS FRIDAY

October 9, 2012 - Puerto Rico's undefeated super-featherweight prospect, Jose "Sniper" Pedraza (10-0, 6 KOs), is embracing his new opponent, Tevin Farmer (7-3-1, 1 KO) as former challenger, Allan Benitez (7-1-1, 1 KO) had to pull out of their scheduled bout due to an elbow injury.  Pedraza vs. Farmer will headline an 8-round bout on ShoBox "The New Generation" at the Ameristar Casino in Saint Charles, Missouri, this Friday October 12, 2012.

"I'm happy that I'll be fighting this Friday on ShoBox as new opponent was found in Farmer," said Pedraza. "The fact that Farmer is a southpaw is something that I must embrace and prepare for.  I understand that this happens in boxing and my team and I are fully equipped to take on the challenge.  My goal hasn't changed, I'm coming to win and win impressively this Friday."

"Pedraza is the type of fighter that will take on any challenge," stated promoter Gary Shaw, who promotes Pedraza with DiBella Entertainment and Universal Promotions. "Puerto Rico is loaded with young talent and Pedraza is one of the best fighters to come from the island.  A new opponent was found, and I'm happy to say that his incredible talent will be on display when he fights on ShoBox this Friday.  

Team Puerto Rico..........the new wave, once again making a splash.....

BLUE CHIP PROSPECT JOSE PEDRAZA VS. ALLAN BENITEZ HEADLINE SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION

Plus, Battle of Unbeaten Middleweights JONATHAN CEPEDA Vs. LAMAR RUSS In Co-Features Friday, October 12 From The AMERISTAR CASINO Live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT New York/St. Charles, Mo. (October 2, 2012) - On Friday, October 12, DiBella Entertainment will return to the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles MO, with an exciting edition of ShoBox: The New Generation.  Headlining the card will be Puerto Rican amateur star, and blue-chip prospect, Jose "Sniper" Pedraza (10-0, 6KO's) taking on Robert Garcia trained Allan Benitez (7-1, 1KO) in an eight-round lightweight matchup. In the televised co-feature, undefeated up-and-coming prospects Jonathan Cepeda (12-0, 11KO's) and Lamar Russ (10-0, 6KO's) square off in an eight-round middleweight bout.  The card is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Gary Shaw Productions, Universal Promotions and Rumble Time Promotions.  SHOWTIME® will begin live coverage at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Also featured on the ShoBox telecast will be highlights of former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor (30-4-1, 18KO's) in his bout versus Raul Munoz (21-15-1, 16KO's), a ten-round middleweight matchup which will take place earlier in the evening.   Jose Pedraza (L) vs. Allan Benitez At just 23 years old, Pedraza is one of the highest regarded prospects in all of boxing.  Pedraza's stellar amateur career saw him represent his native Puerto Rico in the 2008 Olympics and win a silver medal at the 2009 Amateur World Championships, before turning pro in February 2011 with a first-round TKO over Felix Rivera.  His bout against Benitez will be his second on SHOWTIME, but the first as the featured bout of the evening. "After my last fight against Valderrama (August 31), I only rested for a week and then got straight back in the gym," said Pedraza. "For this fight the training has been very intense. I have sparred with former world title contender Mario Santiago, world champion 'Rocky' Martinez and Luis Rosario, who is a very good amateur boxer.  I am looking forward to putting on a great performance on the 12th and taking another step towards fulfilling my ultimate goal of winning a world championship." A native of Mexico, now living and training with Garcia in the boxing hotbed of Oxnard, Calif., Benitez has rattled off seven wins in a row after dropping his pro-debut in a close four-round decision.  Benitez last saw action in August of this year, winning an exciting six-round unanimous decision over Osnel Charles at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.   Jonathan Cepeda (L) vs. Lamar Russ Cepeda had a limited but successful amateur career, sporting a 22-3 record with all three losses coming against former blue-chip prospect Danny Jacobs.  Cepeda competed in the National Golden Gloves and twice won the Florida Golden Gloves tournament. Since turning pro, Cepeda has impressed in each and every outing.  With devastating power in both hands and an aggressive seek-and-destroy mentality, Cepeda has the ability to end a fight with one punch. Russ was an accomplished amateur, winning the North Carolina State title six times, before turning pro in 2009. At just 25 years old, Russ is just coming into his own as a professional.  Like Cepeda, Russ is a come-forward fighter who likes to press the action and mix it up with his opponent. Russ is coming off his most impressive victory to date; a fourth-round TKO over previously unbeaten (13-0) Jose Alonzo.  Prior to his bout with Alonzo, Russ won a six-round unanimous decision over Marcus Upshaw. Taylor returned to the ring in December of last year.  In his most recent outing, he won a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Caleb Truax. Taylor, who is currently rated number six in the WBC, eight in the WBO and 14 in the IBF, is working his way back into title contention and hopes to get another shot at the coveted middleweight championship sometime in 2013.  The event is promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with Gary Shaw Productions, Universal Promotions and Rumble Time Promotions.  Tickets are priced at $100, $75 and $40 and can be purchased through the Ameristar Casino or by calling (314) 267-2204.  Doors open at 5:30PM with the first bout scheduled for 6PM.