Unbeaten Heavyweight Jarrell Miller Calls Out Heavyweight Champs After Brutal KO: VIDEO:  http://s.sho.com/1Vfnk7K

 

Catch The Replay This Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHO EXTREME^®

 

Click HERE For Photos Credit Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

 

TUCSON, Ariz. (Jan. 22, 2016) – Undefeated middleweight prospect Rob Brant scored the most impressive victory of his career with a fourth-round knockout of Decarlo Perez in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation, live on SHOWTIME on Friday from Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Ariz.  VIDEO HIGHLIGHT: http://s.sho.com/1QqySWm

 

Known more for his boxing prowess, Brant (19-0, 12 KOs) displayed impressive power. After a big first round, in which he threw 97 punches and more of the same in the second, Brant floored Perez with a straight-right shot midway through the third.

 

The Minnesota native kept on the gas in the fourth and landed another straight right that sent Perez falling straight back partially through the ropes. Perez (15-4-1, 5 KOs) awkwardly landed back into the ring and referee Rocky Burke instantly ended the fight at :39.

 

“The game plan was to be aggressive,” Brant said.  “We knew we wanted to show him our power early and make him respect us right away.  When I caught him with the right on the temple in the third I knew we had him.   And then when I connected in the fourth it was lights out, game over.  I just want to get back in the ring as soon as possible and continue making progress.”

 

Perez, who entered the fight coming off an impressive win over previously undefeated Juan Ubaldo Cabrera last August on ShoBox, said he just got caught with a good shot.

 

“I just got caught,” Perez said.  That’s all that happened. I didn’t see the shot coming and he was speedier than I thought. He’s fast and he got me with something I wasn’t ready for.”

 

SHOWTIME analyst Steve Farhood was surprised by Brant’s performance.

 

“Brant showed a dimension we hadn’t seen before,” Farhood said.  “He’s thinking man’s fighter who fought an angry fight.  And, as result of that, you have to put him near the very top of the list of middleweight prospects.”

 

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller floored Donovan Dennis twice in a thoroughly dominating seventh round TKO (2:31) in the ShoBox co-feature.

 

Miller (16-0-1, 14 KOs), who went past the sixth round for the first time in his career, landed 52 percent of his power shots.  The Brooklyn native scored two knockdowns in the first round – the first with a devastating looping right, the second with a straight to the chest – and had Dennis nearly out on his feet in what looked like a certain first-round finish.

 

The southpaw Dennis (14-4, 11 KOs) somehow survived the round and actually pushed Miller into uncharted waters.  Dennis had some moments where he out boxed his opponent, but Miller’s power and size – a 56 pound weight advantage – was the deciding difference.   Dennis was breathing through his mouth and gasping for air when referee Tony Zaino wisely halted the contest as “Big Baby” teed-off on his defenseless opponent.

 

“I had him out in the first round, but I threw my shoulder out throwing a left hook,” Miller said.  “I was looking for the knockout so bad he started catching me with some shots.  So then I decided to box a little bit and that’s what I did until the knockout came.

 

“I’m glad it went seven rounds.  It taught me to go to Plan B.  I can box beautifully when I want and I showed some of that tonight.  It was good experience.  My power was there; my wind was good. I was breathing well and seeing the shots.”

 

After the fight, Miller called out the two American heavyweight world champions.

 

“Charles Martin, I’m coming for you.  Deontay Wilder, I’m coming for your Alabama BBQ.”

 

In the locker room after the bout, Dennis admitted that he was surprised by Miller’s boxing ability:  “He’s a better boxer than I thought he would be. That surprised me.”

 

In the opening bout of the telecast, undefeated welterweight prospect Bakhtiyar Eyubov impressed with a dominating demolition of the durable Jared Robinson with a third round TKO (:56).

 

Eyubov (10-0, 10 KOs), who scored three knockdowns in three rounds, recorded his 10^th knockout in his 10^th career professional fight.  The hard-throwing Eyubov landed a staggering 57 percent of his power shots while throwing only three jabs in the fight.  The Kazakhstan native scored two knockdowns in the first and one in the third over the veteran Robinson (17-3-1, 17 KOs), who was only the second opponent to push Eyubov into the third round.

 

“Was I surprised at how easy it was?  No, I can’t believe he made it to round three,” Eyubov said.  “The ref should have stopped it earlier.  I am much smarter than I was before.  I expect more of myself now.  It was another step forward and I promise everyone all my fights will be like that. I am like (Arturo) Gatti.

 

“My trainers are teaching me to move my head, and I’m confident that no one can hurt me.  I will never ever be knocked down.”

 

Eyubov, who entered the ring with a “papakha,” explained his cultural dance following the knockout win.

 

“The dance and the hat are traditional Kazakhstan traditions,” Eyobov said.  “I was honoring my countrymen with that dance.  And the hat is a symbol of my honor.  No one can take that hat from me. “

 

The ShoBox tripleheader will re-air on Monday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and will be available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND^® beginning Saturday, Jan. 23.

 

Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughanproducing and Rick Phillips directing.

 

# # #

 

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 65 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

Undefeated Middleweight Rob Brant Faces Decarlo Perez in Main Event; Harmonito Dela Torre, Jarrell Miller & Bakhtiyar Eyubov
Risk Their Unblemished Records In Other Televised Fights

 

Friday, Jan. 22 At 10:35 p.m. ET/PT

Live On SHOWTIME^®

 

NEW YORK (Dec. 28, 2015) – ShoBox: The New Generation begins its 15^th year on SHOWTIME^® with an explosive quadrupleheader on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 live from Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Ariz. (10:35 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).

 

In the main event of the evening, undefeated middleweight Rob “Bravo” Brant (18-0, 11 KOs, 0-3 in World Series of Boxing) of St. Paul, Minn., measures against Atlantic City’s Decarlo Perez (15-3-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-round matchup.

 

In co-featured bouts, unbeaten Harmonito “Hammer” Dela Torre (17-0, 12 KOs), of Las Vegas by way of Philippines, makes his United States debut against Rafael Guzman (16-1-1, 10 KOs), of Ensenada, Mexico in an eight-round super featherweight bout and undefeated heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (15-0-1, 13 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y. faces southpaw Donovan Dennis (14-3, 11 KOs, 2-1 in WSB) of Cleveland, Ohio in an eight-round scrap.

 

Opening the ShoBox telecast, hard-hitting Bakhtiyar Eyubov (9-0, 9 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y. by way of Kazakhstan, meets Jared Robinson(16-2-1, 7 KOs), of Sumter, S.C. in an eight-round super lightweight tiff.

 

The event is promoted by Greg Cohen Promotions.

 

Boxing historian and expert ring analyst Steve Farhood has called every fight on ShoBox since it premiered in 2001. He anticipates another year of excellent, competitive matchups in 2016.

 

“In 2015, we had eight fighters who appeared on ShoBox and went on to win world titles. That means the average number of shows in which you’ll see a future world champion is one out of four,” said Farhood.

 

“We saw some fantastic prospects last year, including Erickson Lubin and Regis Prograis and fresh faces like Jarrett Hurd, Rob Brant—and a fighter who almost seems ready to fight for a title now—SergeyDerevyanchenko. Given Shobox’s 15-year history, I’m fully expecting that we will have more of the same in 2016.’’

 

Brant, Perez and Miller will be making their second consecutive appearances on ShoBox. Brant and Miller were victorious last Oct. 23, Perez last Aug. 28. Robinson will also be making his second ShoBox start; the four other boxers will be making their debuts.

 

“Both Brant and Perez won their most recent appearances on ShoBoxand both were impressive,’’ Farhood said. “Brant took a big step up and outpointed Louis Rose in October and Perez pulled off the upset over the previously unbeaten Juan Ubaldo Cabrera in August. So it makes all the sense in the world to match them against each other. On Jan. 22, we’re going to find out just how hot Rob Brant is.’’

Twenty-six-year-old Brant will be headlining his second consecutiveShoBox. In his first, he captured a hard-fought 10-round majority decision over Rose. Going 10 rounds for the first time, Brant triumphed in an entertaining tight fight.

Before turning pro in November 2010, Brant was a 2010 National Golden Gloves Champion at 178 pounds and a member of the U.S. national boxing team pro. He currently trains in Dallas alongside top prospect Errol Spence Jr.

“I’m really excited about this fight and I’ve been training hard for several weeks now,’’ Brant said. “I’ve got a very serious opponent in front of me. He rates about a 7.7 at everything, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of weaknesses. I’ve got to go back to pure boxing for this one. I have to be better in every department. It’s my second time headlining ShoBox and I plan on improving from the first time, so viewers can chart my progress. This is my time to show my growth.’’

Perez, who hails from a fighting family, has won four straight and nine of his last 10. He scored a surprising, upset, a 10-round unanimous decision over Cabrera (23-0 going in) in his last outing. Perez, who took the fight on a week’s notice, outpointed the two-time Dominican Republic Olympian by the scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92.

“I’m so excited I’m the main event on national television,’’ Perez said. “I don’t know a lot about my opponent but I’m well prepared, both mentally and physically. I plan on giving the fans an exciting night.

“Camp is going very well. My management team has brought in top sparring with all undefeated boxers, one being Julian Williams. I’m excited that my trainer is allowing me to fight the majority, if not all of this fight, in the southpaw stance. I’m really a southpaw, but I have fought right-handed most of my career.”

 

Perez’ last loss came on a split eight-round decision to world title challenger Wilky Campfort in January 2014. Outside the ring, Perez is a pharmacy technician at an Atlantic City hospital.

 

Miller, a former New York Golden Gloves finalist who turned pro in July 2009, is a confident, power-punching heavyweight who comes to knock you out. He won his ShoBox debut, stopping Akhror Muralimov with a devastating right hand to the chin at 1:03 in the third round.

“I feel like I should have been here two years ago,’’ Miller said. “I’m not coming to make friends. I’m here to annihilate and destroy the whole heavyweight division. On Jan. 22, I’m going to put Donovan Dennis to sleep. I’m not being heard right now, so I have to make myself known. After this fight and what I do to Dennis, things will really, really start to pick up. I’m ready to destroy.’’

 

Besides being a hard hitter, Miller has good overall skills and movement for a big man whose weight fluctuates from fight to fight. He’s won his last four by knockout, all inside three rounds.

Known for an aggressive style, Miller is now fully focused on a fistic career, but he hails from an MMA and kickboxing background. For a few years, he competed in K-1, historically the world’s premier kickboxing organization, and twice fought the legendary Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović.

“There seems to be a new energy and enthusiasm on the American heavyweight scene,’’ Farhood said. “Part of that is explained by the fall of a dominant champion in Wladimir Klitschko and part of it is explained by the emergence of Deontay Wilder, and even Travis Kauffman. So for a young heavyweight like Jarrell Miller, the time seems to be ideal to secure TV exposure and make a name for himself.’’

Dennis, 28, was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa. Before turning pro in June 2010, he was a top-level amateur: 11-time Iowa State Champion, 2011 National Golden Gloves runner-up in and 2012 U. S. Olympic Games Trials contestant.
The 6-foot-4 Dennis possesses good skills, movement and punching power to go with his strong amateur background. His weakness is durability; he’s been knocked out in all of his losses.

 

“I’m ready to fight,’’ Dennis said. “I’ve been training really hard and I am looking forward to the fight. I just want to get this win and move on as I will have a big year in 2016.’’

 

Dela Torre, considered one of the top young talents in the Philippines, will be fighting outside of Asia for the first time. A big puncher and winner of seven straight by knockout, the 5-foot-8, 21-year-old is coming off athird-round TKO over Ricard Betos last Nov. 14.

“It’s every boxer’s dream to fight on big cards in United States. This is the next step in my pathway to becoming world champion,’’ Dela Torre said. “I can’t wait. This is an opportunity I will take advantage of and show everyone I’m ready to step up. I let my team concentrate on my opponents and pass me instructions. I just know I’ll be ready and able to stop any opponent.’’

 

Before turning professional at 17, Dela Torre was a top member on the Philippine National Amateur Boxing Team. As a pro, he has made a “name” for himself after an impressive victory over Jason Butar-Butar on the undercard of a Manny Pacquiao-headlined fight in November 2013.

 

Guzman, a 5-foot-8½-inch 20-year-old, will be making his U.S. debut and initial start outside of Mexico since turning pro at 16 in July 2011. In Dela Torre, Guzman will be taking a significant step up in class. He scored a third-round TKO over Pedro Lopez on his last start in Oct. 9.

“I’m feeling very strong and ready for the challenge of this fight,’’ Guzman said. “Fighting on SHOWTIME is a huge opportunity for me. I hear my opponent is a good fighter, but I am ready for anything he can throw. Everybody is going to be talking about me after this fight.”

 

Eyubov, 29, who could be on the fast track to stardom, is regarded by many to be the second-hardest Kazakh hitter in boxing, ranked only behind Gennady Golovkin. Since his days as an amateur when he won more than 150 fights, a vast majority by knockout, Eyubov has lived up to his reputation as a fearsome banger who looks to remove the judges from the equation.

 

He’s overwhelmed his first nine opponents as a pro, winning six by knockout in the first round and two by knockout in the second. The furthest he’s gone in a fight came in his second start when he scored a third-round TKO (2:57) over Jhaquis Davis. In his last outing on Oct. 29, he scored a 1:27, first-round TKO over Antonio Chaves Fernandes in Brooklyn.

Robinson, a pro since August 2009, fights out of Charlotte, N.C. A veteran of several scheduled 10-round fights, he’s undeniably the most experienced boxer Eyubov’s ever faced. A natural 140-pounder,Robinson won his initial 14 starts before losing on a fourth-round TKO to then-unbeaten Amir Imam on ShoBox in a bout he took on short notice on Feb. 21, 2014.

Two starts ago, Robinson fought to a disputed eight-round split draw against then-unbeaten Haskell Rhodes (23-0 going in) on June 21, 2015. An excellent boxer with good skills and movement, the 5-foot-9-inch Robinson, 33, is coming off a one-sided 10-round decision overChristian Dominguez last Sept. 26. Outside the ring, Robinson is amassage therapist.

Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughanproducing and Rick Phillips directing.

# # #

 

About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 65 fighters who have appeared onShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Omar Figueroa, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.