SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION®RETURNS TO HALL OF FAME WEEKEND FEATURING FIVE UNDEFEATED FIGHTERS IN EXCITING TRIPLEHEADER FRIDAY, JUNE 9
NEW YORK – April 28, 2023 – Blue-chip prospect and top-10 ranked light heavyweight Ali Izmailov (10-0, 7 KOs) faces his toughest test to date when he takes on fellow unbeaten and highly decorated amateur Charles Foster (22-0, 12 KOs) in the 10-round main event as SHOBOX: The New Generation returns to Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y., during Hall of Fame Weekend on Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT live on SHOWTIME. This marks the second straight year SHOBOX® will be a part of the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend festivities.
The exciting tripleheader features two undefeated matchups and includes fighters with a combined record of 99-2-2 and 56 knockouts. In the co-feature, college graduate Richard Vansiclen (13-0-1, 6 KOs) from Seattle, Wash., takes on fellow unbeaten and hard-hitting Colombian Juan Carrillo (10-0, 8 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight matchup. In the telecast opener, former SHOBOX main-event winner and rising super lightweight prospect Mykquan Williams (19-0-1, 8 KOs) will face battletested Ryan Martin (25-2, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder.
This marks the fourth time since 2013 that a SHOBOX card has taken place in conjunction with Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, which will occur June 8-11. SHOBOX has visited Turning Stone Resort Casino a total of seven times previously during its 21-year history. The three-fight telecast on June 9 is promoted by Dmitriy Salita’s Salita Promotions.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the Turning Stone Box Office or online at Ticketmaster.
“It’s great to be back at Turning Stone Resort Casino for Hall of Fame Weekend,” said Gordon Hall, executive producer for SHOBOX: The New Generation. “Our three fight card features 50-50 matchups with the winner of the main event clearly establishing themselves as a top contender in the light heavyweight division. Each of these fighters aspires to be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day, much as former SHOBOX fighters and Class of 2023 Hall of Famers Tim Bradley and Carl Froch once did. On behalf of all of us at SHOWTIME, congratulations to all the inductees!”
Added Salita, “Six fighters, five undefeated, will put it all on the line in by far the most significant fights of their careers. There is no better proving ground than SHOBOX and no better celebration of boxing than Hall of Fame Weekend. The boxing world will be watching. I’m honored to promote such an event.”
Here is more on each of the three bouts:
Izmailov vs. Foster – 10-Round Light Heavyweight Main Event
Ranked No. 7 by the IBF and No. 8 by the WBO after just 10 fights, the John David Jackson-trained Izmailov is a fast-rising force in the light heavyweight division. A former amateur standout having won multiple elite international tournaments, Izmailov, economical and efficient in the ring, has been matched tough throughout his professional career. In his second fight, he cruised to a six-round unanimous decision over 30-fight veteran Dmitry Sukhotskiy and followed that with a dominant performance against once-beaten Sergei Ekimov. Since making his U.S. debut in October 2021, Izmailov is 5-0 with four KOs. Before his first-round knockout over Marcelo Ruben Molina in his last bout in March, Izmailov had back-to-back wins over undefeated opponents, including a unanimous decision over Eric Murguia in August. Originally from Malgobek, Russia, the 30-year-old Izmailov currently resides in Detroit when he’s not training in Florida with top trainer Jackson.
“I want to fight the very best to show the boxing world who I am,” Izmailov said. “I look forward to a great training camp with my trainer John David Jackson in Florida and a statement-making performance on June 9.”
Fighting out of New Haven, Conn., the southpaw SHOBOX alum Foster is coming off three straight knockouts, including his last in December against Rafael Fernandez Sosa in the Dominican Republic via a sixth-round stoppage. Prior to that, Foster was part of Hall of Fame Weekend last year as he took out Bo Gibbs, Jr., in Verona with a fourth-round TKO. In May of 2018 on SHOBOX at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Foster outworked then-undefeated Alvin Varmall to win a unanimous decision. He is a former four-time Connecticut Golden Glove winner and National PAL silver medalist. Foster, known for his heavy hands and slick movement, is promoted by Lou DiBella and Murphys Boxing, the promotional company founded by Ken Casey of the popular rock band Dropkick Murphys.
“Thanks to SHOBOX for bringing me back after five long years,” Foster said. “I have been here before. I’ve fought an undefeated fighter already on SHOBOX. I know what it takes. Last time, I won in good fashion. I know Ali is a good fighter. He’s a tough competitor with a good corner in John David Jackson. I have been with my team since I was 14 years old. This fight will put me right back where I was before the pandemic.”
Vansiclen vs. Carrillo – 10-Round Light Heavyweight Bout
Sporting a 45-5 amateur record, the 2015 University of Washington graduate was the National Collegiate Boxing Association 174-pound Champion in 2015, the same year he competed at the Olympic Trials. Known as a thinker and strategist in the ring, Vansiclen, a high school football standout, also possesses an exciting, come-forward style and likes to mix it up. He will be taking on his third undefeated opponent on June 9 after he most recently decisioned 13-0 Hakim Lopez in September 2022.
“This is a great opportunity to display my talent to the boxing world,” said Vansiclen, who goes by the nickname “Good Vibes.” “My previous bouts have prepared me for this fight, as we have faced some tough competition. This fight is in line with that. My keys to victory will be to fight hard and smart and let the vibes come out.”
Colombian Olympian Carrillo of Barranquilla, Colombia, is a slick boxer with heavy hands. His last six wins have been by knockout. He is coming off a fourth-round stoppage win against Robert Burwell last February. In 2021, Carrillo captured the WBA Fedecentro light heavyweight title with a third-round stoppage of Reinaldo Gonzalez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Accumulating a record of 388-23, he was among Colombia’s most decorated amateurs. He advanced to the second round at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. He also won gold medals at the 2012 Colombian National Games, 2012 Pacific Cup Tournament, 2011 Colombian National Championships, 2010 Colombian Youth National Championships, and silver at the 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games. Carrillo comes from a boxing family and, at age nine, followed his father and older brother into the sport.
“This is my chance to prove to everyone watching, as well as my promoter DiBella Entertainment and my management team, Felipe Gomez and Juan Gonzalez, that I am ready to take my career to the next level and beyond,” Carrillo said. “I have been working hard to go all the way to the top. A win against Richard Vansiclen legitimizes my skills as a serious prospect. I want to climb up in the rankings and fight tougher opponents to earn a shot at a title.”
Williams vs. Martin – 10-Round Super Lightweight Bout
The rising undefeated super lightweight prospect Williams, 25, earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Yeis Solano in the main event on SHOBOX in January of 2021. In 2019, Williams was featured in Ring Magazine’s “New Faces” column, which highlights the sport’s rising prospects. The former amateur standout earned three Ringside Championships and a Silver Gloves Championship in his home state of Connecticut.
“I am excited to be back fighting on SHOBOX,” Williams said. “I think this is a very good fight for me. It’s definitely a step-up in competition. Ryan Martin has fought tough opposition, so I know he has experience. I want to thank DiBella Entertainment and Salita Promotions for the opportunity. Everything is running smooth in training camp, and I am looking forward to putting on a great performance.”
Martin was 22-0 with 12 knockouts before he lost his first fight in 2018 to former undisputed 140-pound king Josh Taylor in the World Boxing Super Series’ 140-pound tournament. Martin won his next two bouts before bowing to Robert Easter, Jr., a former titleholder, by unanimous decision in February of 2021. A former amateur standout with over 200 fights, the Tennessee, Chattanooga native won the U.S. Under 19 National Championships at 132 pounds in 2010 and the U.S. Junior National Championships in 2009 at 132 and is a 12-time Tennessee State champion.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to update the boxing world on who I am,” Martin said. “This is do-or-die, and I’ve faced death in the eye already and that isn’t for me. The Blue-Chip Express is on a mission to the top, and we haven’t seen our best yet. There is no such thing as tough, or tougher. It’s just who wants it more.”
International Boxing Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins calls the blow-by-blow action for SHOBOX with fellow Hall of Famer Steve Farhood joining the team remotely as the unofficial scorer. Former world champion Raul Marquez and veteran combat sports reporter and MORNING KOMBAT co-host Brian Campbell will serve as ringside expert analysts. They will be accompanied by Hall of Famer and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING analyst Al Bernstein, as well as by Hall of Famer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. handling ring announcing duties. The executive producer of SHOBOX: The New Generation is Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
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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 88 fighters who have appeared on SHOBOX and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.