BOXING: SHOBOX PLUS UNDERCARDS ANNOUNCED FOR GRAND CASINO FIGHT NIGHT

Showtime has announced the televised portion of the March 13th, 2020 Grand Casino Hinckley, Minnesota Fight Night line-up. The local undercard match-ups which feature Minnesota fighters are also coming together.

In the main event of the televised portion, talented undefeated super lightweight prospect Brandun Lee will headline his first ShoBox: The New Generation main event when he takes on Camilo Prieto in a 10-round super lightweight bout that finalizes a quadruple-header.

The four televised fights include five boxers who have yet to taste defeat with a total record of 107 wins to just three defeats and two draws. In the co-featured bout, undefeated Brian Norman Jr. (16-0, 14 KOs) puts his perfect record on the line as he takes on Flavio Rodriguez (9-1-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight matchup. Undefeated Alejandro Guerrero (11-0, 9 KOs) meets Jose Angulo (12-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight scrap while yet another unbeaten fighter Aram Avagyan (9-0-1, 4 KOs) takes on fellow undefeated Dagoberto Aguero (17-0, 11 KOs) in an eight-round featherweight fight.

The non-televised portion of the show features local boxers looking to fight there way onto a future Shobox card. Cruse “The Hitman” Stewart (6-0, 6 KO’s) of Iowa/MN meets Martez McGregor (8-3, 6 KO’s) in the main off-television bout. Stewart has been on a roll and securing an opponent had been tough until battle tested McGregor stepped in. McGregor made a name for himself while going punch for punch with prospect Cem Kilic last June, even dropping the German before being stopped in the closing moments of the eighth and final round. McGregor showed a strong chin and willingness to stand toe-to-to in that bout. The fight is scheduled for six rounds in the middleweight division.

“It’s amazing to fight so soon in front of the many die hard Minnesota boxing fan base I am building” said Stewart. “I truly am blessed! My opponent will be the best fighter I will be looking across the ring from and we will deliver fireworks. We are training to have the best performance of my career and Cruse The Hitman” Stewart will keep rolling in 2020.”

Joe James (7-0, 4 KO’s) of Saint Cloud, MN battles Mike Fowler (7-26, 2 KO’s) in a six round lightweight bout. This will be the sixth Grand Casino appearance for James who stopped Drake Heitfield last January in Hinckley.

“I’m excited to fight back in Hinckley, I love it!” said James. “I’m ready to put on a show for my fans. Just expect to see me keep improving every fight.”

Ryan Watson (5-1-2, 2 KO’s) of Duluth, MN is scheduled box Lawrence Subelka (1-2) of Topeka, Kansas in a 4 round heavyweight bout. Watson picked up a career best win, grinding out a decision over tough and experienced Ray Ochieng last January.

“I’m glad to be staying busy and hope to stay busy all year” said Watson. “I’m excited to be on the Showtime undercard and I plan to impress”.

27 year-old Marlin “So Icey” Sims (7-0, 4 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN faces Charles Clark (2-6-1, 1 KO) of Dallas, Texas in a six round featherweight bout. Sims has also become a regular in Hinckley and is scheduled to box on April 25th at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, MN along with Joe James and more. Still, Sims says he is not looking past Clark and is currently in the midst of a hard-paced training camp.

Colton Warner (1-0, 1 KO) of Apple Valley, MN will be featured in a heavyweight bout against an opponent TBA. Warner out-boxed his opponent Matt Foster last January in Hinckley before stopping him with powerful shots in the third round. Warner says he plans on continuing the momentum from his pro debut into this fight.

“I am very happy to be fighting again so soon after my last bout, especially at the Grand Casino on this Showtime card” Warner said when asked to share his thoughts on getting back in the ring. “This card is filled with talent and I’m thankful to be a part of it. I want to be an active fighter so that I can continue to build momentum and improve. I get better everyday so I’m excited to put on an even better performance on the 13th of March. To be honest I don’t know anything about my opponent or who I will be fighting, but I do know that I will outbox him and it will end in a spectacular knock out.”

Danyelle Williams (3-1, 1 KO) of Owatonna and now residing in Duluth, MN battles James Barnes (debut) of Pine City in a heavyweight bout. Both fighters have MMA backgrounds and have been involved in some fun battles. Each likes to throw heavy fists and this fight probably won’t last the scheduled four rounds.

My last boxing bout was March of 2018. I’m definitely ready to knock off the ring rust and I feel sorry for anyone standing in the way of what I’m out to accomplish” said Williams.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Salita Promotions in association with D&D Boxing and Rapacz Boxing, are priced at $75 Ringside, $50 Reserved, $25 General Admission, and $62.50 Table Seating (two-ticket minimum), and are on sale now at ticketmaster.com or the Grand Casino Hinckley Box Office.

“On March 13th, boxing fans are in for a treat,” said Dmitriy Salita, President of Salita Promotions. “This fantastic ShoBox card is showcasing some of the most talented prospects in boxing. Top to bottom, is going to be a must watch night of fights, shining the spotlight in my opinion, in some of tomorrow’s champions.”

Just 20 years old, the knockout artist Lee (18-0, 16 KOs) from La Quinta, Calif., has KO’d all but two of his opponents (88.89 percent), including 11 in the first round, four in the second and one in the third. The third-year pro is making his second ShoBox appearance. In September, Lee scored a second-round knockout against Milton Arauz in his ShoBox debut. This is Lee’s second fight of 2020 as he knocked out Miguel Zamudio in a non-televised January 17 bout in Sloan, Iowa.

Lee had a decorated amateur career with an estimated record of 196-5. He was the 2015 U.S. Junior National Champion, taking home the gold medal at 145 pounds. With lightning quick hands that also pack power, the exciting Lee has sparred with Mikey Garcia, Devin Haney, Mauricio Herrera, Timothy Bradley Jr., Thomas Dulorme, to name a few. Lee is trained by his father Bobby Lee and is also a full-time college student.

“I’m excited to be headlining my first SHOWTIME show,” Lee said. “I’m looking forward to giving fans something different that they haven’t seen from me before. They’re going to see me display my boxing skills a lot more. In my last two fights, I feel like I didn’t really show how good my defense is. I’m going to use the left hand a lot more to feel him out. And then, when the time is right, I will drop the bombs. Headlining my first ShoBox is a huge accomplishment. It’ll sort of be like graduating the high school of boxing. After this, I hope to move onto the University level of boxing like SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING or Pay-per-View.”

The 33-year-old Prieto (15-1, 10 KOs) is riding a seven-fight win streak with his last loss coming in February 2017. In his last fight in November, Prieto recorded a six-round unanimous decision against Yogli Herrera. Prieto trains at various gyms around Miami and for the past year has been working with former light heavyweight world champion and Roy Jones Jr. conqueror Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson.

“It’s been great working with Glen,” Prieto said. “I am getting knowledge from an ex-world champion who knows what it takes to be at the top level and has been there before. He knows how to push and guide you the right way for big fights like this. Brandun Lee looks like a young, undefeated fighter to me, but I don’t see anything too impressive, honestly. You can expect to see fireworks that night. I’m going to really come and put Brandun to the test. He’s never faced anyone as good as me. It’s going to be an action-packed fight.”

Norman, the 19-year-old Atlanta resident, like Lee also has won all but two of his fights by knockout. Most recently, Norman earned a unanimous decision victory over Evincii Dixon on January 17 in Sloan, Iowa. Norman goes by the nickname “The Assassin II” as his father Brian Norman Sr. was known as “The Assassin” as a professional boxer from 2003-2011. Norman is trained by both his father and Barry Richardson.

“I’m not looking for just a victory on ShoBox, I want to show off,” Norman said. “I want to show what I can do. I want to break my opponent down and let everybody know I’m here. You can expect to see a lot of fireworks. Both my father and Barry are giving me their all, and I’m giving it back. I know Rodriguez is a short, pressure fighter. He’s basically made for me to beat.”

Rodriguez trains at Capetillo Boxing Academy in East Los Angeles. He had an amateur record of 86 wins and 14 losses and was a silver medalist at the Junior Olympic Nationals.

“Fighting on SHOWTIME is a dream come true,” Rodriguez said. “Growing up, I always wanted to be one of the guys that fought on TV, so it’s pretty exciting to get the opportunity to do so and show the world my skills. A victory would mean a lot to me, especially a win over someone as tough as the guy I’m fighting. I’m hoping a win over him can bring me to bigger opportunities to fight for a world title.”

Guerrero is a big-punching prospect who has won his last three fights by knockout. A celebrated amateur who won two junior national titles, “Pork Chop” has sparred with the likes of Mikey Garcia and Brandon Rios at the famed Garcia Boxing Academy in California. Fighting out of Houston, the 21-year-old will be making his national television debut March 13 and is coming off a second-round TKO of Darnell Jiles Jr. in January of this year.

“I love that I’m getting this opportunity,” said Guerrero. “I’ve trained for this my whole life. My dream is to become a world champion, so a win would mean so much for me and my family. I’ve been training really hard for this fight, knowing it’ll be on national television. I don’t really know much about Angulo, but we train hard for anyone. The outcome will always be the same. I will always win.”

Angulo, of Guayaquil, Ecuador, will be making his United States debut after fighting 12 of his 13 professional fights in his native country. His lone loss came in his only fight outside of Ecuador, a unanimous decision to Ryan Pino in Puerto Rico. Since the loss, Angulo has rattled off six consecutive wins, including knockouts in the second and first rounds of his last two fights, respectively.

“There’s going to be a big surprise waiting for Guerrero on March 13,” said Angulo. “He likes fighting on the inside and he comes forward with a lot of aggression too, so he’s the perfect style for me and the way I like to fight. I’m looking forward to showcasing myself on this big platform and putting all my skills to work. I will win.”

Avagyan, a 29-year-old from Yerevan, Armenia, represented his home country in the 2016 Olympic Games. Avagyan had an accomplished amateur career, winning bronze medals at both the 2013 and 2015 European championships. Turning pro following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, Avagyan won his first eight professional bouts before fighting Russian Evgeny Smirnov to a split-decision in September 2018. His last time out, he made his U.S. debut on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez-Daniel Jacobs, where he handily out-boxed then-unbeaten Francisco Esparza en route to a unanimous decision.

“Every fight is a chance to prove myself and rise to the top,” said Avagyan, who is signed to Salita Promotions. “When I go out into the ring, I only think about winning any at cost. Aguero is just another obstacle that must be moved out of my way. Before each fight, I surrender myself to training one hundred percent so that on the day of the battle, I do not regret the path traveled. Fight night is like a holiday for me because the time has come for which I was preparing.”

The 26-year-old Aguero was an impressive amateur in his native Dominican Republic. Aguero was a silver medalist at the 2011 Pan-Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, losing only to future two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Robeisy Ramírez. As a pro, the San Cristobal native won the first 10 fights of his career in his home country before making his U.S. debut in February 2017 when he earned the most impressive win of his young career over Olimjon Nazarov.

“Fighting on SHOWTIME is what we have been waiting for,” said Aguero, who is currently training in Pahokee, Fla. “I look at it as the opportunity to show people who I am and when I win this fight, it’ll be the beginning of a great boxing career where I can feed my family and give my son everything he needs and deserves.”

Stay tuned as Minnesota Fight News will be catching up with all of the local fighters on the show as fight night approaches.