New York, NY (June 7, 2022)–Ohio natives and Split-T Management fighters Charles Conwell and DeAndre Ware got their hands raised in fights over the weekend.

Thursday night in Montreal, Conwell took out Abraham Juarez Ramirez in round three of their 10-round junior middleweight bout,

Conwell dominated the action as he landed hard combinations until finally breaking through in the second frame by scoring two knockdowns. With Juarez hurt, Conwell ended the fight in round three by sending Juarez to the canvas for a third time, and the bout was stopped at 1:13.

Conwell of Cleveland is now 17-0 with 13 knockouts. Juarez of Mexico City fell to 19-10.

Conwell is promoted by Probellum and DiBella Entertainment.

Saturday night in Toledo, super middleweight DeAnde Ware took an eight-round unanimous decision over tough Philadelphian, Christopher Brooker.

Ware of Toledo controlled the action, and won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74 to raise his mark to 15-3-2. Brooker is now 16-11.

New York, NY (June 2, 2022)-Undefeated junior middleweight contender Charles Conwell will take on fight Abraham Juarez Ramirez tonight at the Montreal Casino in Montreal, Canada.

Conwell of Cleveland, Ohio is managed by Split-T Management and has a record of 16-0 with 12 knockouts.

The 24 year-old Conwell is the USBA Junior Middleweight champion, and is considered one of the top young fighters in the sport.

The five-year veteran who was a member of the 2016 United States Olympic team, has wins over Roque Zepeda (4-1-3), Travis Scott (19-3), Courtney Pennington (12-3-3), Wendy Toussaint (12-0), Madiyar Ashkeyev (14-0), and his last bout when he stopped Juan Carlos Rubio (18-0) in three rounds on August 29th in Cleveland,

Ramirez of Mexico City is 19-9 with eight knockouts. The 25 year-old is an eight-year veteran, and has quality wins over Alejandro Meneses (8-2), Ricardo Salas Rodriguez (7-0), Jesus Arriega (2-0), Jorge Garcia Perez (17-1). Ramirez is coming off a loss to undefeated Evan Sanchez on February 19th in Tijuana, Mexico.

Conwell is promoted by Probellum and DiBella Entertainment.

Last Wednesday, Split-T Management’s Dalis Kaleipou remained undefeated with a second round stoppage over Cezly Collard at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

With the win, the 23 year-old native of Waianae, Hawaii is now 3-0 with three knockouts.

Kaleipou is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

The very next night in Dearborn, Michigan, Split-T’s Joseph Hicks (2-0, 2 KOs) remained undefeated with a second round stoppage over Bruno Leonardo Lomay in a scheduled six-round bout.

The 28 year-old Hicks took out Romay, who came in with a record of 21-9.

Hicks is promoted by Salita Promotions.

NEW YORK (June 28, 2021)–Four fighters under the Split-T Management banner kept their undefeated records in-tact with big wins throughout North America.

In Las Vegas, Welterweight contender Giovani Santillan took an eight-round unanimous decision from veteran Cecil McCalla at the Virgin Hotel.

Santillan of San Diego, boxed very well and dictated the pace throughout the contest.

McCalla proved to be a tough opponent, but Santillan was more effective but outlanding McCalla 146 to 102, and came home with the near-shutout victory by score of 80-72 twice and 79-73 to raise his mark to 27-0.

The fight was streamed on ESPN+.

Santillan is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Top Rank.

In Guadalajara, Mexico, good looking prospect Diego Pacheco stopped Jesus Palomares in round six of a scheduled eight-round battle of undefeated super middleweights.

Pacheco dominated the fight with his boxing ability, and in round six he started to dominate and the fight was stopped after a hard uppercut at 2:17.

Pacheco, 167 lbs of Los Angeles is 12-0 with nine knockouts. Palomares, 167 lbs of Sonora, MEX is 7-1-1.

The fight was streamed on DAZN.

Pacheco is promoted by Matchroom Boxing.

In Ashland, Kentucky, world-ranked junior middleweight Charles Conwell continued his winning ways, by pounding out an eight-round unanimous decision over veteran Silverio Ortiz.

Conwell, who is ranked number-seven by the IBF, dropped Ortiz once in round five, and twice in round seven. Conwell of Cleveland, won by scores of 80-69 on all cards to raise his perfect mark to 15-0.

Conwell is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Holden Productions.

On the same card, featherweight, Haven Brady Jr. stopped Nathan Benichou inside of a round.

Brady registered two knockdowns, and the fight was halted 93 seconds into the contest.

The 19 year-old Brady, who is promoted by Top Rank, is now 3-0 with three knockouts.

NEW YORK (June 25, 2021)–On Saturday, boxing’s top management company, Split-T Management will have four of it’s top fighters featured in bouts throughout North America.

At the Virgin Hotel In Las Vegas, undefeated welterweight Giovani Santillan battles Cecil McCalla in a 10-round bout.

In Guadalajara, Mexico, rising undefeated prospect Diego Pacheco takes on undefeated Jesus Palomares in an eight-round super middleweight fight.

In Ashland, Kentucky, world-ranked super welterweight Charles Cinwell takes on Silverio Ortiz, while Haven Brady Jr. takes on Nathan Benichou in a four-round featherweight bout.

Photo by Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

Santillan, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Top Rank, has a record 26-0 with 15 knockouts. Santillan of San Diego, has wins over Michael Balasi (10-2), Daniyar Hanyk (10-0), Osenohan Vazquez (7-1-1), Eduardo Rivera (9-1-2), Ernesto Ortiz (10-2), Omar Tienda (18-3), Sammy Valentin (12-0), Dodzi Kemeh (19-1), Alejandro Barboza (11-1) and his last bout when defeated former world champion Antonio DeMarco on June 16, 2020 in Las Vegas.

McCalla of Randallstown, Maryland, has a record of 23-4 with 10 knockouts.

McCalla has defeated the likes of Ivan Zigar (1-0-1), Antonio Walls (2-0), John Mackey (11-2-1), Gary Lynch (4-0) and Oscar Godoy (13-2). McCalla has won two in a row, and is coming off of a 2nd round stoppage over Fidel Monterrosa Munoz on October 16th in Plant City, Florida.

Santillan weighed 147.6 lbs and McCalla was 147 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in.

The bout can be seen on ESPN+ at 7:15 PM.

Photo by Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

Pacheco of Los Angeles is 11-0 with eight knockouts.

The 20 year-old Pacheco will be facing his 5th undefeated foe of his three-year career. He already has wins over Felix Aguilar, Guillermo Maldonado, Jose Esparza and Terry Ferandez. Pacheco also has a 2nd round stoppage over Juan Antonio Mendez (12-2). Pacheco is coming off a unanimous decision over Rodolfo Gomez Jr. on February 21st in Miami.

Palomares of Sonora, Mexico is 7-0-1 with four knockouts, and has defeated two undefeated opponents in his last two bouts. He has a 2nd round stoppage over Christian Hermosillo (3-0) and in his last bout Palomares won a unanimous decision over Jaime Portillo on November 19th in Sonora, Mexico.

Both Pacheco and Palomares were 167 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in

In Ashland, Kentucky Conwell and Brady were able to book fights following bouts being postponed in Miami.

Conwell of Cleveland is ranked number-seven by the IBF, has a record of 14-0 with 11 knockouts,

The 2016 United States Olympian is the USBA champion, who has made three defenses has wins over Roque Zeoeda (4-1-3), Travis Scott (19-3), His USBA title winning effort over Courtney Pennington (12-3-3) and defenses over undefeated Webdy Toussaint (12-0) and Madiyar Ashkeyev (14-0).

Conwell, who is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Holden Productions checked in at 158 lbs.

Ortiz of Yucitan, Mexico has a record of 37-26 with 18 knockouts, and is a 21 year veteran,

He has fought many world champions and title challengers and has sprung upsets over Daniel Seda, Miguel Angel Huerta, Mian Hussein and Ramzan Baysarov

Brady of Albany, Georgia is 2-0 with both wins coming via knockout. He weighed 128 lbs.

The 19 year-old Brady, who is promoted by Top Rank, is coming off a 2nd round stoppage over Michael Land on December 12th in Las Vegas.

Benichou of Puebla, Mexico has a record of 2-4 with two knockouts.

NEW YORK, NY (DECEMBER 18, 2020)–Split-T Management fighters Charles Conwell and Stephan Shaw kept their perfect resumes intact with big wins on Thursday night at the parking lot of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.

The fight card was the 3rd installment of of the Ring City USA series on NBC Sports Network.

In the main event world-ranked Conwell took out Madiyar Ashkeyev out after round nine of their scheduled 10-round junior middleweight bout

Conwell, who defended his USBA and captured the WBC USNBC Junior Middleweight titles, beat up Ashkeyev throughout the contest as he pounded away at the body and landed heavy shots upstairs. Ashkeyev had a lot of swelling over his left eye from the constant offense of Conwell. Referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout in between rounds nine and 10.

It was a solid all-around performance from Conwell, who should improve on his to number-eight ranking by the IBF.

“I felt good tonight,” Conwell said. “I’m getting more and more comfortable in the ring and more comfortable with the experience I continue to get.”

“I think I’m the only undefeated contender fighting,” Conwell continued. “And I think that means a lot – I’m making great progress and I’m ready for a bigger payday. The more I fight, the better I get. I’m only 23-years-old and I want to keep fighting.”

Conwell, 154 lbs of Cleveland, OH is 14-0 with 11 knockouts. Ashkeyev, 154 lbs of Kazakhstan is 14-1

Conwell is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Holden Productions.

Stephan Shaw remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Lyubomyr Pinchuk in a heavyweight bout.
Shaw dominated the fight by using a pinpoint jab to set up some solid right hands.

Shaw, 235 lbs of St. Louis, MO won by scores of shutout scores of 80-72 and is now 14-0. Pinchuk, 223 lbs of Lviv, UK is 12-2-1.

Shaw is promoted by DiBella Entertainment

NEW YORK, NY (DECEMBER 17, 2020)–Two highly regarded and undefeated fghters under the Split-T Management banner will be in action TONIGHT as part of the 3rd installment of the Ring City USA series on NBC Sports Network (9 PM ET).

The bouts will take place outside of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, California.

In the main event, 2016 U.S. Olympian and IBF number-eight ranked junior middleweight contender, Charles Conwell takes on Madiyar Ashkeyev in a 10-round bout battle featuring undefeated fighters.

Before that, in a bout that can be seen live on Twitch streaming app (7:30 PM ET), undefeated heavyweight Stephan Shaw battles Lyubomyr Pinchuk in a heavyweight bout scheduled for eight-rounds.

Conwell of Cleveland, Ohio, is 13-0 with 10 knockouts. The 23 year-old has risen up the prospect ratings and won the USBA Junior Middleweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Courtney Pennington. He has made two defenses, with the latest being a 9th round stoppage over Wendy Toussaint on October 7th.
“You will see tomorrow night what I can bring. I’m not overlooking Ashkeyev, I’m looking to prove ourselves [my team]. Tomorrow will be a great show. We all want the belts!” said Conwell at Wednesday’s weigh-in

CHARLES CONWELL WEIGHS IN

Conwell is promoted DiBella Entertainment and Holden Productions

Ashkeyev of Oxnard, California by way of Kazakhstan is 14-0 with seven knockouts and has wins over three undefeated opponents as well as contenders Shawn Cameron (10-2), Jose Antonio Abreu (13-3), Cecil McCalla (21-3) and his last bout when he stopped Rodolfo Ezquiel Martinez in five rounds on November 9, 2019.

Both Conwell and Ashkeyev weighed 154 lbs. at Wednesday’s weigh-in.

Shaw of St. Louis, Missouri has a record of 13-0 with 10 knockouts.

The 28 year-old Shaw is ready to make his move in the heavyweight division. The talented prospect is coming off a nice string of wins that included getting his hand raised over the likes of Danny Kelly (9-2-1), Jonathan Rice (4-1-1), Joel Caudle (7-1-1), Donovan Dennis (12-3), Willie Jake Jr. (8-2-1) and his last outing when took out Gregory Corbin (15-2) in three rounds on December 5, 2019 in New York.

“This will be my first fight in 378 days. I’m itching to get in the ring. It’s been a while, but we are here now. Training with top fighters like [Andy] Ruiz and [Deontay] Wilder helped me feel what it is like to be a Champion and be a Champion myself – doing my own thing. If a knockout presents itself, I’m will definitely take it,” said Shaw.

Pinchuk of Pittsburgh via Ukraine is 12-1-1 with seven knockouts.

Pinchuk has racked up wins over three undefeated fighters which includes winning a decision over Johnnie Langston (9-0). In his last bout, Pinchuk defeated the always-tough Garrett Wilson on November 2, 2019 in Canonsburg, PA.

Shaw weighed in at 235 lbs; Pinchuk was 223.

Shaw is promoted by DiBella Entertainment.

NEW YORK (October 8, 2020) – Three member of Split-T Management scored impressive victories on Wednesday night at The Mohegan Sun Arena, with two of the wins televised live as part of a ShoBox: The New Generation card live on SHOWTIME®

In The main event, 2016 United States Olympian Charles Conwell remained undefeated with a crushing 9th round stoppage over previously undefeated Wendy Toussaint in a junior middleweight bout.

Conwell dominated the 1st eight rounds with terrific boxing ability as he was able to get inside and get the better of the action. In round, nine, Cinewell landed a blistering uppercut that may have broke the nose of Toussaint. The New Yorker took a couple steps back, and took a knee for the 10-count at 2:42.

With the win, Conwell of Cleveland, Ohio is now 13-0 with 10 knockouts,

“I think this was a good fight for my first fight back, getting the ring rust off, but at the end of the day we got the job done,” said Conwell, a 2016 U.S. Olympian. “The game plan going in was to break him down round by round, go to the body until we got him to where we wanted him. I give my performance a C-plus, there were a lot of things I could have done better. I’m going to get back in the gym and continue to work hard to become the champion I know I can be. I’ll fight anybody next, but I really want an ex-world champion or ex-title challenger so I can get the championship rounds under my belt. Then it’s on to a world title.”

Conwell is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Holden Productions.

In the co-feature, undefeated welterweight Janelson Figueroa Bocachica announced himself to the world with a opening round destruction of Nicklaus Flaz.

Bocachica scored a crushing knockdown in the opening seconds of the fight as he landed a perfect left hook on the jaw. Bocachica kept up the onslaught has he landed tremendous power shots that culminated with another left hook that sent Flaz down for a second. It was only matter of time before Bocachica ended things with a big barrage of punches that forced the stoppage as Flaz was falling for a 3rd time at 2:43.

With the win, Bocachica of Detroit is now 16-0 with 11 knockouts.

Figueroa Bocachica is promoted by King’s Promotions.

“I came in and they said he wanted to brawl, and as soon as he did, the fight was over,” said Bocachica, a Detroit native, who like Flaz is of Puerto Rican descent. “The game plan was to showcase my boxing. I didn’t get to do that but I’m happy either way. I’m not shy calling out guys, but I’m trying to be respectful to the best in my division. I’m here, so bring them on. One-hundred forty-seven [pounds] is mine. It was easier than I thought, I’m not going to lie. But I didn’t think it was going to be hard.”

Featherweight prospect David Navarro made an impressive debut by stopping Nathan Benichou in the opening round of their scheduled four-rounder.

Navarro scored two knockdowns, and he showed why he was a much talked about singing for Split-T Management. The end came at 1:32 for native of Los Angeles.

Highlights of Navarro’s victory were shown on the ShoBox Telecast.

UNCASVILLE, CONN. – October 6, 2020 – Exciting 154-pound prospects Charles Conwell and Wendy Toussaint both made weight a day beforeheir main event showdown set for Wednesday, October 7, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT) from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in the first ShoBox: The New Generation telecast since March.

A decorated amateur and U.S. representative at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, the 22-year-old Conwell (12-0, 9 KOs) hails from Cleveland, Ohio, and will make his second ShoBox appearance when he takes on up-and-coming Toussaint (12-0, 5 KOs) in a 10-round super welterweight contest.

The ShoBox event will open with two eight-round welterweight showdowns as Detroit’s Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (15-0, 10 KOs) takes on fellow Puerto Rico native Nicklaus Flaz (9-1, 7 KOs) and hard-hitting Brandun Lee (19-0, 17 KOs) returns to ShoBox in the telecast opener against Jimmy Williams (16-3-2, 5 KOs).

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

The event is promoted by Tony Holden Productions.

FINAL WEIGHTS

Super Welterweight 10-Round Bout
Charles Conwell – 154 lbs.
Wendy Toussaint – 153 lbs.
Referee: Johnny Callas (West Hartford, Conn.); Judges: Glenn Feldman (Avon, Conn.), Frank Lombardi (Brookfield, Conn.), Don Trella (Noank, Conn.),

Welterweight 8-Round Bout
Janelson Figueroa Bocachica – 146½ lbs.
Nicklaus Flaz – 146½ lbs.
Referee: Johnny Callas (West Hartford, Conn.); Judges: Ken Ezzo (Wilton, Conn.),Don Trella (Conn.), Steve Weisfeld (River Vale, N.J.), ,

Welterweight 8-Round Bout
Brandun Lee – 144 lbs.
Jimmy Williams – 143¾ lbs.
Referee: Danny Schiavone (Wethersfield, Conn.); Judges: Ken Ezzo (Wilton, Conn.), Glenn Feldman (Avon, Conn.), Frank Lombardi (Brookfield, Conn.)

FINAL QUOTES:

Charles Conwell

“Since my last ShoBox appearance three years ago, I’ve matured a lot as a fighter. I’m more comfortable inside the ring and going longer rounds. I’ve developed as an all-around fighter. A lot of challenges have been thrown my way but it’s nothing that I can’t overcome. I’ve been able to adjust, get over it and keep moving up.

“I think I need a couple more fights, a couple more good wins under my belt against some formidable opponents, and looking good doing it, and I’ll be considered a top-10 type of contender. I think I need two more fights.

“I had a fight scheduled in April right before the shutdown, which got cancelled. So, it’s just been constant training for me. Not necessarily going hard in the gym, but just staying active in the gym and staying in shape so when the call comes, you’re prepared for it whenever they give you a date.

“I know that I’m facing an undefeated, 12-0 fighter. He fought in the bubble, I know that. He’s a slim, tall type of guy who has length, and he’s athletic. I’ve just seen one of his fights. He has a little awkwardness and he throws some loopy shots that I need to be aware of.

“With the Patrick Day fight, I’ve just learned to live with it and try to stay positive. Keep positive people and positive energy around me. That’s all I can ever do, stay looking forward and try not to dwell on the past. It’s a very difficult thing for me but you can’t think about it in this sport. You have to continue to be aggressive. My first fight after that tragedy, once somebody punches you in the face it’s not too hard to punch them back – it’s natural. In training, I was a little timid at first but once somebody is in there trying to punch you in the face, it’s easy to be aggressive.

“I’ve always been an aggressive fighter. Being a shorter guy, you fight taller guys and you always have to be more aggressive. As I get in there and work with my coaches, I’ve developed different skills – different punches, different defensive moves, different angles, different tricks on the inside – so I’ve always been aggressive and willing to fight on the inside.”

Wendy Toussaint

“My conditioning is great right now. I’m always in shape and I’m very strong right now. I’m ready because this is a great opportunity for me. It’s difficult to get a fight right now with the Coronavirus so when this fight came, I took it immediately. I fought once in the bubble in Las Vegas already and I think that’s a little bit of an advantage for me. I think I already got one fight with no fans and I’m used to it – so maybe that’s a small advantage and the fact that I’ve been active is good as well.

“I sparred with [Sergiy] Derevyanchenko in camp and that was a great experience. He throws a lot of punches and sparring with him was different than anything I’ve experienced. It was very difficult, but I gave him a lot of work, a lot of pressure, and I think it will really help me a lot in this fight and going forward in my career.

“Conwell is a great fighter but I’m a very strong fighter as well, so I’m not going to be frustrated by anything he does. I’m going to stay relaxed, box and let everything come together because like I said, this is not my first time getting in the ring. Boxing is about staying relaxed no matter what your opponent brings. You have to be ready for anything. Conwell is a great fighter, all respect to him, but I’m coming to fight.

“Every time I have a fight, I don’t watch my opponent a whole lot but I do watch them a little bit. He’s a very strong fighter but every fight is different, you can be in top shape for one fight and be a different fighter in your next one. He’s a strong fighter, he likes to attack the body, but I don’t think I’ll have a big problem on my hands.

“Boxing is all mental. Sometimes, when you look at things on paper they are different than when you actually get in the ring and start fighting. I know that Conwell is going to be a strong fighter but is he stronger than the guys I’ve faced in sparring? I don’t know. I have to wait to get in the ring and see what he brings. You never know. But I’m very confident in myself and I’m not intimidated at all.”

Janelson Figueroa Bocachica

“I got a good six weeks of training in for this fight. I’ve been in camp with Charles Conwell this entire time. I’ve been going to Ohio and he’s come over to Detroit. I’ve also been in Tony Harrison’s camp for the past two weeks. I’ve gotten amazing work from both of those guys.

“I’m definitely a big puncher but you’ve got to know how to set it up. You can’t rush it, just trust that the knockout is going to come. I get knockouts with punches that I wasn’t even expecting to knock people out but then they don’t get back up. Boxing is about timing, it’s art. It’s not about brute strength. I’ve knocked people out with a jab, but my right hand seems to put everybody out. The better my opponents are, the better I am. As good as he looks, I know I’m going to be even better.

“When I went pro, I knew that I hurt people in the amateurs with big gloves and headgear, so imagine what I could do with the little ones? But I had to learn how to set my opponents up and pick my shots and get an opening. I couldn’t just go straight forward. Sometimes you have to let them come to you. It’s all about ring control.

“It won’t be a problem fighting without a crowd. I’ll still have my fans watching on TV and my coach, which is my dad, will still be there in my corner. I’m comfortable with the situation.

“I beat Brandun Lee in the amateurs but I don’t have any relationship with him today. I don’t really see much of what he’s doing, with him being out in California. I know he’s on this card so when I see him at the fight, I want to let him know that I want to fight him after this. I wish him well against his opponent but I know I’m going to do my thing and take care of my business. I upset him in the amateurs, and I hope I can see him in the pros too. If he wants to do it, we can do it. I’m ready for big names. I’m ready for Virgil Ortiz. I’m ready for Keith Thurman. Everybody around me knows that I’m so ready for bigger fights and bigger opponents.

“All I know is that Nicklaus Flaz better be ready because I had a super hard training camp and we’ve been working hard. I want to put on a great show for something that I’ve been training so hard for. I know Puerto Rico is going to be watching this one, and I know all of his fans are going to be mine after this fight.”

Nicklaus Flaz

“I was in the same camp as Jeison Rosario and I sparred with him a couple of times. I’ve been in touch with him since the Charlo fight and he’s doing better now. He’s eager to get back to work but they told him to get some rest. Sparring with Rosario, a world champion, was a great experience. It was really tough but I did my best to manage.

“I’m an aggressive fighter. I like to fight on the inside, come straight forward and do damage. I’m a better fighter than since I was in the World Series of Boxing. My defense and my ring IQ are way better. I used to just go in blindly looking to land punches, now I go in more conscious and with better defense. My punches are much more accurate now.

“I don’t know much about Bocachica. I let my trainer figure him out but what I know is that he’s a really tough fighter, undefeated, and he can punch. I’ve never been down before so I can definitely take a punch.

“This is Puerto Rico vs. Puerto Rico. That’s a great motivation for me. I got to take him out. He says he’s going to knock me out, so I want to see how he plans to do that. We can brawl if he wants. I want to see him try to knock me out. It’s going to be fireworks.

“I’ve worked a lot on my conditioning and pacing myself since my lone defeat. I’m a lot smarter than I was then. Not every fighter is going to be knocked out, so I worked on that and I fixed it. I’m in much better shape and I’m ready to fight 12 rounds if I have to, even though the fight is only scheduled for eight. I know I’ll be throwing a lot of punches until the end. My punch output will be high as always.”

Brandun Lee

“I was on the last fight on ShoBox in March, and we didn’t have a crowd at that one either. In a way, I feel like I’ve already been there, done that. I know what to expect without a crowd. Nothing has changed as far as my training. It’s been a little tough to find sparring but other than that, boxing-wise, the pandemic hasn’t affected me much.

“This will be the biggest guy I’ve ever fought. He’s a natural 147 and 154-pounder, so he is a much bigger fighter. I’m a 140-pounder. I think he’ll be the best fighter I’ve faced too. I feel that way because once upon a time he was a top-15 prospect in the rankings and he’s a much bigger, much longer guy than anybody I’ve faced.

“Hopefully this fight gives me more rounds than I’ve been able to get in the past. He’s only been knocked out once and he’s gone 10 rounds before. Hopefully we can get the rounds in because I need it. The only positive that comes from facing guys that you knock out in the first round is building up that confidence. But I feel like I’ve already built up my confidence so it’s time to start bringing in some real fighters and making some noise.

“I learned something from my last fight. Before the fight, I said I have to pick my shots more and be more calm, but in that case, I could have just gone in there and blown the guy away in the first round. I learned that you have to be able to make a quick choice on whether you want to take the guy out later or take him out now. I took him out later because I wanted to go more rounds. I expected the fight to go longer than what it did. We wanted the later rounds and the longer minutes but that was a mistake. If I hurt Jimmy Williams in the first round, I’m definitely going to get him out of there.

“I remember my fight against Bocachica in the amateurs was a hell of a fight. We had the entire arena watching us. It was a close fight. It could have gone either way. We were 15 at the time. I don’t really look at it like I need to avenge that loss in the pros. I’m looking at what’s ahead of me, not behind me. That was the amateurs but if he steps up to the plate, I’ll step up to the plate as well.

“My last fight against Camilo Prieto was a step-up and now Jimmy Williams is an even bigger step-up. After this fight, we need another step-up. Each fight, we need to slowly progress into the top ten. At the end of the day, I’m just a fighter. I will listen to my team and my promoter and whoever they pick for me to fight, I’m definitely going to step up to the plate and do what I do best.”

Jimmy Williams

“I’m a local guy and I’ve fought many times at Mohegan Sun, so it will be weird not having support in the arena but I know they will all be tuning in on SHOWTIME. It is what it is. I’m excited with fans or without fans, it doesn’t make a difference.

“I watched a little bit of tape on my opponent. I know he’s a young prospect, he had a great amateur career. But this is the pro game. I know he hasn’t been tested yet, he’s sparred with some of the greatest fighters in the world but he will get tested on Wednesday night. We’re going to see what Brandun Lee is made of.

“If you go and watch Brandun’s fights, the guys he faced didn’t come to fight. They came to lay down, they weren’t punching back and Brandun had enough time to set up his punches and he was able to do what he wanted to in the ring. I don’t discredit the guys he fought, he’s still got talent, but I’ve been tested. I’ve been hit hard. I’ve been in the ring with some great fighters already. This fight will definitely go past the first round. He better be prepared to put the rounds in with me.

“In 2008, my mom was murdered and it changed my whole life. I opted to leave school that year and enter the NFL draft. A lot of people thought I was crazy because I still had a year of eligibility, but I was projected to get drafted in the fifth to seventh round. It didn’t work out my way but I still got some calls and tried out for a few teams in camp. But my mom’s spirit brought me back to the ring. I had a lot of frustration and anger because it is an unsolved case, and boxing was my bread and butter from the beginning so getting back in the ring was the natural thing to do.

“My mother’s death motivated me to stay on the right path. My father passed away from cancer, and my parents both raised me to be somebody great in life. Her death motivated me. Her death never sat right with me. She didn’t die from a natural cause, somebody strangled her and put her there. That made me go hard in life. I woke up and told myself I would be somebody. I had to make her proud and I’m making her proud now. That anger fuels me in the ring because I feel like I bring her back to life. I know she went out fighting and every time I get in the ring, I fight for her.”

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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 83 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, 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, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.