Tomorrow night on ShoBox: The New Generation, Mayweather Promotions has a tripleheader with three of their best prospects, a trio of unbeaten fighters who are familiar to regular viewers of the series. How tough are they in tomorrow night, and what can you expect of their foes? Let's take a look at the three fights.
J'Leon Love (16-0, 9 KO) vs Vladine Biosse (15-2-2, 7 KO)
Super Middleweights, 10 Rounds
Love, 26, is a familiar face for boxing fans at this point, having been hyped up a bit and featured on ShoBox and Floyd Mayweather undercards. He's considered one of the young guns at Mayweather Promotions, part of their future, but he's shown some vulnerability so far, too. He won a debated split decision in May 2013 over Gabriel Rosado, a result that was changed to a no-contest when he failed a post-fight drug test. After serving his suspension in Nevada, Love returned with a win over veteran Lajuan Simon in December, a sixth round knockout.
Biosse, 31, was born in Cape Verde and brought up in the boxing game in Providence, Rhode Island, after a track career that saw him compete at the University of Rhode Island. He had a nice start in the pro ranks before running into Denis Grachev in 2011, losing a TKO-4 in the fight that launched Grachev toward future, bigger fights. Biosse was also stopped last year by tough club fighter Marcus Upshaw, and his chin is a tad suspect.
Badou Jack (16-0-1, 11 KO) vs Derek Edwards (26-3-1, 13 KO)
Super Middleweights, 10 Rounds
Jack, 30, is another hyped Mayweather prospect, and another one who has shown some cracks in the armor. The Swedish fighter, now based in Las Vegas, showed some weaknesses against the very awkward Alexander Brand in 2012 on ShoBox, and went to a draw last year against Marco Antonio Periban. Neither of those are anything to be ashamed of, necessarily, but they may point to a lower ceiling than has been hyped before.
Edwards, 34, is a veteran, used to being in a position like this one where he's the opponent. Since 2009, he's just 1-3-1, losing to Marcus Johnson (UD-10), Adonis Stevenson (KO-3), and Matt Korobov (TKO-9), drawing against Anthony Hanshaw in February 2013. He was most recently in against Korobov in December.
Chris Pearson (10-0, 9 KO) vs Lanardo Tyner (31-8-2, 20 KO)
Middleweights, 8 Rounds
23-year-old Pearson may be the best prospect on this show. He's very young and still a bit raw, but he has big natural power. That said, Tyner, 38, is a nice step up for him. The veteran scrapper has won six fights in a row since a four-fight losing streak against Wale Omotoso, Kevin Bizier, Jessie Vargas, and Dierry Jean. Tyner has also been in the ring with Canelo Alvarez, Lamont Peterson, and plenty of other guys. He's seen just about every style there is to see. If Pearson can stop Tyner, he'd be the first man to ever do so, and that would be an achievement at this stage of his career.