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Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation will be back on Nov. 15 from Sloan, Iowa, with a tripleheader featuring welterweights Erik Vega Ortiz and Alberto Palmetta in the 10-round main event.
Vega Ortiz (16-0, 9 KO) is a 24-year-old from Tijuana with a very “Tijuana” record thus far in his pro career, facing nobody of any consequence. 29-year-old Palmetta (12-1, 8 KO) represented Argentina at the 2016 Olympics.
“Boxing fans will want to tune in Nov. 15 to witness a classic rivalry between Mexico and Argentina,” Vega Ortiz said. “We know what we are facing in Alberto Palmetta. He is a well-rounded boxer with a great amateur career and an ex-Olympian. But, at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter to me. These are the types of challenges I like and I am looking forward to pleasing my fans.”
“My first goal in boxing was to be an Olympian boxer, and my second was to become champion of the world,” Palmetta said. “This is the first step on my way to realizing my dream of becoming a world champion. Great effort brings great achievements.”
In the 10-round light heavyweight co-feature, 26-year-old Marcos Escudero (10-0, 9 KO) of Argentina will face 30-year-old Texan Joseph George (9-0, 6 KO).
“Throw me to the wolves and I’ll return leading the pack,” Escudero said. “The time has come for me to shine. Thank you to my team and my promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, for this opportunity. I will not disappoint.”
“I know very little about my opponent, except that he is a puncher against limited opposition,” George said. “Training is going great. I have been on weight for quite some time now because I really fight at 168 pounds, but I believe my skill set is enough that fighting at 175 is not a problem at all. I train with one of the best trainers in the world in James Cooper. Coop has gone over a game plan and I will execute it to a T.”
The opener will be an eight-round middleweight fight between Uruguay’s 23-year-old Amilcar Vidal (9-0, 8 KO) and Texas native Zach Prieto (9-0, 7 KO).
“I’m very focused and at the same time excited to be performing in the U.S. for the first time,” Vidal said. “Coming from my home country Uruguay, it was always a dream to fight in America. That’s now turning into a reality on Nov. 15.”
“I have worked a long time hoping for an opportunity like this to come along,” Prieto said. “From what I have seen of my opponent, he is strong and it is going to take a lot of strategy to beat him. He is someone that is going to take more than overpowering to defeat. A victory would mean another step down the road for me in mastering my craft and being able to step up and fight anyone they put me against.”