Hugo "The Boss" Centeno Jr. remains undefeated
 By way of Doghouse Boxing (June 8, 2014)
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Photo © Esther Lin / SHOWTIME |
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INDIO, Calif. - Since its inception in July 2001, ShoBox: The New Generation has
produced 54 world champions, an average of more than one every four
telecasts. The critically acclaimed, prospect-orientated series is also a
testing ground for undefeated fighters, who frequently are matched
against their toughest foes to date.
Friday on SHOWTIME® from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., two more previously unbeaten fighters lost, bringing
to 120 the number of boxers who suffered their first defeats on ShoBox.
Promising middleweight Hugo "The Boss" Centeno Jr. (21-0, 11 KOs), 23, of Oxnard, Calif., kept his "O" intact, having his
way en route to a lopsided 10-round decision over late-substitute Gerardo Ibarra (14-1, 8 KOs), of Houston. Previously undefeated Eddie "E Boy" Gomez (16-1, 10 KOs), of Bronx, N.Y., wasn't so fortunate, losing an upset 10-round decision to surging Francisco "Chia" Santana (20-3-1, 7 KOs), of Santa Barbara, Calif., who won his eighth consecutive fight in a crowd-pleasing co-feature.
Making
his first start for new trainer Eric Brown, Centeno dominated, winning
by the scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90. His uppercut in close range and
jab from a distance were key to the triumph.
"It's
never easy,'' Centeno said afterward. "He was a tough, durable guy who
came to fight. He was a late replacement but I didn't underestimate
him. I take nothing from him.''
As for the future, Centeno wasn't sure if he was staying at middleweight, or moving down to his more natural 154.
"I
have to sit down with my camp and figure out what division works for
us," Centeno said. "I felt sharp at this weight. And I felt a lot
sharper after just one month with Eric Brown. We'll see how much better
we'll be after a few fights."
Ibarra,
who took the fight on a week's notice, said he wasn't mentally ready.
"I just didn't have enough time to prepare,'' he said. "No excuses, the
better man won tonight. He was just a little bit more ready than I
was. I don't regret taking the fight. It was a learning experience.
You learn from your mistakes."
Utilizing
a 2 ½ inch advantage, the 5-9 ½ Santana, 27, was victorious in an
excellent, fast-paced, two-way action welterweight fight by the scores
of 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94. There were no knockdowns, but Santana
dominated the last half of the fight. According to SHOSTATS, Santana
outhrew Gomez, 683-460, even though he was less accurate.
"After
the fifth round, I saw he was getting tired and I knew I had the bigger
heart,'' said Santana, who was certain the decision would go his way.
"He's talented, but I knew how to put my skills to use.
"A
fighter knows when he won and lost. I knew I won. It was an amazing
feeling when I heard Jimmy Lennon Jr. call my name. I knew I had the
bigger heart and the bigger guts. I knew he would try to get me out of
my comfort zone but I wouldn't let him.
"I
pulled the upset. On paper, he was supposed to win, but I knew what I
came here to do. I've faced the tougher guys. I'm older and I know I
don't have much time. This is my time. I want to be the first Santa
Barbara fighter to win a world title.
"To beat a great counter puncher you have to beat him with pressure. I gave smart pressure, not careless pressure."
Offered
Gomez, 21, after losing his ShoBox debut: "I thought I did enough to
win. He was a tough guy and there were some close rounds, but I thought I
did enough. I have to take this loss like a man. That's life. It's part
of the sport. For sure I didn't take him lightly. This was only the
second time I'd ever fought 10 full rounds like that. It is back to the
drawing board. I'll learn from this and I'll be back.''
World-ranked
junior welterweight Mauricio Herrera, who'll be challenging Interim WBA
World Junior Welterweight world champion Johan Perez in one of four
fights on "Honor & Glory: Canelo Alvarez vs. Erislandy Lara" on
Saturday, July 12, on SHOWTIME PPV® from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas, was interviewed between fights by SHOWTIME analyst Steve
Farhood.
"I
feel like I'm cursed on SHOWTIME, but I'm going to change all that,"
said Herrera, who resides in nearby Riverside and will be fighting for
the first time since a hard-luck 12-round majority decision loss to
unified 140-pound champion Danny Garcia last March 15 in Puerto Rico.
"Good things are going to come along. Everybody watch on July 12 because
I'm coming out and I'm bringing the action."
The ShoBox doubleheader will re-air for first time this week as follows:
DAY CHANNEL
Tuesday, June 10, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME EXTREME
Friday's
two-fight telecast will be available ON DEMAND beginning
today/tomorrow, Sunday, June 7 and available via SHOWTIME ANYTIME®.
Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with 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.
DHB truly offers more content daily than any other boxing resource!
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