Exciting rising bantamweight prospects Ja’Rico O’Quinn (14-0-1, 8 KOs) and Saul Sanchez (16-1, 9 KOs) both made weight Thursday, a day ahead of their 10-round main event on ShoBox: The New Generation this Friday, September 24, live on SHOWTIME at 10:35 p.m. ET/PT from the unique outdoor setting on Main Street in the Rose District of downtown Broken Arrow, Okla.
The co-main event pits undefeated featherweight prospects Luis Reynaldo Nunez (11-0, 8 KOs) and Jayvon Garnett (10-0, 5 KOs) against each other in a 10-round bout and undefeated Otar Eranosyan (9-0, 6 KOs) takes on Alejandro Guerrero (12-1, 9 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight contest that opens the telecast.
International Boxing Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins will call the action alongside former world champion Raul Marquez and Hall of Famer Al Bernstein. Fellow Hall of Famer Steve Farhood is the unofficial scorer. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
FINAL WEIGHTS
Bantamweight 10-Round Bout
Ja’Rico O’Quinn – 115.2 pounds
Saul Sanchez – 117.8 pounds
Referee: Gary Ritter (Okla.); Judges: David Sutherland (Okla.), Henry Ellick (Okla.), Henry Gueary (Kan.)
Featherweight 10-Round Bout
Luis Reynaldo Nunez – 125.6 pounds
Jayvon Garnett – 125.6 pounds
Referee: Gerald Ritter (Okla.); Judges: David Sutherland (Okla.), Henry Ellick (Okla.), Henry Gueary (Kan.)
Super Featherweight Eight-Round Bout
Otar Eranosyan – 130 pounds
Alejandro Guerrero – 129.2 pounds
Referee: Gary Ritter (Okla.); Judges: David Sutherland (Okla.), Henry Ellick (Okla.), Henry Gueary (Kan.)
FINAL QUOTES:
Ja’Rico O’Quinn
“I don’t really care too much about the long layoff. I am going to go in there and make adjustments as the rounds go on. I am going to knock the rust off early.
“I watch all my opponents. I know he is going to come forward and pressure me. I want to go in there and have fun and do what I do. I expect him to come forward and think I am going wear him down.
“I have not yet gotten to show people my best boxing skills. I can’t wait to showcase them on ShoBox. I wanted to finish the last guy the last time I was on ShoBox. I hope I can catch [Sanchez] with some bigger punches earlier in the rounds. I have room for improvement. All boxers can improve.
“If he is ranked in the bantamweight division then with a win I should be too. I should be in the discussion. I should be somewhere in the mix. He has been more active than me and it should say a lot that I am taking this fight off a long layoff.
“I am in great shape. The more he comes forward, the more he will open up. I am a great boxer and I have an exceptional output. I’m strong, fast. I am ready for Friday night.”
Saul Sanchez
“It feels good to be back with Manny Robles. I had my pro debut with him. It’s already been a year that we’ve been back together but it has been great. I was slacking off on my defense when I was with Joel Diaz. Now, I am already letting go of my combinations and putting them together. I feel good.”
“The split decision loss was close against [Edwin] Rodriguez. I had a knee injury and I wasn’t 100%. It was hard for me to run and get my conditioning. I wanted to pull out of that fight but my team underestimated my opponent so they told me not to pull out of the fight. It was a learning experience and it made me work harder.
“[O’Quinn] is good. He’s fast. He hasn’t fought any tough fighters like me though. The guy he fought last time was backing him up and he’s smaller than me. We will find out on Friday night though.”
Luis Reynaldo Nunez
“I feel great moving up to featherweight. It’s less weight to lose and I moved up in weight class to challenge myself at the next level. As of now I am going to fight at 126 pounds and see how it goes. Depending on the results, I will go to my promoters and see what they say.
“I am grateful to fight in the United States. This is amazing to fight here and on SHOWTIME. I am going to show who I am on Friday, and I can’t wait.
“I am a wise fighter. I have a better reach than him and that will matter. I am used to fighting guys like him with my same style, but I am the smarter fighter. I don’t have a specific style. I fight however I need to. I fight from distance, I fight inside, I just fight however I need to in the moment against my opponent. My left hand is my greatest weapon though.”
Jayvon Garnett
“I had a long layoff from 2018 to 2020: There were a few promoters trying to get things off the ground. It was hard to get me fights. I was just trying to find the right place for me, and I did with my current promoter. It brought me to ShoBox.
“Working with Jamel Herring was very technical. He brought me up levels. I have actually been in camp with Jamel for a few years, but I never got the chance to work with him. He just brought me out to his last camp and he taught me a lot. It was an amazing experience and it showed me a lot about levels.
“[Nunez] is coming to fight. He throws a lot of punches, but I feel like I am more of a threat to him than he is to me. I make adjustments and I adapt to the situation I am in. I like to work my jab and I like to be sharp. Then I break them down.
“My conditioning was crazy for my first 10-rounder. It got tough toward the end but my conditioning kicked in.
“It is a blessing to be here. I take the adversities in my life to refocus me on boxing. I was going to a tournament right before I was shot when I was 17. It humbled me. Time is of the essence, and I can’t deal with that foolishness. My parents are amazing. My mom and my stepfather. I take my hat off to them because they have always kept me on the right path mentally and supported me through thick and thin.”
Otar Eranosyan
“I don’t consider myself a devastating puncher, but my pace and volume of punches is what creates the knockouts.
“I have had long separations with my family in the past and it has been difficult. But my family is here now and it makes my preparations much easier.
“I respect all of my opponents. Guerrero is a talented kid and a hard-punching opponent. I think this is going to be a great fight. I will dictate the pace and use that pace to break my opponent.
“It is time for me to show who I am and what I can do.”
Alejandro Guerrero
“I learned a lot from my mistakes and better things are coming. I have been working on my technique and my style. I have learned that I can’t walk through all my opponents. I have learned that I can’t just be a brawler and I need to be smart and box more often.
“Fighting at 135 pounds was always so easy for me. So fighting at 130 is just another run, it’s easy.
“He is going to be tough. I fight great competition unlike a lot of fighters. I know he is a good fighter and I need to use my head. If I have the opportunity to take him out – I will take it. Anything can change when you get punched in the face but my game plan is to be the smarter fighter.”
“A lot of these fighters go and take these easy fights all day long. When they take tough fights, they lose, they quit, they get knocked out. I lost my last fight, but I could have won. I just wasn’t in the right place. I know I am one of the greatest at 130 and 126 and I can become a world champion.”
