TACOMA, Wash. – July 11, 2019 – Heavyweight prospects Jermaine Franklin Jr., and Jerry Forrest both weighed in on Thursday for their ShoBox: The New Generation main event clash Friday night live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT) from Emerald Casino in Tacoma, Wash.
The co-featured bout will feature a 10-round matchup between undefeated Swedish heavyweight and top-10 ranked contender Otto Wallin (20-0, 13 KOs) and former world title challenger BJ Flores (34-4-1, 21 KOs).
Prospects Franklin (18-0, 13 KOs), Forrest (25-2, 19 KOs) and Wallin aim to leap into contention and further their resumes in the resurgent heavyweight division, while the veteran Flores will look to play spoiler and hand Wallin his first professional defeat.
The opening bout of the tripleheader telecast will feature a 10-round matchup of undefeated super featherweight prospects as Giovanni Cabrera Mioletti (16-0, 7 KOs) faces off with Luis Porozo (14-0, 7 KOs).
The event, billed as the “Battle at the Boat 122,” is promoted by Salita Promotions in association with Brian Halquist Productions.
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.
FINAL WEIGHTS, REFEREES AND JUDGES
Heavyweights 10-Round Bout
Jermaine Franklin Jr. – 240 ¼ lbs.
Jerry Forrest – 222 ¾ lbs.
Referee: Robert Howard; Judges: Alan Krebs (Issaquah, Wash.), Tim Wood (Lakeland, Wash.), Hunter Walton (Tacoma, Wash.)
Heavyweights 10-Round Bout
Otto Wallin – 234 lbs.
B.J. Flores – 234 ¾ lbs.
Referee: Joel Scobie; Judges: Alan Krebs (Issaquah, Wash.), Tim Wood (Lakeland, Wash.), Hunter Walton (Tacoma, Wash.)
Super Featherweights 10-Round Bout
Givovanni Cabrera Mioletti – 129 ½ lbs.
Luis Porozo – 129 ½ lbs.
Referee: Robert Howard; Judges: Alan Krebs (Issaquah, Wash.), Tim Wood (Lakeland, Wash.), Hunter Walton (Tacoma, Wash.)
Here is what the fighters had to say on Thursday from Emerald Casino.
FINAL QUOTES:
JERMAINE FRANKLIN JR.:
“With the heavyweight division being wide open, a lot can change if I continue to win. The Joshua-Ruiz fight showed that anything can happen in the ring. I see myself right in there as a prospect in the heavyweight division. I feel like I belong and deserve my shot to prove I’m amongst the top heavyweights. I’m just going to take care of business and show people why I feel like I belong.
“I’m just ready to go. It’s a surreal experience, I mean headlining on SHOWTIME. I’m up to the task and just trying to get the job done.
“I really took it to another level in my training camp. I think the boxing fans will see it. I knew I had to push myself harder after my last fight. I made some mistakes and was impatient. I was looking for the knockout and rushing things. A lot of people said I fought better than I give myself credit for, but I’m my own worst critic.
“I’ve watched a lot of film of my opponent. I think he’s going to be over-anxious and try to rush me. I’m a sharpshooter and I’m going to give him a bunch of different looks.
“I think I had some nerves and jitters in my last fight [April 13]. But I know exactly what to expect this time. [Rydell] Booker was a hard guy to look good against. I could have used my jab more and picked him apart. I missed a lot of opportunities that were presented to me.
“Boxing has had its ups and downs in the state of Michigan but it’s now on the up with the Direll brothers and Claressa [Shields]. Detroit has had some top boxers and now me in Saginaw. I’ve been doing interviews with some of the Detroit daily papers and have a big following there. I can’t wait to show them and a national TV audience what I can do in the ring.”
JERRY FORREST:
“Jermaine is a very explosive guy. I don’t really look at film, my coaches do. I just fight my fight and don’t plan for much. I don’t focus too much on what the other guy is going to do. We know who we are fighting and we know he’s good.
“Everything I’ve done since I was a kid has prepared me for this and prepared me for boxing. I’m the ‘B’ side but all the great champs were once the ‘B’ side. This is the perfect timing for me.
“We’ve tried to fight some top guys and now we are starting to get noticed. We’re making our moves at the right time. The heavyweight division is hot and it’s time to strike.
“Looking back, I probably took fights that I ended up losing against Gerald Washington and Michael Hunter a bit too early in my career. I wasn’t fully focused. But now I’m ready to prove I can face the top guys.
“I’ll probably come in around 225, 227 pounds and feeling like I’ve prepared for this fight better than in other fight in my career.”
OTTO WALLIN:
“The heavyweight division is hot right now, and this is a fight for me to show I belong with the top guys.
“We’re prepared and had great sparring. My opponent has a name and people will recognize him. So it’s a good matchup for me.
“I want to look good and I want rounds. At the same time, I don’t want to get carried away and I want to just keep developing. It’s not a race.
“I was a little bit bummed out after what happened in the last fight with it ended with a first-round no-conest. In the [Nick] Kisner fight, he didn’t want to fight. Hopefully we have a guy who wants to come and fight.
“Sparring with Anthony Joshua (in 2016) really helped me. I just went in and had them take a look at me and I ended up staying the entire seven-week camp.”
B.J. FLORES:
“I’m the only opponent who comes in expecting to win. I honestly believe I will win and I should win. And I’ve been working on that for the past 10 weeks.
“I have no plan after tomorrow. I’m just thinking about round 1, then I’ll focus on round 2. It’s all I care about. I’m going to take it one round at a time.
“I don’t care how I win this fight. I just have to win. I don’t have a Plan B.”
“I thought I was done after my last fight [a loss to Trevor Bryan in August, 2018]. The fight date kept getting changed and I didn’t think it would happen. Then I got the call saying the fight was happening in 18 days. I wasn’t ready for it. That wasn’t the best version of me as a fighter.
“After the New Year I took time off and didn’t plan on coming back. But I was working out in the gym and felt I should give it another shot. And that’s when Dmitriy [Salita] called me with this opportunity.
“I have nothing to lose, that’s my mindset for this fight.”
GIOVANNI CABRERA MIOLETTI:
“This is my hometown. The fans know me. My first fight here was just my second professional fight and against Jeremy McCleary, who was actually the hometown favorite. They were all quiet at first until I beat him. Then I became the hometown favorite. This is kind of my office, the Emerald Casino. I’m stepping into comfortable territory and this is nothing new to me. I’m comfortable and in my zone.
“I’m familiar with my opponent. He’s an Olympian. He was in the Pan-Am Games. This is a step up for me. He’s an international guy and he’s trained hard for this fight, as I’ve been told.
“I’ve beaten six undefeated fighters. I’m hoping to make this No. 7.
“I want it to be an action fight. I want to see what this guy brings. I hope he comes and tries his best. I like an action fight and I want him to come forward.
“This has been my dream to fight on SHOWTIME. I’m a boxing historian and have watched lots of video. Growing up Muhammad Ali and Manny Pacquiao were my favorites. I also liked Pernell Whitaker, Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard. I’ve watched guys with a lot of different styles.
LUIS POROZO:
“I’ve been in the States since January and working out at a gym in Brooklyn.
“Ecuador has never had a world champion boxer, so that is my motivation. It would be great to be the first one. A lot of things would change for me and my family if I was able win a world title.
“I’ve fought several southpaws and have been sparring with some bigger guys.
“I’m 29 years old and so there is an urgency. I’ve been fighting since I was 10 and had more than 500 amateur fights. I spent 10 years on the Ecuadorian National team and they supported me and my family.
“This is a turning point for me in my career. I have to go in there and show what I can do and that I’m ready for this next step.”