The previously announced matchup between undefeated WBA ranked No 3-ranked super bantamweight Adam Lopez and the WBA's No. 4-ranked Danny Roman has been elevated to a 12-round title eliminator for the WBA (regular) Super Bantamweight belt held by Nehomar Cermeno.
Lopez (16-0-1, 8 KOs) and Roman (20-2-1, 7 KOs) will square off in the most significant fight of their careers in the main event of a ShoBox: The New Generation quadrupleheader on Friday, Jan. 20, live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Bally's Atlantic City Hotel and Casino.
Lopez is a classic example of a ShoBox prospect-turned-contender. He's 3-0-1 on the series, having defeated three previous unbeaten boxers. Roman has won 13 in a row dating to March 2014, and none of the fights have been close.
"I am excited that this is an elimination bout and I am one step closer to fighting for a world championship," said Lopez. "Very few fighters ever get a chance to fight for a title, and I'm not going to let it slip away. It's a huge motivator, and the stakes are higher. I am fighting for a chance to fight a guy in Cermeno who is 37 and maybe past his prime. So if I win on January 20, I feel I will win against Cermeno. He is beatable, and that is the perfect opponent to become a world champion. After I beat Roman, Cermeno will pass the torch to me."
Said Roman: "This is what we've been working toward since day one. A shot at a world title is every boxer's dream. I can't speak for Adam, but the stakes have never been higher for me. Beating Adam is the only thing on my mind."
In a featured bout on the four-fight ShoBox telecast, undefeated, former national amateur champion Kenneth Sims Jr. (10-0, 3 KOs) will face a new opponent, once-beaten Emmanuel Robles (15-1-1, 5 KOs), in an eight-round super lightweight bout.
In the televised opener, undefeated Stephon Young (15-0, 3 KOs) will take on new foe Elton Dharry (20-5-1, 13 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight bout.
The previously announced opponent for Sims, Wellington Romero, withdrew due to injury, while Young's opponent, Daniel Rosas, withdrew due to personal reasons.
In the previously announced co-feature, undefeated super middleweight Ronald Ellis (13-0-1, 1 NC, 10 KOs) will face off with Christopher Brooker (11-2, 5 KOs) in an eight-round 168-pound matchup of ShoBox veterans.
Tickets for the show, which is promoted by GH3 Promotions, Kings Promotions in association with Thompson Boxing (the main event) and Bally's Atlantic City Hotel and Casino, are $125, $100 $75 & $50 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or calling 1-800-745-3000.
Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with 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.