August 3, 2023 – Hard-hitting former amateur standout Jordan White (14-1, 10 KOs) and undefeated prospect Eridson Garcia (17-0, 11 KOs) both made weight on Thursday, a day ahead of their 10-round super featherweight main event showdown on SHOBOX: The New Generation tomorrow night, Friday, August 4 live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT from Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Pa.
The exciting tripleheader includes fighters with a combined record of 75-2-2 and 49 knockouts all stepping up and trying to come into their own as top prospects, with four of the six fighters making their return to SHOBOX®. Philadelphia’s undefeated prospect Paul Kroll (10-0-1, 6 KOs) will mix it up with fellow SHOBOX® alum Guido Schramm (16-1-1, 9 KOs) of Argentina in the eight-round super welterweight co-feature. The telecast opener pits two up-and-coming unbeaten Pennsylvania fighters with Reading’s Julian Gonzalez (10-0-1, 9 KOs) and Pittsburgh’s Johnny Spell (8-0, 4 KOs) facing off in an eight-round super featherweight battle.
International Boxing Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins will call the action with former world champion Raul Márquez and veteran combat sports reporter and MORNING KOMBAT host Brian Campbell also serving as an expert analyst, and Hall of Famer Steve Farhood remotely performing unofficial scoring duties. The executive producer of SHOBOX: The New Generation is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
The card is promoted by Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions.
FINAL WEIGHTS
Super Featherweight 10-Round Bout
Jordan White – 129.8 pounds
Eridson Garcia – 130 pounds
Super Welterweight Eight-Round Bout
Paul Kroll – 155 pounds
Guido Schramm – 154.8 pounds
Super Featherweight Eight-Round Bout
Julian Gonzalez – 129.2 pounds
Johnny Spell – 130 pounds
FINAL QUOTES
JORDAN WHITE
“I feel like my toughest opponent is me. The only person in my way is me. I don’t underestimate anybody, but I’m not treating him like he’s my toughest opponent or anything.
“I look at all my fights the same, I see them as another opportunity to showcase my skills. I’m expecting my opponent to do something different, expecting the unexpected. That’s the best way to prepare for him. I know he’s not going to use the same gameplan he’s used before.
“I can display power when needed and I use my distance when needed. I like to think I’m a well-rounded boxer. I’m planning on giving the fans a good boxing match.
“I injured my hand against Misael Lopez and that injury bugged me during my last three fights. My layoff really helped me to take care of that. I had surgery in October, and I took care of it. Now I’m fully healed and 100 percent. With a healthy hand entering this fight, you all can expect fireworks. He better be ready to be under the gun. He’s got a bazooka coming his way.
“My last fight was a learning experience. He was a tricky fighter. He jumped right into it and that wasn’t my gameplan, but we adjusted.
“Devin Haney and I always roomed together when we traveled. We grew up together. We are close. We went to the junior Olympics together. I was in Devin’s camps for the Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos fights. We sparred together. It was a great experience for me to be around the mindset of a world champion. Bill Haney will be in my corner tomorrow. I call him uncle; he calls me nephew.
“I’m country strong. Since I was seven or eight years old, I would come back home and chop wood during the winter. I was a linebacker when I was seven or eight years old – the smallest guy in the field but I had a big dog in me.
“I’ve been doing this my whole life. I’m a nine-time national champion. I’ve been boxing for 15 years. I worked hard to be here. I belong here. I earned my spot with hard work. I’m here to stay.”
ERIDSON GARCIA
“This means a lot to me. I’ve been trying to get on television for a while. This opportunity really motivates me and it pushes me to put on a memorable performance tomorrow night.
“I’m a technical boxer but I also know how to take advantage of the distance. If my opponent wants to box, I’ll box. If he wants to fight on the inside, I can do that too. I can do what needs to be done. I’ll read him and adjust as needed.
“I’m prepared to counter whatever he brings to the table. I have the skillset to adjust to whatever he throws my way. I’ll apply pressure and take him to school. I have more speed and I’m simply a better fighter. I know White won 10 fights in a row, but I got great preparation. I had some very good sparring. Some lefties, some righties. I sparred with O’Shaquie Foster and Giovanni Marquez for this fight.
“I was inactive for a year because I was waiting for the right opportunity – a meaningful fight not just a stay busy fight. I turned down some fights because I wanted to fight on television. I was patient and here I am, ready to show the world who I am.
“It truly inspires me to see so many of my Dominican brothers become world champions. We all grew up together training at the same gym, going to events together. I see myself up there with them. This is the Dominican Golden Era.”
PAUL KROLL
“I’m back at it after a draw with Marquis Taylor. I got frustrated during that fight and I know I could have done better. His style was a little awkward and I learned a lot from him. I made some improvements. That fight made me a better fighter. My opponent, Schramm, has a very different style, but that fight taught me a lot as a fighter.
“SHOBOX is like a small tournament for me. Every time I’m fighting on the series is a win for me. I learn something new. I fight better competition. It’s a maturation process. Other fighters may be padding their records. I’m working on becoming a contender.
“I don’t want to pad a record. I want to fight. I want to move forward with my career. I had a long layoff before my previous fight. It was the right fight for me. I don’t want to make excuses. I’m on the right track to get where I want to go.
“I’m in tip top shape to go the full eight rounds. I’ve been studying his style. My coach and I have a good strategy to exploit his weakness. We’ll apply strategic pressure.”
GUIDO SCHRAMM
“I’m psyched for this opportunity. I’m an Argentine Champion but I’m ready for the next step of my career. I feel this fight will bring me a step closer to becoming a contender, and to one day in the near future becoming a world champion.
“My last fight with Jahyae Brown was an excellent fight. I think people liked it, that’s why everyone is still talking about it. Halfway through that fight, I listened to my corner and made some adjustments. Switched up the pace and my mental and physical preparation helped me get the win.
“My opponent, Paul Kroll, is a local fighter and is fighting in his hometown. It’s not easy to come here and fight against the local guy. He’s a solid boxer with a very good amateur run – I watched some tape on him. But he’s never fought anyone like me. It’s going to be a good matchup. I have a winning mentality and a strong gameplan.
“My physical conditioning will be key. This is an eight-round fight. I’ve fought 10-rounds before. I trained for 10 rounds. I’ll be ready to go from the start of the fight. He won’t see me coming. After Friday night, the boxing world is going to be talking about me and my performance.”
“It was a great night last January when I knocked out [Rosalindo] Morales. Two fights later, I’m back on SHOWTIME on the national stage. The stakes are a little higher. I have more to prove. This fight is for the Pennsylvania State Championship – Reading vs. Pittsburgh.
“My opponent makes mistakes, simple mistakes. My coach has been watching some tape. We are going to break him down. We’ve been working very hard, staying focused, eating right. He’s not going to see me coming.
“I’ve been with my coach since I was 11 years old. My coach pushed me hard. He got behind me because of my will and determination.
“The fans can expect a great show as always. The goal is to always go out there and look phenomenal, so they can definitely expect another phenomenal performance.
“A win puts me a step closer to bigger and better things. It will open even more people’s eyes and open up more opportunities for me.
“I sparred with Olympian Andy Cruz in Philadelphia, who just turned pro – he fought a 10-round fight in his professional debut. He’s sharp. It was very good practice. He doesn’t waste a lot of punches and he’s very patient.
“There are a lot of people from Reading in the boxing scene. It’s in the water. People from Reading have a lot of grit and you have to decide what are you going to do with it. You can take it to the streets, or you can get in the ring. I got in the ring.”
JOHNNY SPELL
“My nickname, ‘Trained to Go’ was given to me because I’m always prepared. Even the mother of my kid told me that when I became a father. I’m always prepared.
“I’ve done a little work with Calvin Ford. He’s prepared me for the big stage. He’s given me the gameplan of what I need to do for this fight. He got in the ring with me and sparred with me. We worked my jabs and body shots. I learned a lot from him. He sharpened my tools and helped me lose weight to be in this weight class (130).
“This is a step-up fight for me but I’m not concerned. I don’t think my opponent brings much to the table. He boxes, he’s got a good right hand and he uses it but I’m ready for him.
“I’m one of 10 children, but the only boxer in the family. My dad loved boxing and tried to get us to box. I was the only one that turned out to be a boxer.
“It would be big to bring this state title back to Pittsburgh. It would definitely be something to talk about.
“I had over 100 amateur fights. I was four or five when I started boxing. I fought Joseph Adorno and Gervonta Davis in the amateurs – he beat me in the junior Olympic Trials.
“I don’t have any lasting effects from the incident last year. I recovered pretty quickly. I feel blessed. (Note: Spell was shot five times in an act of senseless gun violence in August 2022.)
“After the incident, I just got real disciplined and kept my head up the whole journey. Now I’m making my SHOWTIME debut a year later. I’m ready. I’ve been training hard and I’ve got my whole team behind me.
“After Friday night, I’d like everyone to say that I’m a contender at 130 pounds. I’ll be ready for anything they put in front of me.”
