Andrew Tabiti and Keith Tapia clash tonight on ‘ShoBox’

May

Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/Trapp Photos/Showtime

Cruiserweights Andrew Tabiti and Keith Tapia have garnered a reputation of scoring early knockout wins thus far.

While the match-up between the unbeaten fighters has piqued interest going into tonight’s clash, both fighters also went to blows at Thursday’s weigh-in.

The 10-round bout between Tabiti and Tapia will likely not see the final bell as both square off at Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall in Las Vegas.

The Tabiti-Tapia bout will headline a four-bout “ShoBox: The New Generation” broadcast that will air live on Showtime, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.

Both fighters will be fighting for the first time in 2016.

Tabiti (12-0, 11 knockouts) began his pro career with 10 consecutive knockout wins. The knockout streak snapped on July 25, when he was extended eight rounds by Roberto Santos.

Two months later, Tabiti stopped Tamas Lodi after the second round.

Tapia (17-0, 11 KOs) has fought the better opposition of the two.

In his last fight on Dec. 8, Tapia won a 10-round unanimous decision over Garrett Wilson. The win snapped a four-bout streak of knockout wins.

Tapia also holds a win over Anthony Caputo Smith, who he stopped in 30 seconds of the first round on Sept. 18.

The Tabiti-Tapia fight will not be the only cruiserweight bout featuring unbeaten foes. Michael Hunter and Isiah Thomas will square off in another 10-round bout.

Hunter knocked Phil Williams out in his last bout on Feb. 27. He has stopped his last four opponents in a row.

Thomas was not able to continue after the third round of his last bout on Dec. 18 against Murat Gassiev, when he was hit by an inadvertent punch after the bell sounded to end the round.

Five months prior to that bout, Thomas won a 10-round unanimous decision over Jordan Shimmell.

Also on the Showtime broadcast:

– Super middleweight Ronald Gavril battles hard-hitting Juan Camilo Novoa in a 10-round bout.

– Unbeaten welterweight Sanjarbek Rakhmanov squares off against Alfonso Olvera in a six-round bout.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper, BoxingScene.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.