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Jamaine Ortiz takes on Nahir Albright in ShoBox main event from Orlando on Feb. 18

ShoBox: The New Generation spawned numerous world titleholder and even a few hall of famers during its 22-year run.
Fighters Network
19
Jan

Unbeaten lightweight prospect Jamaine Ortiz will square off against Nahir Albright on February 18, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.

The 10-round bout will take place at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida and will headline a three-bout ShoBox telecast (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

“This edition of ShoBox has compelling storylines and terrific matchups that make it a must-see for boxing fans,” said Gordon Hall, executive producer for the popular monthly series. “I’m particularly interested in finding out if Jamaine Ortiz or Nahir Albright can emerge as serious players at 135 pounds.”

Ortiz (14-0-1, 8 knockouts), who resides in Worcester, Massachusetts, last fought on April 24 in a tremendous war against Joseph Adorno in a clash of unbeaten prospects. Ortiz was dropped once in round 2 and once in round 7, but fought to a majority-decision draw. The fight took place almost five months after Ortiz knocked out Sulaiman Segawa in round 7.



The 25-year-old also has wins over prospects Ricardo Quiroz and Romain Couture. Ortiz hopes a win would put him in position to face the upper echelon of the division.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to be the main event on ShoBox,” said Ortiz, who is promoted by Jimmy Burchfield and has sparred with Vasiliy Lomachenko, and faced Jaron Ennis and Teofimo Lopez in the amateurs. “I’ve been waiting for this a long time. I’m ready to put on a great performance. This is a great platform for future champions, and on February 18, I’m going to put the lightweight division on notice.”

Albright (14-1, 7 KOs) has already appeared on ShoBox before, defeating Jeremy Hill by unanimous decision on July 23. He followed that performance by dropping Michael Dutchover four times en route to a knockout win on September 14.

The 26-year-old, who resides in Sicklerville, New Jersey, has not lost since his pro debut in September 2016. Albright is confident he can outbox and defeat Ortiz.

“It’s a great feeling to headline on ShoBox,” said Albright, who is promoted by Rodney Rice. “The Hill fight was a step-up fight and I proved again that I belong. I will show again against Jamaine Ortiz that I am on my way to being a world champion. Ortiz is a sharp, fast, and slick fighter. I’m sure he will give his all and it will be a good fight, but I will be victorious.”

In the co-feature, former light heavyweight Joseph George will move down in weight to face Sean Hemphill in an eight-round bout.

George (11-0, 7 KOs), who resides in Houston, Texas, knocked out Marcos Escudero in his last bout in August 2020. The fight took place over eight months after George won a split-decision over Escudero.

Hemphill (14-0, 8 KOs) defeated Jayson Minda by unanimous decision in his last bout on January 7. Prior to the Minda victory, the New Orleans resident had stopped three of his previous four opponents.

In the opening bout of the ShoBox telecast, Paul Kroll (9-0, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will square off against Houston’s Marquis Taylor (12-1-1 1 NC) in an eight-round welterweight bout.

 

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

 

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