Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno (16-1-2, 14 KOs), a former amateur standout with one-punch knockout power, and undefeated Argentine prospect Hugo Alberto Roldan (21-0-1, 7 KOs) weighed in. on Thursday. official weigh-in one day before his 10-round welterweight main event at SHOBOX: The New Generation tomorrow night, Friday, September 9 live on SHOWTIME as the prospect development series returns to Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, the venue of the first SHOBOX® on July 21, 2001.
The co-feature faces unbeaten Filipino prospect Bernard Angelo Torres (16-0, 7 KOs) against Dominican Frency Fortunato (13-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight attraction. The telecast begins with SHOBOX comeback Janelson Bocachica (17-0-1, 11 KOs) taking on knockout artist Roiman Villa (24-1, 24 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight battle.
Hall of Famer Barry Tompkins recounts the action from ringside with veteran combat sports reporter and MORNING KOMBAT host Brian Campbell and former world champion Raul Marquez as expert analysts with Hall of Famer Steve Farhood performing unofficial scoring tasks remotely. SHOBOX: The New Generation is executive produced by Gordon Hall with Chuck McKean producing and Rick Phillips directing.
The event is promoted by Sampson Boxing.
FINAL WEIGHTS
10 round super light combat
Joseph Adorno – 139 ½ lbs.
Hugo Albert Roldán – 140 pounds.
Referee: Benjy Esteves Jr. (New York); John McKaie (New York), Joseph Pasquale (New Jersey), Robin Taylor (New York).
10 round featherweight bout
Bernard Angelo Torres – 125 ½ lbs.
Frency Fortunato – 126 ½ lbs.
Referee: Mary Glover (New Jersey); Judges: Jacklyn Atkins (New Jersey), Mark Consentino (New Jersey), Paul Wallace (Maryland).
Eight round welterweight fight
Janelson Bocachica – 147 lbs.
Villa Roiman – 146 pounds.
Referee: Harvey Dock (New Jersey); Judges: Jacklyn Atkins (New Jersey), Mark Consentino (New Jersey), Paul Wallace (Maryland).
FINAL QUOTES:
Joseph Adorno
“I was at home lying down relaxing with my kids when I got a call from my trainer ‘Chino’. [Raul Rivas] Wondering if I’d take this fight You know me, I’ll take any fight. Whatever ‘Chino’ says, I’m going with him. Since he came into my life, I let him guide me. He said we’re going to beat this guy, and that’s all he took. I got up, went jogging and the next day I was training.
“I have only seen a few seconds of Roldan. I don’t like to watch too many videos of my opponents because the way they fought in that fight doesn’t mean they will fight the same way with me. I don’t want to put something in my mind that may not happen. ‘Chino’ works on the game plan and we only expect a good fight.
“This fight is definitely an opportunity to restart my career a little bit. After the loss, I see this as my recovery. I am determined to make up for what happened that night. I am extremely happy I got the call and can’t wait for the doorbell to ring. I’m so excited for this fight that I don’t even know how to explain it.
“I learned a lot in that fight against [Michel] Rivera. I learned that I need to be a little more active. I learned that the undefeated record is not everything. Everybody wants to protect it, so you want to fight to protect that ‘0’. But I think I needed that loss.
“I needed that loss to focus more and learn that you’re not going to be perfect every time, so you have to keep working hard. The more you work, the better you become. Before that loss, she thought she was unbeatable. helped me. It opened my eyes a lot. I am grateful for that loss. It woke me up and it’s the reason I’m working the way I am now.”
Hugo Alberto Roldán
“I think Adorno is a tougher fighter than the first opponent I was supposed to face. [Shinard Bunch]. But it’s also a good opportunity to show everyone what I can do against a fighter of this caliber.
“I have come so far in my career that I am very happy for this opportunity and I really appreciate the opportunity to show what I can do. I haven’t thought about the future and what’s next, but I want to keep moving forward and keep moving forward.
“In terms of being late to the sport, I am a very confident person. I am hardworking and confident in my abilities. I really see it as an advantage. Being where I come from, Sergio Martinez is definitely an inspiration when I was starting out as he also started boxing late and has been able to accomplish so much that he is definitely an inspiration to me.
“When I fight, I always look for the knockout. I train for the knockout, so that’s what I try to make happen.
“In my last fight I had to get up twice from the canvas, but it was a learning experience and it helped me see things that I can do better for future fights, that I can change. I returned to Argentina and trained to improve, the things I did wrong or could have done better, the technical things.
“I know that my opponent is a good striker, but I also love to fight, and I will follow my strategy and adapt to what the fighter in front of me does. I will work around what is available over the course of the fight.
“Being in the camp with the Fundoras has been a great experience and it taught me a lot and helped me grow as a fighter and improve.
“It means a lot to me to be debuting in the United States. I have worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to be here. I have come a long way and I want to continue to have more of these great fights in the US against established fighters to improve as a fighter.”
Bernardo Angel Torres
“This fight means a lot to me and my career. It is a great opportunity for me to show my power and what I am capable of on a big stage.
“I am a Norwegian citizen. We ended up in Norway after my father died when I was 10 years old and my mother had to work abroad there. We were six children, so she had to work outside the country to earn money. After three or four years, she got us and brought us over. I know that my father would be very proud of me and what I am doing in my career.
“I started boxing in the Philippines because my father was very interested in boxing. We dream together of one day becoming champions. Of course, I was inspired by Manny Pacquiao, who was a great inspiration for my career, but I never met him. I hope one day to meet him.
“My opponent is a good boxer. I think he’s going to use his reach. In terms of my strategy and how I’m going to fight him and if I’m going to try to get in, I don’t know. We’ll see what he brings in the early rounds, but we have a good game plan to box smart.
“I never fought anyone as tall as my opponent in the pros, but I did fight tall fighters in the amateurs, and we had good fights in camp with a lot of tall fighters.
“We started the camp in Norway and then we finished in Spain and I was able to train with Michael Conlan and Harlem Eubank. It was a very good experience. I was also able to train with Conlan last year when he was preparing for a fight. I am always learning from these experiences.”
Frency Fortunato
“I have been waiting for the opportunity to show my skills on national television for a long time. Whatever Torres brings, I’ll be ready. I think I have the tools to counter whatever he brings.
“I got knocked down in my loss, I just learned from it and got better. I didn’t stop at that. I have become a better fighter and I have learned a lot. I learned about my conditioning and not to beat myself up. I didn’t handle the rounds well. I know my conditioning is better now and I can do the rounds.
“In the ring, my focus is boxing, but I see myself as a boxer and a puncher. I’m not going in there looking for the knockouts, but if I hurt the guy, I’m going for the KO. Usually I’m looking to box, but if I hit my opponent cleanly, he’s going to go down.
“We have worked and prepared to make sure we are ready for whatever our opponent brings. I think I am a more complete fighter than my opponent and I am going to use my boxing skills and range. I feel like I’m the biggest hitter.
“I am fighting on SHOBOX for the opportunity and opportunity to showcase my talent on national television. I look forward to a great performance on Friday and then moving on to bigger and better fights. I’m coming to win and even though I’m not looking for the knockout, I feel like I can stop it on Friday night.”
Janelson Bocachica
“I feel better than ever. I expect a fight to break out and I expect him to get mad and try to go for a knockout. But with my skills, it’s going to be hard for him to touch me. I think it’s going to be a very, very bad night for Roiman Villa. And a great night for me.
“I want everyone to know that Janelson is not just a puncher, that he can box. I have been training with sparring partners that are bigger than me; my sparring partners always have a higher weight. I’m used to being hit hard.
“For this training camp we had Danny Garcia. Danny is a puncher. We have the power of punches, but this fight I want to show much more. I want to show skills.
“Boxing is not about who is stronger or who can take the hardest hit, it is about winning and skill. There’s a science to boxing and it’s not about who’s tougher or more macho.
“I learned from the Shinard Bunch fight that I have to use that jab. I have to leave all the tedders behind. In the third round, I said, ‘Is this guy still standing?’ And I went back to my corner and told my dad that this is the last round. I have to stop thinking like that. You can’t knock everyone out.
“The last three guys I fought were against Chino [Roiman Villa’s trainer Raul Rivas] Type. I don’t know what he has against me. I’m ready to close his gym like I told him last time. He can bring whoever he wants. We are not worried about anything. He is an aggressive fighter who likes to fight and gets angry very easily. I think it’s going to be a quicker night than you expect.”
Roman Villa
“We have been working hard for my debut in the United States. I have been waiting for this opportunity because I know what it means to be in the US for a fighter. This is really the beginning of my career, even though I have 24 KO’s. I know this is the moment where everything really starts to count for me.
“For us it is very important to go for the knockout because we don’t like to leave it in the hands of the judges. I prepare for the fight to win by knockout. That’s the way I prefer to fight and that’s why I always end up with the same result.
“I am prepared to go to the rounds as well if necessary. We trained in height. I know how to keep my power through all the rounds and I can go the distance and win a decision too.
“I don’t really like watching videos of my opponent. I trust my team and my coach, ‘Chino’. He knows how to strategize and I will follow his instructions. I think my pressure is going to bring him down.
“I come from a family of 10 children and they are all boxers. I’m the only one who turned pro but we all fought in the amateurs. And I am one of the younger brothers. I had to fight the bigger ones to survive. That is what made me what I am today. You had to fight your way out.
“Although everyone can have their opinion about what happened in the fight that I lost, I know that during those 12 rounds I hit him. Behind the scenes, we know what happened and why they didn’t want to give us the decision.”
