New Orleans Native Sean Hemphill Ready For ShoBox Opportunity

Coming up tonight in Bethlehem, PA, rising super middleweight prospect Sean Hemphill gets a chance to showcase himself in the main event bout of the 2023 debut of “ShoBox” on Showtime. And the native of the bayou in New Orleans knows that an impressive showing will lead to bigger things and soon.

Hemphill and his fellow unbeaten, prospect opponent David Stevens met with the media one final time Thursday around their weigh in at the Wind Creek Casino for Friday night’s card. And, Hemphill knows to be ready with this kind of attention on him,

The first #SHOBOX: The New Generation card of 2023 features 6 undefeated prospects 👀

Whose 0 will go? Watch TONIGHT at 9PM ET/PT on @Showtime. #HemphillStevens #OberltonBrusov #GonzalezMorales pic.twitter.com/BMBXR7J72C

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) January 20, 2023

“I’m focused and hungry and this is the opportunity that I really wanted. I think I have the advantage in experience and a little bit of maturity knowing he’s younger than me,” Hemphill said. “He has 11 fights and I have 14, which is not that much of a difference, but in terms of fighting and the many styles I’ve faced as a pro and in the amateurs, I feel like that will help me a lot. My height and reach advantage and the team that I have backing me and supporting me also is important.”

Hemphill,  (14-0, 8 KOs), was to have headlined on ShoBox on two different occasions but pulled out both times with injury, including last October. His ring inactivity is now at 12 months.

Hear Dan Rafael and me discuss Hemphill’s main event opportunity on our latest “Big Fight Weekend Preview” podcast by clicking below,

“I expect Stevens to come forward and to try and land power shots, a one-hit wonder type of thing. I had a great camp, did a few weeks in New York, worked with different guys up there, then a couple weeks in Florida, and had some really good guys to work with there so it’s been a really good camp for me,” Hemphill continued.

And, he’ll have one of the best trainers in the business in former championship fighter turned cornerman James “Buddy” McGirt. We’ll see if that pays off.

Hemphill’s fight with Stevens (11-0, 8 KOs) will cap the SHOWTIME card that begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT .

The co-feature pits undefeated prospect and Philadelphian Atif Oberlton (7-0, 6 KOs) and the power-punching Russian now training in South Florida Artem Brusov (12-0, 11 KOs) in an eight-round light heavyweight bout. Plus, in a battle of two unbeaten Pennsylvanians, KO artist Julian Gonzalez (8-0-1, 8 KOs) from Reading faces Ellwood City’s Rosalindo Morales (9-0, 2 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight bout that opens the three-fight telecast.

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.