Dmitry Bivol to Square Off Against Samuel Clarkson on Showtime on April 14

Showtime’s long-running boxing contender series ShoBox: The New Generation will return on Friday, April 14, with an event at MGM National Harbor in National Harbor, Md. Anchoring the card will be unbeaten Russian light heavyweight Dmitry Bivol as he takes on Samuel Clarkson over 12 rounds.

“I am very glad that this will be my first fight televised in the U.S.,” said the powerful Bivol (9-0, 7 KOs). “It’s great that this is main event because that motivates me. Clarkson is a good defensive fighter. He can be aggressive and I expect this to be a tough fight. I look forward to introducing myself to American fans with a great performance, and I plan to defend my title with an exciting victory.”

“This is a huge opportunity to prove my abilities to the world,” Clarkson (19-3, 12 KOs) countered. “Bivol is a crafty fighter from Russia and had a very impressive amateur career, mostly at 165 pounds. He's a good fighter and I definitely have to bring my A-game. I'm ready for the challenge because I do really well against European fighters. European fighters are slow and come forward a lot, and they're not big on head movement. We are working hard and have a lot of guys in the gym who fight with a similar style. By fight time I'll be ready for anything he has.”

The action will go live on Showtime beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with featherweight prospect Glenn Dezurn (8-0, 6 KOs) taking on an opponent to be named later. Sandwiched in between the opener and the featured fight will be a welterweight showdown between Juan Ruiz (18-0, 11 KOs) and Malik Hawkins (10-0, 7 KOs) over eight rounds.