NEW YORK– “Lightning” Harry Joe Yorgey puts his undefeated record on the line March 28, when he faces fellow unbeaten junior middleweight Ronald Hearns in a 10-round bout on a special Saturday edition of ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Yorgey is proud to have the opportunity to compete on national television.
“If I’m a boxing fan and I don’t have SHOWTIME then I’m going to run out and get it,” the outgoing, well-spoken Bridgeport, Pa., resident said. “You’ve got two guys that are undefeated trying to make it to the top. It’s going to be great.”
Detroit’s Hearns (21-0, 17 KOs), the son of legendary Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns, and Yorgey (21-0-1, 9 KOs) will open the ShoBox telecast from the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla.
World-class super middleweight Andre Dirrell (17-0, 12 KOs), of Flint, Mich., will meet Derrick Findley (13-2, 8 KO’s) of Gary, Ind., in the ShoBox main event. The event is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and DiBella Entertainment.
Yorgey was interviewed recently by SHOWTIME.
SHOWTIME: What are you thoughts about Ronald Hearns?
YORGEY: “Well, we’ve seen a lot of film on Ronald Hearns. He’s a tall fighter and he has a long reach and he knows how to use it. He uses it to his advantage. With a guy like this you have to box and move and stay inside with him. You have to respect his record of 21-0 and 17 knockouts. Of course, I’m aware of who his father is. So many people and reporters have asked me about that. I respect that a lot, but I’m not fighting his father. If he fights anything like his father then I’m in for a big, big fight.”
SHOWTIME: He has a distinct height advantage. How will you cope with that?
YORGEY: “I’m 5-10 and a half and that’s about right for my division. I’ve fought a lot of taller guys, especially in the amateurs, and believe it or not you’ve got to establish your jab. You can’t sit on the end of his jab at his distance. You’ve got to work the angles. I’m ready for whatever he brings to the table.”
SHOWTIME: You quit your full-time job to concentrate on boxing and training for your fights? How is your training going?
YORGEY: “Yeah, it’s going really well. I worked construction for about 10 years. It was tough, the 12-14 hours a day and then two more hours in the gym and then jogging. I had to do it to pay the bills and be a good father to my four kids. These guys I’m going to start facing are not doing that. They’re committed to boxing. So my wife and I got together and she agreed to go back to work and let me train a little in the morning with conditioning and I do my boxing training at night. It’s been tough. I went through a legal battle with my former team. They cancelled some fights on me and so that set me back a little bit but we’re getting through it. I am working with my trainer Henry Rachich and it is going great.”
SHOWTIME: Who was your major influence in boxing growing up?
YORGEY: “My father and I have been watching fights since I was two years old and running around punching the walls. Marvin Hagler was my favorite fighter. I remember watching his fights. My father finally put me in the gym when I was eight or nine years old.”
SHOWTIME: You have four kids. Do they watch your fights?
YORGEY: “Yeah, they do. My oldest son is 12 and he’s had two sparring matches so far. We’ll see if he sticks with it and likes it. He’s going to be in Oklahoma with me and will carry my (IBF North American) belt into the ring.”
SHOWTIME: You’re dedicating this fight to someone close to you. Can you tell us more about that?
YORGEY: “My buddy’s’ niece just turned 23 and the doctors have only given her a couple of months to live. She has a rare, aggressive form of cancer called Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor. I know she’s battling right now and she’s hurting and fighting the cancer day-by-day. Her name is Shannon Yoder and we’re going to have a raffle at the fight to help her family with the medical costs. You can check out my web site at www.harryyorgey.net for more information on it.”
For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go to the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://sports.sho.com.
About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi, Kendall Holt and Timothy Bradley.
See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.
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