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Saturday, March 2, 2002, at 5 PM ET/PT
From York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, England
NEW YORK, NY (Feb. 21, 2002) -“ShoBox: The New Generation,” returns to the United Kingdom on Saturday, March 2, at 5 p.m. ET/PT with an exciting doubleheader from York Hall, Bethnal Green, in London, England. In the main event, British Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Champion Tony Oakey will take on interim World Boxing Union (WBU) light heavyweight titleholder Andrei Kiarsten for the vacant WBU 175-pound crown. In the co-feature of the Frank Warren-promoted card, World Boxing Council (WBC) International Heavyweight Champion Dennis Bakhtov will defend his crown for the first time when he takes on Mathew Ellis. The telecast is the 12th in a series of “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts.
Oakey (14-0, 4 KOs), of Portsmouth, England, captured the British Commonwealth light heavyweight title on May 8, 2001, by scoring a 10th-round TKO over Hastings Rasani in Barnsley, England. In his sole title defense, Oakey won a 12-round decision over Chris Davies on Oct. 20, 2001. Referee Dave Parris scored the bout 116-114. The Portsmouth native, who has fought all 14 of his pro fights in England, turned pro at age 22 in September 1998. After defeating his first two opponents by TKO, Oakey won his next nine fights by decision.

Kiarsten (9-0, 5 KOs), of Estonia, won the interim WBU light heavyweight championship in his last bout by registering a controversial 12-round split decision over Butch Lesley on Sept. 29, 2001, in London, England. Two of the judges scored the contest 113-112 and 114-112 in favor of Kiarsten, while the other saw it 116-110 for Lesley. The native Estonian fought only once each year from 1996-2000, prior to taking on four opponents in 2001. Kiarsten will make his second straight United Kingdom appearance after fighting exclusively out of Estonia for his first eight pro bouts.
Bakhtov (10-2, 7 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Russia, captured the WBC International heavyweight crown on April 13, 2001, by scoring an eighth-round TKO over Alexander Vasiliev in Moscow, Russia. After turning pro in 1999 and going 4-2 during his first two years, Bakhtov has won his last six bouts, including five via knockout. In his last contest, Bakhtov stopped Vitaly Strelkov in the second round on Dec. 20, 2001, in St. Petersburg.
Ellis (17-1-1, 9 KOs), of Blackpool, England, turned pro at age 21 on Feb. 3, 1996, by registering a first-round KO over Laurent Rouze in Liverpool, England. Since dropping his only bout on March 1, 1997, Ellis has gone unbeaten in his last 14 bouts (13-0-1). The only blemish was a six-round draw with Albert Call on Sept. 26, 1997. A winner of 12 consecutive bouts, Ellis will make his 12-round debut on March 2 when he fights in his native England for the 17th time in 20 bouts.
“ShoBox: The New Generation” features up-and-coming prospects determined to make a mark and eventually fight for a chance at a world title. The best of the new generation of hungry, young boxers will have an opportunity to showcase their talent and heart as they battle each other in competitive fights in front of an international television audience. “ShoBox: The New Generation” is pure, basic boxing, reminiscent of the golden days of the sport.
SHOWTIME televises “ShoBox: The New Generation” at 5 p.m. ET/PT on Saturdays approximately every other week. The telecast repeats the next day at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and the following Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME TOO.
Nick Charles of “ShoBox: The New Generation” will call the action from ringside, with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producers of the telecast are Jay Larkin and Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.