Ring City USA has officially announced its April 22nd show at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, headlined by unbeaten heavyweights Jermaine Franklin and Stephan Shaw. In addition to the usual Twitch prelims and NBCSN main card, “Armed Forces Network Europe and Pacific will make the broadcast available to U.S. Forces serving overseas on AFN TV.”
“This will be the historic first-time professional bouts will occur at West Point,” said Ray Barone, Army West Point Boxing Coach. “We’ve been asked before, but never has a boxing event been brought to us the way Ring City and NBC has. We want to showcase the cadets. We want to demonstrate that amateur boxing when conducted properly is safe. And we hope that this will become an annual event.”
Franklin (20-0, 13 KO) and Shaw (14-0, 10 KO) are American heavyweights, but not American Heavyweights, if that makes sense. While they’re undefeated and under 30, neither has particularly impressed or even particularly entertained during their rise through the ranks.
More details, presumably including the undercard and the status of the other fights previously scheduled for April 8th, “will be announced at a later date.”