Photos/Weights: Potapov-Young, ShoBox Tripleheader

VERONA, N.Y.  – All six fighters made weight on Thursday for the ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader taking place tomorrow/Friday, April 15 live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT) from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y.

The tripleheader features six prospects with a combined record of 99-1-2 with 59 KOs.

In the 10-round main event, Russian Nikolay Potapov (14-0, 6 KOs) will take on St. Louis native Stephon Young (14-0-2, 6 KOs) in a matchup of undefeated bantamweight prospects.

In the eight-round co-feature, undefeated Dominican Eudy Bernardo (21-0, 15 KOs), a 5-foot-10 lightweight trained by former Olympic Gold Medalist Frank Tate, will take on once-beaten Mason Menard (30-1, 22 KOs), of Rayne, Louisiana.

In the eight-round opening bout of the telecast, Alexey Zubov (10-0, 6 KOs, who trains under Sugar Hill at the New Kronk Gym in Detroit, will meet fellow undefeated cruiserweight Constantin Bejenaru (10-0, 4 KOs), of Brooklyn by way of Moldova.

Tickets for the event, which is presented by Salita Promotions in association with AASHA Record Breakers, are currently on sale and can be purchased at the Turning Stone Resort Casino Box Office, by calling 877.833.SHOW, or online at Ticketmaster.com. They are priced at $60 for ringside seats, $35 and $25.

OFFICIAL WEIGHTS:

Potapov – 117 Pounds

Young – 116 ½ Pounds

Bernardo – 135 ½ Pounds

Menard – 135 Pounds

Zubov – 198 Pounds

Bejenaru – 198 Pounds

Here’s what the fighters had to say on Thursday:

NIKOLAY POTPAPOV:

“I’m looking to make a statement.  My goal is to control the fight at every moment.  Whether that leads to a KO or decision depends on the situation.  The most important thing is I want to control every second of the fight and impress the fans.

“I don’t think he’s the best opponent I’ve faced.  I plan to box him, control the fight and be explosive.

"My preparation has been different for this fight. I did a lot more sparring and I plan to be more aggressive.  This is my first big fight on U.S. television and I want to make a statement.

“I trained in Moscow for this fight, and I didn’t come to the U.S. to lose.

“This is only my second fight in the U.S.  The most important thing is to win.  After that, we’ll look into moving to the U.S. to train.  I travelled a lot in the amateurs, so coming to the U.S. and fighting isn’t an issue for me.

“I’d love to fight full-time in the U.S.  We know that our best chance to win a world title is to fight here.

“I’ve only fought one southpaw as a pro, but I faced plenty in the amateurs.  I won’t have any issues.

"He may be awkward because he is a southpaw. He also has fast hands and is a good boxer. And he’s undefeated, so I know he will be ready and motivated.

“I learn with every fight and expand my arsenal in every fight.  I’m looking to show I have all the tools.”

STEPHON YOUNG:

“Since I’ve moved to Miami in January, I’m finally focused full-time on boxing.  Everything is different now that I’m training down in Florida.

"I've been sparring with Juan Carlos Payano, the bantamweight champion of the world.  That is the type of guy that I’ve been in the gym with, and I know Nikolay can’t punch like him.  We’ve easily sparred over 100 rounds the past few months.

“This is a big opportunity for me.  I know I need to be more active and throw more punches against this guy.

“He doesn’t have anything I can’t handle.  He’s never fought an American.  It’s a big step for me, but it’s a big step for him.  He has a basic style and doesn’t like to be backed up.

“I’m hungry.  This is the biggest fight of my career and I’ve never been this focused ever in my life.  I’m hungry to become a champion.

“This is my hardest fight on paper, but I have no doubt in my mind that I can get that guy out of there.

“Everyone he fought comes straight forward, and I’m not that type of guy.  He’s got to work to hit me. 

"My opponent – he's beatable. I believe that on April 15, he'll get his first loss.”