Jarico O’Quinn and Saul Sanchez in ShoBox bantamweight battle

Bantamweights Jarico O’Quinn and Saul Sanchez collide on Friday, Sept. 24, in the ShoBox main event. The winner could become a division contender. 

The Showtime boxing series ShoBox has a knack for finding young talent and matching them up tough to bring out their best. The model has worked well for the 20-year series and continues the pattern on Friday, Sept. 24, with Jarico O’Quinn meeting Saul Sanchez in a bantamweight bout.

Sanchez (16-1, 9 KOs) is riding a four-fight winning streak since his lone defeat against Edwin Rodriguez in 2019, which was a close fight. He’s got talent, and the 24-year-old from Pacoima, CA, has been at it since he was eight years old.

“I started boxing when I was eight years old,” Sanchez told FanSided. “My older brother, Emilio Sanchez, started boxing when he was 12 and I was 8. He started training before me, like the year before me, and I couldn’t join.”

Sanchez’s parents made him wait until they relented and allowed him to start his boxing training. He immediately impressed.

“So I hit the gym, and they said, like, I was real good,” said Sanchez.

Sanchez had a strong amateur career and has learned as a professional under the guidance of trainers Manny Robles and Joel Diaz. Robles is Sanchez’s current trainer.

“Manny, he fits more of my style,” said Sanchez. “I felt like I needed to work on my defense more. That’s what Manny would always help me on.”

Jarico O’Quinn and Saul Sanchez fight to evolve their boxing careers on ShoBox: The New Generation

Although Sanchez started his career with Robles, he switched to Joel Diaz and then went back to Robles for his last three fights. He won two of the three by knockout.

It’s a good thing that Sanchez is prioritizing his defense because O’Quinn isn’t a fighter to be taken lightly. O’Quinn is the favorite heading into their bout.

O’Quinn (14-0-1, 8 KOs) was a top-level amateur who won multiple national titles. The 26-year-old from Detroit, MI, is skillful, dynamic, and confident. Very confident.

“We two different motherf**kers,” O’Quinn told FanSided about being compared to Sanchez. “I’m just a better all-around fighter than him.”

O’Quinn laid out how he plans to beat Sanchez.

“I’m going to box his socks off, and s**t, the more he comes forward, the more he’s going to be open to get him,” said O’Quinn. “Eventually, one of these b***hes going to put him down.”

O’Quinn is talking the talk. He and Sanchez are opposites in terms of personality. Sanchez is quiet and reserved, while O’Quinn is to the point and boisterous.

But they say you need to watch out for the quiet ones. Will Sanchez surprise as the underdog, or will O’Quinn back up his words?

Whoever wins on ShoBox, will automatically take their game to the next level. There’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We’ll see who’s the winner on ShoBox.