NEW YORK, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Former World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight champion and current International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 2 contender, Sharmba Mitchell, will take on hard-hitting IBF No. 9 contender Ben Tackie on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Saturday, May 17. The winner of the IBF elimination bout will claim the No. 1 spot in the 140-pound rankings. In the co-feature, unbeaten Jeff Lacy will defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas and United States Boxing Association (USBA) super middleweight titles against former Illinois State 168-pound titleholder Anwar Oshana.

SHOWTIME will televise the 12-round bouts at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT from the City Center Pavilion in Reno, Nevada. Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, in association with Budweiser, Circus Circus, the El Dorado, Harrah's and Silver Legacy Casino, will promote the event.

Mitchell (51-3, 30 KOs), of Takoma Park, Md., has won four consecutive bouts, including the last two in a row on SHOWTIME. In his most recent start, the former world champion dropped Carlos Vilches three times en route to registering a fourth-round TKO on Jan. 25, 2003, in Atlantic City. Mitchell floored his opponent once in the opening round and twice in the fourth to score his first victory inside of the distance since February 1998. In a battle of ex-world champions on Nov. 9, 2002, in Oklahoma City, Okla., Mitchell registered a 10-round majority decision over Vince Phillips. Boxing effectively from the outside, he triumphed by the scores 99-91, 96-94 and 95-95.

A talented southpaw boxer-puncher, who is actively pursuing a rematch against undisputed 140-pound world champion Kostya Tszyu, Mitchell captured the WBA title with a 12-round decision over Khalid Rahilou on Oct. 10, 1998. He made four successful defenses prior to losing to Tszyu Feb. 3, 2001, on SHOWTIME. The defeat ended a six-and-one-half-year run in which Mitchell won 16 consecutive contests.

Tackie (24-3, 15 KOs), of Accra, Ghana, will make his first ring appearance since dropping a 12-round decision to Tszyu May 18, 2002, on SHOWTIME. Despite battling gamely in his world title debut, Tackie rarely was able to land more than one punch at a time, and had trouble connecting with his vaunted right hand. The defeat ended a three-fight winning streak for the durable boxer, whose best performance came when he rallied to register a 10th-round TKO over former IBF 130-pound titleholder Roberto Garcia June 3, 2000, on SHOWTIME.

Lacy (13-0, 11 KOs), of Tampa, Fla., will fight on SHOWTIME for the seventh time in 14 fights. In his last start, the native Floridian earned the USBA belt by decking James Crawford twice in the second en route to a third-round TKO on Feb. 22, 2003, in Memphis. Lacy closed out the 2002 campaign on Nov. 9 by recording a hard-fought 12-round decision over defending WBC Continental Americas champion Ross Thompson on SHOWTIME. Lacy, who went 12 rounds for the first time, won by the scores 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Although he did not register a knockdown, Lacy had Thompson close to hitting the deck on several occasions, particularly in the second round when he rocked and staggered the game veteran. A feared puncher who has registered seven first-round knockouts, the talented Lacy has fought a total of 41 rounds during a pro career that began at age 23 on Feb. 2, 2001. In his other start that went the distance, Lacy shutout Bobby Jones to register a unanimous 10-round decision March 30, 2002, on "ShoBox: The New Generation." Lacy went 209-12 in the amateurs, won numerous competitions and made it to the second round of the 2000 Olympics.

Oshana (23-2, 13 KOs), of Chicago by way of Syria, is seeking his third consecutive victory since resuming his ring career in April 2002 following a 39-month layoff. In his first start after losing to Omar Sheika on Jan. 22, 1999, in Chicago, the crowd-pleasing brawler knocked out Laverne Clark in the third round on April 26, 2002, in Rosemont, Ill. In his last bout on May 30, 2002, Oshana notched a six-round decision over Larry Kenney in River Grove, Ill. A three-time Chicago Golden Gloves champion, Oshana turned pro at age 22 on Oct. 13, 1994, and won his initial 20 fights. In addition, the 30-year-old Illinois resident has fought all but two of his 25 bouts in his adopted home state.

For information on upcoming SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://SHO.com .

SOURCE SHOWTIME

CO: Former World Boxing Association; International Boxing Federation; SHOWTIME; Gary Shaw Productions, LLC

ST: New York

SU: PDT

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04/18/2003 15:38 EDT