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Thomas Mattice-Isaac Cruz headlines boxing card Friday night at 2300 Arena

The card will feature four bouts that can go either way, with eight fighters who have a combined five losses.

The eight boxers fighting at 2300 Arena have a combined 125-5-5 record.
The eight boxers fighting at 2300 Arena have a combined 125-5-5 record.Read moreAmanda Westcott/SHOWTIME

ShowBox is bringing a card Friday night to Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena that will feature four bouts that can go either way.

The eight fighters have a combined five losses. Two of the contests will pit unbeatens.

“I could make a case for every B-side fighter on this card,” commentator Barry Tompkins said. “That’s what makes these fights really fun to call. I don’t think any of these are going to be lopsided.”

The main event will be Thomas Mattice (15-1-1, 11 KOs) vs. Isaac Cruz (18-1-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout. Mattice is WBO’s 12th-ranked boxer and will be the favorite. Cruz is ranked seventh by the IBF at 135 pounds.

Mattice considers himself more of a boxer-puncher, but Cruz is a relentless and aggressive puncher who packs power.

“[Cruz] is a banger,” Tompkins said. “He’s going to be right in his face. If [Mattice] is not ready to fight, he can get whacked.”

The undercard will feature:

  1. a super-bantamweight fight between Ra’eese Aleem (15-0, 9 KOs) and Adam Lopez (19-3-2, 9 KOs);

  2. a super-lightweight bout between Montana Love (12-0-1, 6 KOs) and Jerrico Walton (16-0, 7 KOs);

  3. and a super-welterweight bout between Derrick Coleman (11-0, 8 KOs) and Joseph Jackson (15-0, 12 KOs).

Five of the records are unbeaten, which means that some of the boxers haven’t had that test yet. The eight-round bout between Coleman and Jackson will be just that, for both fighters.

Coleman has had an average bout length of 2.3 rounds. He’ll be stepping up to eight rounds for the first time in his career.

“[Coleman] hasn’t been tested yet as a pro, and he’s going to be tested harder in this fight than he has in the past,” boxing analyst Steve Farhood said.

A lot of eyes will be on Aleem-Lopez. Lopez has won his last three fights and is a seasoned vet. Aleem is ranked 13th by the WBA and has a chance to close in on top-10 status. He won his last fight on a third-round TKO over Saul Hernandez.

Action will begin at 10 p.m., live on Showtime.