“Mini-Mayweather” Devin Haney (18-0) Headlining Friday “ShoBox”

Shhh, don’t tell ’em.

We wouldn’t want to bruise the feelings of the top-tier guys, the ones in the suits and the short pants.

But there are times, many times, when I more look forward to the next “ShoBox” than I do the flashier offering on Showtime or HBO,  the “Championship” branded Saturday night “extravaganzas.”

Why?

Not a hard question to answer.

I like to see the ones on the rise, in make or maybe break situations…before they’ve become known qualities, before they’ve reached the promised land peaks, where too often their purity of intent becomes corrupted. The stakes on an average “ShoBox” are not higher in the grand scheme of things, if we are are factoring by earning power, and/or strength of public profile. But to the guys on the come up, the immensity of the stakes is just as large. Larger, often? Why?

Because it’s easier for a Bermane Stiverne to lose to a Deontay Wilder knowing he’s banking Lambo money if the inevitable happens.

On “ShoBox,” the Lambos are on posters on walls, in dreamscapes during sleep hours. We the viewer is often rewarded with performances which speak to the “thrill of the chase” construct. Tune in, if you like, Friday night, to see if this young gun Devin Haney is truly all that…or if Mason Menard can show him he’s overstepped his bounds.

Scroll down, and check out the video which helps you get to know Haney, who sees himself as a ‘Mini-Mayweather.’

WHAT: SHOWTIME Sports delivers a behind-the-scenes look into the life and training camp of blue-chip prospect Devin Haney as he prepares for the toughest test of his career against Mason Menard in the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation this Friday, May 11, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.

 The undefeated Haney (18-0, 12 KOs) makes his ShoBox debut against the seasoned Menard (33-2, 24 KOs) in the 10-round main event of a four-fight telecast featuring a number of ShoBox veterans.

 The young and flashy Haney turned professional at the age of 16 in Mexico. He has earned a reputation as a boxing prodigy, having sparred with Sean Porter, Jessie Vargas and Floyd Mayweather, who he aspires to emulate both in and out of the ring.

 “Coming up in the area with Floyd, you see all the cars, all the jewelry, all the money he has,” Haney said. “That’s what I’m working for.

 “I’ve been calling out all the big games names in my weight class. A lot of them have been turning me down.”

 In the co-feature, super bantamweights Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer (16-1-1, 8 KOs) and Glenn Dezurn (9-1-1, 6 KOs) both return to ShoBox for the third time. In an eight-round featured attraction, former national champion Alvin Varmall Jr. (15-0-1, 12 KOs) takes on Charles Foster (15-0, 8 KOs) in a matchup of undefeated light heavyweight prospects.

 In the eight-round opening bout, undefeated super bantamweight Arnold Khegai (11-0-1, 8 KOs) will take on skilled veteran Adam Lopez (16-2-2, 8 KOs). It will be the record seventh appearance for Lopez on ShoBox.