hompson Boxing Promotions presents “Path to Glory,” a five-bout, action-packed fight card headlined by Southern-California fan favorite and top welterweight prospect Artemio “King” Reyes (21-2, 17 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. Reyes aims to make it seven straight wins against Abraham Alvarez (16-4-1, 7 KOs) of Mexico. The 10-round main event originates from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif., Friday, June 27.
Reyes has built a steady string of knockout victories since getting stopped by Alan Sanchez more than two years ago. Out of his six victories since then, five have come via second or third round knockout. Reyes, who will turn 28 in a few months, understands how important it is to continue building impressive victories, and the best way to accomplish that is by staying true to his style of fighting.
“I’m a pressure fighter,” said Reyes, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing. “I throw a ton of punches, that’s basically my bread and butter. I like to come forward, set the pace, and land punches. Early in my career my coaches tried to get me to box from a distance, but they soon found out I’m more suited fighting in close quarters. ”
His match up against Alvarez is that of contrasting styles, with Reyes preferring to score points by closing the gaps, and Alvarez choosing the more tactical approach of fighting on the outside. Will Alvarez be able to limit Reyes’ advances, or will Reyes continually corner the shifty Alvarez? The individual best able to dictate the pace of the fight will likely come out on top.
“Alvarez likes to move around the ring and box,” Reyes said. “His style doesn’t really bother me, though. I’ll be able to put my stamp on this fight right from the start.”
The co-main event features undefeated welterweight prospect Giovani “El Gallo de Oro” Santillan (12-0, 7 KOs) of San Diego. An opponent for Santillan will be announced at a later date (8-rounds). In his last outing in April, Santillan outpointed the skilled and previously unbeaten Daniyar Hanyk of Ukraine.
“We continue to match Giovani against better competition and he answers the bell every time,” said Alex Camponovo, general manager and matchmaker for Thompson Boxing. “At 22-years-old, he’s a young southpaw that’s showed an excellent commitment to the sport and he’s only going to get better and more polished.”
In what could be a barnburner of a fight, super bantamweights Danny “Baby Face Assassin” Roman (8-2-1, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles and Jonathan “Lil Thunder” Arellano (13-2-2, 3 KOs) of Ontario will trade leather for eight compelling rounds.
Both Roman and Arellano throw an extraordinary high volume of punches, and this fight will follow the same script as both are in desperate need of a win. Arellano is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Rico Ramos in January, and Roman is 1-1 in his last two fights. Fans can expect an absolute dogfight between the two Los Angeles area natives.
In other action, undefeated lightweight prospect Erick Ituarte (7-0-1, 1 KO) of Santa Ana, Calif. faces the taller Cesar Valenzuela (7-3-1, 3 KOs) of Phoenix in a 6-round fight. Ituarte, while not a heavy hitter, is developing quickly and displays a natural feel for the sport.
Preceding Ituarte-Valenzuela, lightweight prospect Ken Alvarez (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico aims to preserve his unbeaten record against Joshua Marks (8-5, 8 KOs) of San Diego in a 6-round fight.
