Undefeated junior welterweight Giovani Santillan (14-0, 8 KOs) makes the first title defense of his young career when he meets the hard striking Luis Solis (14-4-4, 12 KOs) in the 8-round main event of Thompson Boxing Promotions “New Blood” event, Friday, Oct. 24, from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.
Santillan, fighting out of San Diego, is a power-punching southpaw with a solid chin and improving defense, has his opponent well scouted. He knows Solis, who is a native of Progreso, Mex., prefers to use his height and length to keep opponents from getting inside.
“I’ve seen his last two fights,” said the 22-year-old Santillan. “He’s a fighter that likes to stay busy. We expect him to throw a lot of punches. The most important thing we need to do is cut the distance and work him inside where he is vulnerable. There will be opportunities to fight him on the outside, and when that happens, I’ll be smart with my punches.”
This will be Santillan’s fourth fight of the year after fighting five times last year. The part-time youth boxing instructor credits his year-round training schedule for keeping him in shape and ready to take fights on short notice.
“It helps that I’m a gym rat and that I’m always basically in fighting shape,” Santillan said. “I’ve never been knocked down or suffered any cuts. I don’t see Solis changing that. I’m going to fight smart and be effective with my punches and defense.”
In the 8-round co-main event, free-swinging super bantamweight Juan Reyes (11-1-3, 1 KO) of Riverside, Calif. and the undefeated Fernando Samaniego (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Phoenix battle for the vacant NABF Jr. 122-lb Championship. After winning five straight, Reyes now finds himself in somewhat of a funk, having scored two wins against two draws in his last four outings.
“I need to come out and win the early rounds,” Reyes, 25, said. “I’ll be more active than usual to make sure I can steal the bulk of the rounds in the first half of the fight.”
In another 8-round super bantamweight fight, Isaac Zarate (8-1-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, who fought Reyes to a draw in May, takes on Heriberto Delgado (11-1, 6 KOs) of Tijuana, Mex. Zarate is coming in hot after dispatching Guadalupe Barrera in the first round in August. Pin-point body shots knocked down Barrera three times before the referee put a stop to the one-sided affair.
“I’ve been working on my body punching and it paid off against Barrera,” Zarate said. “I’m trying to become a more well-rounded boxer. Improving my inside game was something that I needed to work on.”
Additionally on “New Blood”
Jonathan Garcia (15-0, 11 KOs) of Watsonville, Calif., one of the top prospects in the junior welterweight division, will fight an opponent to be named later (6-rounds).
Junior bantamweights Javier Lapizco (6-0, 2 KOs) of Sonora, Mex., and Jose Toribio (5-1, 1 KO) of Tijuana will exchange leather in a 4-round fight.
Opening the “New Blood” show are super bantamweights Edwin Sandoval (3-1, 1 KO) of Bakersfield, Calif. and Fernando Fuentes (4-3) of Hemet, Calif. (4-rounds).
