Thompson Boxing Promotions promotes its first show in San Diego with an action-packed “Path to Glory SD Style” line up highlighted by two of the city’s most popular boxers: undefeated junior welterweight prospect Giovani Santillan (13-0, 7 KOs) and the veteran super bantamweight Christopher Martin (27-3-3, 9 KOs). The seven-bout card takes place on Saturday, Aug. 16, from the Harley Davidson San Diego, the largest Harley Davidson dealership in the U.S.
Martin, who was scheduled to face Efrain Esquivias in July before Esquivias pulled out due to a fight week illness, is fighting the well experienced and hard-punching Giovanni Caro (24-14-4, 19 KOs) of Mexico City in the 8-round co-main event.
Thompson Boxing Promotions checked in on Martin’s training camp to get his thoughts on fighting in his hometown, his opponent, and the San Diego boxing scene. Additionally, we put together a quick video recap from one of his recent training sessions available here.
On how this training camp was a bit more challenging than the rest…
“I was scheduled to fight in July, but the fight fell through at the last minute,” Martin said. “I was told by my promoter to stay active because they had August dates to fill. I ended up taking four days off to decompress and give my body a little bit of a break. I eased back into my training routine because the last thing I wanted to do was over train and come out flat. I think we managed the workload quite well and I know I’ll be in great condition for this fight.”
On your opponent, Giovanni Caro…
“I think our styles complement one another. Caro likes to press forward and attack, while I prefer to counterpunch and take advantage of defensive weaknesses. It’s definitely going to be a back and forth battle. He’s coming off some tough losses, but he also fought Fernando Montiel tough for twelve rounds. If a couple of rounds go his way, he wins that fight.”
On the importance of not dropping two fights in a row…
“I put my last fight behind me. That fight put into perspective what is required of me in order to move forward. I can’t dwell on the past, I can only think about the present and look forward to the future. All I have on my mind is getting a win.”
On fighting in your hometown for the first time in four years…
“I don’t get this opportunity very often so it’s really exciting. I can’t really worry about the crowd. I just have to do my best out there. I have a lot of local fans that are coming out to support me, which is great.”
On the burgeoning San Diego boxing scene…
“We’re a tight knit community. Most of us train at the same gyms and we all get along pretty well. Myself, Giovani Santillan who is the main event, Adrian Vargas and Ulises Sierra who are on the undercard, we all bump into each from time to time. There’s a fair amount of trash talking that goes around, but it’s all in good spirits. San Diego isn’t like the Los Angeles area where there is a lot of displacement between gyms. There’s only a handful of places to train so you’re bound to develop friendships with some of these guys.”
Tickets priced at $100, $60, & $40 are on sale now and can be purchased online at ThompsonBoxing.com or by phone at 714-935-0900.
Santillan, starring in his first main event and fifth straight 8-round fight, will battle Osenohan Vazquez (7-1-1, 2 KOs) of Jersey City, NJ for the vacant Junior Welterweight NABF Jr. Title.
