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Giovanni Santillan to headline ‘Path to Glory’ on Friday

Fighters Network
21
Apr
Image courtesy of Thompson Boxing Promotions

Image courtesy of Thompson Boxing Promotions

There is nothing like rounding out one’s skill-set when sparring against top fighters in boxing. Prospects gain a significant advantage over sparring world titleholders or contenders.
Giovanni Santillan can see the results of sparring countless hours against those very men, namely Timothy Bradley. The unbeaten junior welterweight is a sponge anytime Bradley can offer words of wisdom.
He hopes to put those words to good use Friday night, when Santillan will square off against Jose De Jesus Macias. The eight-round bout will take place at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.
Santillan (18-0, 10 knockouts) has slowly emerged as one of the top 140-pound prospects from Southern California. The San Diego resident has successfully demonstrated he can box or brawl against modest opposition and takes another step up in opposition when he faces Macias on Friday.
Macias (18-5-2, 9 KOs) is coming off a one-sided decision loss to unbeaten Erickson Lubin. The fighter from El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico has lost his two most recent fights.
“(Macias) is a tough guy that’s never been knocked out before,” said Santillan. “Half his wins are by knockout, so we know he can punch. He has a pretty good reach too.”
Santillan, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions, has become a bona fide prospect who can blossom into a contender with wins this year. The southpaw can attribute that to the hard work he puts in the gym.
He can also attribute his improvement to the help of Bradley. Over a period of time, Santillan has traveled to the Palm Springs area, Bradley’s hometown, to serve as a sparring partner for the two-division titleholder.
“I sparred with Bradley three times a week for four weeks,” said Santillan, who will be fighting in Ontario for the 13th time as a pro. “I felt good every single time I was in there with him. To be able to be in the same ring as an elite boxer like him, it was a huge confidence booster. It was a tremendous experience for us.”
“Immediately after sparring sessions, we would go back and break down the video with the Bradley team. I would see my mistakes almost in real time. Overall, Bradley’s a really cool guy. He treated us like we were part of the team and was very approachable.”
Based on his record and improvement with each fight, the results speak for themselves.
Also fighting on the “Path to Glory” card:
– Lightweight Jose Roman, who has won his last seven bouts in a row, will fight Miguel Martinez of Colombia.
– Bantamweight contender Carlos Carlson squares off against hard-hitting veteran Giovanni Caro.
– Junior lightweight prospect Erick Ituarte, who has won his last five straight, battles Fernando Fuentes.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since Oct. of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper, BoxingScene.com and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.

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