Tag: Giovani “Gallo de Oro” Santillan

Santillan-Norman set for May 18

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San Diego-born welterweight contender Giovani “Gallo De Oro” Santillan has an opponent for his homecoming. The WBO No. 1-ranked fighter at 147 pounds will take on fellow unbeaten Brian Norman Jr. in a 12-round showdown on Saturday, May 18 at Pechanga Arena.

Santillan-Norman will be the co-feature to the vacant WBO lightweight title tilt between Mexican three-division world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk.

And, in the eight-round televised opener, heavyweight knockout artist Richard Torrez Jr. (9-0, 9 KOs) returns against an opponent to be named. Torrez fought last Friday on the Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson/Seniesa Estrada-Yokasta Valle card in Glendale, Arizona, stopping Don Haynesworth in the opening round.

Navarrete-Berinchyk, Santillan-Norman and Torrez’s return will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

“Brian Norman Jr. is a highly skilled young fighter,” Santillan said. “I get so much motivation from my city, and fighting at Pechanga Arena is always special. May 18 will be a great night, and I can’t wait to give my fans another victory.”

Norman said, “This is the big fight I have been waiting for. It’s time to show the world what I’m about.”

Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs) upset Alexis Rocha last October to earn the WBO No. 1 ranking. He returns to Pechanga Arena, the site of two of his greatest triumphs. In October 2021, Santillan notched a 10-round decision over Angel Ruiz on the Navarrete-Joet Gonzalez undercard. The following August, he turned away the game Julio Luna on the Navarrete-Eduardo Baez bill. He hopes to make it three for three in front of the hometown fans. Norman (25-0, 19 KOs), a former U.S. amateur star, is a six-year pro taking a sizable step up in class. He went 3-0 in 2023, capping off the year with a one-sided verdict over Quinton Randall on the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos card in Las Vegas. Norman made his 2024 debut in March, fighting to a no contest with Janelson Bocachica after Bocachica suffered a severe cut on his forehead.

In undercard action, streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+:

  • Lightweight phenom

    Emiliano Fernando Vargas (9-0, 7 KOs) will see action in a six-rounder, Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia (12-0, 10 KOs) returns in an eight-rounder at lightweight, and Robert Garcia-trained junior welterweight Art Barrera Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs) looks to make it five straight in a four-rounder. Vargas, Garcia, and Barrera were all victorious on March 29 in Glendale, Arizona.

  • Bay Area lightweight prospect  Charlie Sheehy (9-0, 5 KOs) takes on Manuel Jaimes (15-1-1, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Sheehy is coming off February’s shutout decision over Abdel Sauceda, while James has won three in a row since the lone defeat of his career.

  • Junior lightweight prospect  Jonathan Lopez (14-0, 10 KOs) looks to break the four-fight winning streak of Mexican veteran Edgar Ortega (14-2-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Lopez, who is trained by Eddy Reynoso, went 5-0 in 2023 and defeated Eduardo Baez via 10-round decision last June.

  • San Diego-born lightweight  Jonny Mansour will make his highly anticipated pro debut in a four-rounder. Mansour was a top amateur, winning a National Golden Gloves crown in 2023 and capturing a 2020 National Championships silver medal.

Rocha-Santillan set for October 21

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Welterweight contender Alexis “Lex” Rocha (23-1, 15 KOs) of Santa Ana will take on his most dangerous challenge when he battles Giovani “Gallo de Oro” Santillan (31-0, 16 KOs) on October 21 in a scheduled for 12-round bout(DAZN).

Alexis Rocha has steadily climbed to the top of the rankings with a highlight reel of deadly knockouts and toe-to-toe matchups. Rocha’s past main event performance against Anthony Young on May 27 demonstrated his surgical use of power bombs to break down his resilient opponent.

“October is a big month in my career. This is the type of match up that I have prepared for,” said Alexis Rocha. “I know my opponent and his entire team well. I respect them all, and I know I’ll need to be at my best come fight night. But that’s what I demand of myself in every fight and that’s what will happen come October 21. I will be at my best, and my best is at a different level. I know Giovani asked for this fight, but like my coach always says, be careful what you wish for.”

The undefeated Giovani Santillan is ravenous for a ripe opportunity to demonstrate he is ready for a shot at a world title after more than a decade in the sport. With a spotless record, Santillan has proven he has the arsenal and the gas tank to go into deep waters with the toughest of boxing foes. The southpaw has also previously claimed ownership of the NABO Welterweight Title and successfully defended it twice in his boxing career. He was last seen in July in a competitive matchup against Ecuador’s Erick Bone that went the distance.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for an opportunity against a fighter of Rocha’s caliber. Defeating Rocha puts me in the world title mix and in position for even bigger fights, but I am focused on the task at hand,” Giovani Santillan said. “I wanted this fight, so as soon as Top Rank and my management told me this fight was happening, I was thrilled. This is my time, and I am going to take full advantage of this opportunity.”

“Alexis’ confidence and dedication can be seen in the fact that he fights more often than any contender in the sport and takes on all comers — including those with undefeated records,” said Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya. “While Lex fully deserves a title shot, he also knows the value of staying active as demonstrated by his vast improvement over the last few years. I expect another standout performance from the pride of Santa Ana and another step up the ladder of the welterweight division.”

Navarrete: ‘I think Baez is coming with a strong desire to win’

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Mexican star Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete is ready to defend his WBO featherweight world title against a fellow countryman who is no stranger to toe-to-toe action. Navarrete (35-1, 29 KOs) will take on upset-minded Eduardo Baez (21-2-2, 7 KOs) in the 12-round main event this Saturday evening at Pechanga Arena San Diego.

In the co-feature, San Diego native Giovani “Gallo de Oro” Santillan (29-0, 16 KOs) looks to shine in front of a hometown crown in a 10-round welterweight battle against unbeaten contender Julio Luna (19-0-2, 10 KOs).

Undefeated middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (5-0, 4 KOs), grandson of Muhammad Ali, returns in a four-round rematch versus Reyes Sanchez (7-2, 3 KOs). Ali Walsh is fighting in the same venue where his grandfather got his jaw broken by Ken Norton in a 1973 split decision loss.

Navarrete-Baez, Santillan-Luna and Ali Walsh-Sanchez 2 will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ (6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m PT) and includes an eight-round junior welterweight showdown between undefeated Mexican prospects Lindolfo Delgado (15-0, 13 KOs) and Omar “Pollo” Aguilar (24-0, 23 KOs).

At Thursday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say.

Emanuel Navarrete

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“I feel really good. We had a great preparation. We’re going to be making a really good return. It is a bit hard to make the weight because of the time that we were away from the ring. But aside from that, there’s nothing that worries me about being able to make this defense of my championship in excellent fashion.”

“I think Baez is coming with a strong desire to win. He is very well conditioned, and that can make for a great fight. I’ve also prepared very well. We both want this world championship. I have it, but he wants to snatch it away from me. That can make for a great fight from the start. So, I think this fight will lend itself to being a great matchup. We hope that Baez comes out very strong, that we both last the 12 rounds, and that we fight at a very high level.”

“I’m very happy to be returning after the layoff. We hope that my career is going on a good path so that I can keep growing in this new era with Top Rank.”

Eduardo Baez

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“I’m very happy because we are fighting for a world title, which is the dream come true for any boxer. We felt really good during our preparation, and we’re coming in great condition. We are very excited to be in this position.”

“It’s an important fight for a world title. We’re coming double prepared. We are so happy to be fighting against a great champion like ‘El Vaquero.’ We thank him for the opportunity. We’ve come very prepared to snatch the title from him. I’ve seen it already. It’s very nice. He better not get careless because I’m going to snatch it away.”

Giovani Santillan

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

“It’s exciting for me to be fighting in San Diego again. It’ll be my second time fighting at Pechanga Arena. It’s really a dream come true. Ever since I was an amateur, I’ve been dreaming about fighting in these big venues. To be on ESPN with Top Rank means everything to me, so I’ve been working hard for this.”

“He’s an undefeated fighter like me. So, when you have something like that, it lights up a fire inside me to train extra hard. So, I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever he brings to the table.”

Julio Luna

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“This is the opportunity of my career. I come from a family of champions. My sister is a world champion. My objective is to be world champion, and this is the opportunity that will open the path towards that in my career.”

“You will all see the best Julio Luna of my career. This is my opportunity. I plan to leave everything in the ring so I can obtain the victory. I prepared very well. I am ready to win both mentally and physically.”

Nico Ali Walsh

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“Honestly, I feel like there’s a lot to prove. That was the start of my career. That was my third fight, and I have been improving beyond what everyone thought I could. It’s exciting that we get to do this, and I think I’ll have a good time. I truly think my last few fights have spoken for themselves, and it shows how hard I’ve been working.”

Reyes Sanchez

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“It’s not very often in life that you get a second chance. I’m glad it’s going through. Thank you to everyone who made it happen. I’ve rewatched the fight plenty of times. I think gave him a tougher fight than they were expecting. I expect the same thing Saturday night.”

Lindolfo Delgado

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“This is a great opportunity here with Top Rank. I’m very happy. It’s going to be a really good fight. I know that a lot of people are looking forward to this fight because of the kind of fighters we are and because of the record that each of us has. I think it’s going to be really good, so don’t miss it. This is an opportunity that we have both been looking for, and it’s the kind of fight we need to move forward in our careers.”

Omar Aguilar

(Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“It’s the right time because we both have good records. This is the moment in which fighters begin to rise in the ranks so that bigger opportunities can come. Like I’ve always said, I always prepare for the rounds I’m scheduled to fight for. I know he is a strong opponent who boxes really well. And if it goes the distance, I’ll be ready.”