Santillan Hopes To Raise Level of Exposure in 2015
By Francisco Salazar
Giovani Santillan may be a prospect, but he should probably be labeled an apprentice. He is always in the gym, but would rather fight often in the ring in actual bouts to gain more experience.
It has worked so far for Santillan, as the results speak for themselves.
He hopes a win tonight will be icing on the cake on a successful 2014 campaign.
Santillan will fight Luis Solis in an eight round bout at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. The bout will headline a five-bout “New Blood” card presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions.
Santillan (14-0, 8 KOs) has stayed busy as a pro fighter in the last two years. He fought five times in 2013 and tonight will mark the fourth time he will be fighting in 2014.
In the process, he has beaten an unbeaten fighter, has stopped three of his last five opponents, and won a regional title. He will be defending that title against Solis.
Santillan could not only be happy with the results and keeping an unblemished record, but also for learning things in fights and being able to correct those mistakes.
“I feel I gain more experience that way,” Santillan told Boxingscene.com in a recent phone interview. “Fighting these types of fights (eight round bouts) gets you ready for the bigger fights. It keeps you sharp and you never stop learning.”
The San Diego-based fighter will face a tough and aggressive fighter in Solis tonight. Solis lost his last fight by split decision to Miguel Angel Huerta by split decision on August 15 and lost a close unanimous decision to Jose Roman in May after knocking Roman down three times in the first round.
While Solis is in fights and may have been a round or two from winning those bouts, Santillan is confident he can do well and pull out a win.
“He’s a tall fighter,” said Santillan, who defeated Osenohan Vazquez in his last bout on August 16 in San Diego, Calif. “He likes to fight and throw a lot of punches. His offense might be his best quality. He gets caught with clean punches, yet he stays in there. I feel good about what I can do in the ring and I’m ready.”
While Santillan has improved his skillset in the ring, he has learned a lot of about himself as well.
During his April 25 bout against Daniyar Hanyk, Santillan suffered a nose injury, which prompted an abundant amount of blood to come out of his nose. Santillan gathered himself, finishing the fight strong to win by unanimous decision.
It is why he feels, so long as he defeats Solis, he is ready for the next level in 2015.
“I hope to be fighting on ESPN in 2015. I know it’s hard to get those chances, but I’m willing to work hard to get those chances. I would like to go up on that platform to perform.”
Santillan would like for that platform to include his hometown of San Diego. There are a handful of gyms and fighters that represent “America’s Finest City,” but would like to fight often in their hometown.
While Santillan fought in San Diego in his last fight, he hopes more high-profile fight cards take place in San Diego.
“I would to fight more in my hometown. Before my last fight, I fought in the amateurs in San Diego. I would like for boxing to be big in San Diego the way it is in Los Angeles, with the Stubhub Center and Staples Center.”
Santillan is grateful for the opportunities he has received and is eager to continue putting his name out there.
His mind frame of wanting to get better with each fight has worked so far and he is confident it will lead to more success in the future.
“Whatever I do wrong, I just want to do it better.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
