San Diego, CA – Welterweight contender Giovani Santillan had not fought in his hometown in more than seven years. In front of a partisan crowd that broke out into frequent “Gio” chants, the San Diego native improved to 28-0 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Angel Ruiz (17-2, 12 KOs). The scores — 100-90 2x and 99-91 — did not reflect the game effort of Ruiz, who gave nearly as good as he received for much of the fight.
Buoyed by the local faithful, Santillan prevailed in the phone both affair and edged closer to a title shot.
Santillan said, “This is what it’s all about, a great fight in front of my amazing hometown fans. They were cheering for me all night, and it was an honor to perform for my people in San Diego.
“My father and I always wanted to fight here. It was a dream come true, and credit to Angel Ruiz for going to battle for 10 rounds. He’s a true Mexican warrior. I have nothing but respect for him.”
Emanuel Navarrete vs. Joet Gonzalez & Giovani Santillan vs. Angel Ruiz live and exclusively on ESPN+
Friday October 15th
Pechanga Arena San Diego, CA.
Photo credits: Mikey Williams/Top Rank – Getty Images 📸
LATINBOXSPORTS.COM 