Giovanni Santillan on Antonio DeMarco Clash: ‘I Want to Show the World That I am an Elite Fighter’

Giovanni Santillan faces fromer champion Antonio DeMarco on Tuesday night (Photo: Thompson Boxing)

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By Chris Robinson

The sport of boxing has returned with live action, and for welterweight prospect Giovanni Santillan, Tuesday night marks by far the biggest test of his young career.

The 28-year old Santillan (25-0, 15 KO’s), who is co-promoted by Thompson Boxing and Top Rank, will face former world champion Antonio DeMarco (33-8-1, 24 KOs), on ESPN in a co-feature attraction. The main event will see bantamweight contender Joshua Greer Jr. (22-1-1, 12 KOs) face Mike Plania (23-1, 12 KOs), with the broadcast starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.

Santillan recently had this to share.

Training camp…

“I did my whole training camp in my hometown of San Diego, CA, with my dad Guillermo Santillan who is my head trainer. We are very blessed to have Danny Perez as a second in the corner. Together we have a great game plan put in place to face DeMarco, who is a crafty southpaw. All the sparring is done now and I’m in the best shape of my career. I’m fully prepared to go the distance if need be.”

Facing Antonio DeMarco…

“I am extremely focused going into this fight. Antonio DeMarco is the hardest fight of my career, and I want to be as prepared as possible. DeMarco is a true veteran with a lot of power. He has twice as many professional fights as me, so I know this is a major step up fight. I want to show the world that I am an elite fighter worthy of a top 15 ranking.”

Fighting on ESPN…

“These times have been very tough, and I am glad that my promoters, Top Rank and Thompson Boxing, have given me this opportunity to fight on ESPN. It’s is a massive platform for me fighting in front of millions of people, and I am looking to take full advantage of it by putting on an exciting action-packed performance. Everyone will know my name after this fight.”

Signing with Top Rank…

“I want to thank Ken Thompson and Alex Camponovo for believing in me, as well as my manager Dave MacWater. Thompson Boxing is a family business and they take care of their fighters very well. I’m blessed to now have a co-promotional agreement with Top Rank and thanks to them I am now on ESPN, the leader in sports. Top Rank has a history of building some of the biggest stars in the sport of boxing, and I feel I have the perfect team behind me to get me into contention for a world title.”

What a win will do for his career…

“A win against DeMarco will change my life. It will mean I would’ve won a fight against a former world champion on national television when hardly anything live is occurring. A lot of people are watching these fights, and I believe this will put me in contention to fight for a world title. I want to get a ranking in the top 15 of any of the major sanctioning body to be considered as a world title challenger, and defeating Antonio DeMarco will be a great step in that direction.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at CRobinson@hustleboss.com

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