Ruben Villa (12-0, 5 KOs), one of the rising talents in the featherweight division, takes to the ring for the fourth time this year on Friday, Aug. 24 from Omega Products International in Corona, Calif.
The southpaw from Salinas, Calif. battles well tested veteran Jose Santos Gonzalez (23-6, 13 KOs) of Mexico in the “Locked n’ Loaded” 8-round main event.
Villa, 21, has fought veterans before, specifically Ernesto Guerrero and German Meraz. The seasoned Gonzalez poses a threat in the sense that he’s been in the ring against current bantamweight title holder Zolani Tete, and unbeaten contender Duke Micah.
“These are the types of fights that help you grow into a better fighter,” said Villa, who is managed by Danny Zamora. “We have a smart game plan in place. I’m naturally bigger than him so we’ll use that to our advantage.”
Villa, a two-time national Golden Gloves champion, is coming off an impressive sixth round knockout of Ricardo Lopez in June. The talented featherweight showed off his finishing ability by out boxing Lopez until the knockout moment presented itself.
“I was landing solid punches in every round,” remarked Villa after the fight. “I knew I would be able to take him out. I wore him down and in the sixth, I just let me hands go and I caught him with a lot of heavy punches.”
Villa is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
Tickets for “Locked n’ Loaded” are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.
The “Locked n’ Loaded” 8-round co-feature showcases an intriguing match-up between unbeaten bantamweight standout Saul Sanchez (9-0, 5 KOs) and volume puncher Christian Ayala (12-2, 4 KOs).
Sanchez, 21, will face his toughest challenge to date against the aggressive style of Ayala.
“It was the right time to test my ability against higher quality opposition,” remarked Sanchez, who is trained by Joel Diaz. “I’m looking forward to it. I know I’m ready for this.”
UNDERCARD
Local welterweight prospect Loui Lopez (3-0, 2 KOs) of Corona aims to stay unbeaten against an opponent to be named later (4-rounds).
One of two heavyweight fights on “Locked n’ Loaded” features Elvis Garcia (5-2, 5 KOs) of San Diego, Calif. and Oswaldo Ortega (3-8, 1 KO) of Mexico (4-rounds).
Bantamweight prospect Daniel Guzman (2-1, 1 KO) of Los Angeles will fight an opponent to be named later (4-rounds).
Also on the undercard, lightweights Carlos Velazquez and Keith Carson will make their professional debuts in a 4-round fight. Velazquez fights out of Indio, Calif., while Carson represents Riverside, Calif.
Opening the “Locked n’ Loaded” show are heavyweights Andrey Fedosov (30-3, 25 KOs) of Russia and Miguel Cubos (11-18, 8 KOs) of Mexico (8-rounds).
After winning a pair of minor heavyweight titles in 2015 and 2016, Fedosov was absent from competition last year and has one knockout win this year.
Fedosov will fight in a familiar venue, having won the WBO Intercontinental Title at Omega Products by knocking out Donovan Dennis in May 2015.
All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: Locked n’ Loaded via our Facebook page and ThompsonBoxing.com.
The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET with Beto Duran as the blow-by-blow announcer and Steve Kim providing expert, color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bout at approximately 8:00 p.m. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at 909-937-0900.
“Locked n’ Loaded” is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Everlast.