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Add FightsATW on GoogleWhat’s at stake for Giovani Santillan (35-1, 18 KOs) and Abass Baraou (17-2, 9 KOs) when they do battle on Friday night at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California?
What Does Giovani Santillan Have Left?
This might be the $100,000 question. Santillan stopped Alexis Rocha. It looked like a formality for him to win a title, even after a shaky fight with Erick Bone. Then Brian Norman Jr. stopped him. Since then, he has two wins at welterweight, followed by an uninspiring move up to junior middleweight, where he won a way-too-close fight against Courtney Pennington.
The fight, which took place early on the Xander Zayas-Baraou unification card, gave real pause about how Santillan will do in the division. Pennington entered on a five-fight losing streak. So, it isn’t just the size, which raises questions about how he fits into the division, but also the Rocha and Norman fights were violent. They can take a toll on a fighter, and Santillan had a full career before those fights.
He had been rumored to land a fight with Zayas earlier this year, before Zayas lost his titles to Jaron “Boots” Ennis. A good win here over a former champion would vault him into the mix for something meaningful in a competitive junior middleweight division.
A One-Hit Wonder or A Capital ‘G’ Guy?
Who is Baraou?
Will he be known as the guy who beat Yoenis Tellez, and that be it? Or will he be the guy who builds on that win and moves forward to contend for years to come?
Here is what we know: he spent a lot of time in Europe. He is a brilliant counter-puncher, and against an elite operator like Zayas, struggled to adjust. Still, the win over Tellez is huge. Tellez was thought to be a player in the division, and he came in as a B-side guy to dismantle him.
As much as we ask what Santillan has left, we might wonder who Baraou is as a fighter and which performance defines his career more closely: the Tellez fight or the Zayas fight?
Dominic Valle vs. Francois Scarboro Jr
While most might be intrigued by two Top Rank contenders battling at the top of the card, don’t sleep on the junior lightweight prospect clash. Valle has been a standout workhorse built on ProBox TV over the years, and Scarboro Jr has emerged from Lamont Roach Sr’s undercard bouts to make a name for himself on ProBox TV.
This is a prove-it fight.
Valle had looked unstoppable until his last fight. Valle could have arguably lost to Eduardo Ramirez but escaped with a unanimous decision.
Scarboro has two great wins over prospects Ferris Dixon and Wayne Lawrence. He looked mortal against Kevin Piedrahita and Brandon Valdes.
Two guys at the same point in their careers. What’s at stake is becoming a contender. You’ve got to love it.
The Return of Venado
Former featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez will return to the ring against Daniel Lugo. Lopez will be fighting at junior lightweight. Lugo is a fighter who is good for a few rounds but tends to tire. This will let us know how much Lopez has left after being stopped by Angelo Leo.
The Eye Test For Santillan-Baraou
Hard to say. It would’ve said that Baraou should win, but he didn’t show up entirely against Zayas. Santillan looked bad in his last fight but has consistently fought tougher opposition.
Though I want to say Baraou has the edge, Santillan has future Hall of Fame trainer Robert Garcia in his corner. So in reality, they both have advantages, and we won’t know who to favor until the bell rings.
What Do The Odds Say?
The oddsmakers favor the former champion Baraou.
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