ORANGE, Calif. (May 16, 2017) – Giovani Santillan, who was slated to highlight Thompson Boxing Promotions’ 17 year anniversary show on Friday night, is off the card due to dehydration.
The junior welterweight was having difficulty getting down to the 140 lb. limit. He was scheduled to fight Juan Garcia Mendez for the vacant WBC FECOMBOX championship (8-rounds).
“It’s unfortunate that Giovani could not cut the required weight in time,” said Alex Camponovo, matchmaker and general manager at Thompson Boxing. “I hope he gets well soon. We’ll see what happens with his career in the next few weeks.”
“I feel bad for Juan Garcia Mendez who trained hard for this fight. We are trying to find him a late replacement. In the meantime, we have elevated the championship bout between Southern California rivals Erick Ituarte and Isaac Zarate as our main event. It is a terrific fight between two hard nosed competitors.”
Ituarte (16-1-1, 2 KOs) and Zarate (12-2-2, 2 KOs) will compete for the vacant Junior NABF featherweight title scheduled for eight compelling rounds.
The new co-feature showcases hard hitting junior bantamweight Ricardo Espinoza (10-1, 8 KOs) of Tijuana, Mex. against fellow brawler and hometown rival Christian Ayala (9-1, 4 KOs) in a bout scheduled for 8-rounds.
Espinoza vs. Ayala has all the makings of a barnburner, as both boxers bring an exciting brand of fighting into the ring.
Thompson Boxing’s 17 year anniversary show will be live streamed on its website and Facebook Live beginning at 7:45 p.m. PDT this Friday.
Tickets for “New Blood” are priced at $40, $60, & $100 and are available for purchase online at ThompsonBoxing.com, or by calling 714-935-0900.
The live stream, titled “TB Presents: New Blood,” will be anchored by blow-by-blow announcer Beto Duran with Steve Kim providing expert color commentary.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. local time with the first bell at approximately 7:45 p.m. The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at (909) 937-0900.
“New Blood” is presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions and sponsored by Lucas Oil, in association with Everlast.
For more information, please visit ThompsonBoxing.com. To follow the conversation on social media, please use #NewBlood, #ThompsonBoxing, #TBLiveStream.
For regular updates on our fighters, events, and promotions, please check our Facebook Page, find us on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @ThompsonBoxing.
