SAN DIEGO, CA (June 28, 2021) – Thompson Boxing Promotions’ undefeated welterweight, Giovani Santillan (27-0, 15 KOs), is seeking a top contender for his next fight after a victorious outing this past Saturday when he defeated Cecil McCalla (23-5, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision. The 8-round bout was promoted by Top Rank.

“Every fight I’m learning something new about myself and this fight was no different,” said Santillan. “It’s been over a year since I last fought before going into this fight, and I felt I shook off the rust nicely. Now that I got this fight out of the way, I’m ready to step up and face any top ten contenders in the welterweight division. My whole team is working hard to get me a big fight and I’ll be ready when my name is called.”

“Giovani is on the cusp of a big fight, and I know he’s ready for the next level of competition,” stated promoter Ken Thompson. “He’s showing time and time again that he has the grit to always come out on top, no matter who the opponent is. He gets the job done each and every time he steps in the ring. His future is bright.”

Former world champion and pound-for-pound elite, Vasiliy Lomachenko stopped Masayoshi Nakatani in round nine of their scheduled 12-round lightweight bout at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas.

In round one, Lomachenko was cut on the middle of his forehead that was caused by a accidental headbutt. In round five, Lomachenko stepped around Nakatani and landed a left hand that put Nakatani on the deck.

Lomachenko was very accurate in his first fight back after losing his titles to Teofimo Lopez at the end of 2020. In round nine, Lomachenko landed a series of quick shots to the head that hurt Nakatani. Follow up hard combinations had the referee stop the fight at 1:48.

Lomachenko said, “I’m happy because I won. All the strategies that we developed with my team {worked}. I reached all my goals. I won and now I’m back on track.

“Everybody saw how I won this fight, and everybody is waiting for the rematch {with Lopez}, so let’s make a rematch.

“He has a fight in the future with {George} Kambosos, but how about after, in the beginning of next year? December, January, February, I am waiting.”

Added Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, “In case there was any doubt, Lomachenko proved he is still one of the very best fighters in the world. He is healthy and ready to fight any of the lightweights.”

Lomahenko, 134.6 lbs of Ukraine is 15-2 with 11 knockouts. Nakatani, 134.4 lbs of Osaka, JAP is 19-2.

Alimkhanuly stops Brant after 8

Janibek Alimkhanuly stopped former beltholder Rob Brant after round eight of their scheduled 10-round middleweight bout.

In round six, a short left sent Brant to a knee. Alimkhanuly dominated the fight and Brant was never in the contest

Alimkhanuly said, “Tonight, I showed the world what ‘Qazaq Style’ is about. Rob Brant is a former world champion for a reason, but I came here to showcase my full arsenal, and that’s what I did.

“I am highly ranked, and I have the confidence to fight any middleweight in the world. I had a great training camp with Buddy McGirt, and this was the result of all the hard work we did in camp.” 

.Alimkhanuly, 159.6 lbs of Kazakhstan is now 10-0 with six knockouts. Brant, 159.6 lbs of St, Paul, MN is 26-3.Rpb

Giovani Santillan remained undefeated with an eight-round unanimous decision over Cecil McCalla in a welterweight bout.

Santillan landed 168 of 469 punches; McCalla landed 109 of 500.

Santillan, 147.6 lbs of San Diego, CA won by scores of 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74 and is now 27-0. McCalla, 147.4 lbs of Randallstown, MD is 23-4.

Luis Fernando Saavedra won a six-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Robert Rodriguez in a bantamweight fight.

Saavedra landed 92 of 296 punches; Rodriguez landed 86 of 290.

Saavedra, 118 lbs of Mexico won by scores of 60-54 twice and 59-55, and is now 9-6. Rodriguez, 118.8 lbs of San Antonio, TX is 9-1-1.

Floyd Diaz won a four-round unanimous decision over Jaime Josso in a bantamweight bout..

Diaz, 117.8 lbs of Las Vegas, won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 2-0. Josso, 116.2 lbs of Laredo, TX is 2-1.

Guido Vianello stopped Marlon Williams in round two of their four-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Vianello dropped Williams with a right to the body. Seconds later it was another right that put Williams down for a second time. When the bell rang to start round two, Williams did not look good, and the referee stopped the fight at the start of round two.

Vianello, 244 lbs of Rome, ITA is 8-0-1 with eight knockouts. Williams, 217.5 lbs of Lafayette, LA is 6-2.

Subaru Murata made a successful pro debut with a 2nd round stoppage over Kevin Monroy in a scheduled four-round junior featherweight contest.

In round two, Murata landed a booming left hook that sent Monroy to the deck, and the fight was stopped at 1:42.

Murata, 121.6 lbs of Tokyo, JAP is 1-0 with one knockout. Monroy, 119.8 lbs of Stockton, CA is 1-2.

DeMichael Harris remained perfect as he stopped Jonoton Hernan Godoy after round three of a scheduled four-round lightweight bout.

In round three, Harris dropped Bodoy with a right to the temple. Later in the round, Body was dropped again with a right. At the end of the round, another right hand sent Bodoy down for a third time. The bout was stopped in the corner after the round.

Harris, 134.2 lbs of Cleveland is 4-0 with four knockouts. Godoy, 134.2 lbs of Buenos Aries, ARG is 5-9.

NEW YORK (June 25, 2021)–On Saturday, boxing’s top management company, Split-T Management will have four of it’s top fighters featured in bouts throughout North America.

At the Virgin Hotel In Las Vegas, undefeated welterweight Giovani Santillan battles Cecil McCalla in a 10-round bout.

In Guadalajara, Mexico, rising undefeated prospect Diego Pacheco takes on undefeated Jesus Palomares in an eight-round super middleweight fight.

In Ashland, Kentucky, world-ranked super welterweight Charles Cinwell takes on Silverio Ortiz, while Haven Brady Jr. takes on Nathan Benichou in a four-round featherweight bout.

Photo by Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images

Santillan, who is promoted by Thompson Boxing and Top Rank, has a record 26-0 with 15 knockouts. Santillan of San Diego, has wins over Michael Balasi (10-2), Daniyar Hanyk (10-0), Osenohan Vazquez (7-1-1), Eduardo Rivera (9-1-2), Ernesto Ortiz (10-2), Omar Tienda (18-3), Sammy Valentin (12-0), Dodzi Kemeh (19-1), Alejandro Barboza (11-1) and his last bout when defeated former world champion Antonio DeMarco on June 16, 2020 in Las Vegas.

McCalla of Randallstown, Maryland, has a record of 23-4 with 10 knockouts.

McCalla has defeated the likes of Ivan Zigar (1-0-1), Antonio Walls (2-0), John Mackey (11-2-1), Gary Lynch (4-0) and Oscar Godoy (13-2). McCalla has won two in a row, and is coming off of a 2nd round stoppage over Fidel Monterrosa Munoz on October 16th in Plant City, Florida.

Santillan weighed 147.6 lbs and McCalla was 147 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in.

The bout can be seen on ESPN+ at 7:15 PM.

Photo by Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

Pacheco of Los Angeles is 11-0 with eight knockouts.

The 20 year-old Pacheco will be facing his 5th undefeated foe of his three-year career. He already has wins over Felix Aguilar, Guillermo Maldonado, Jose Esparza and Terry Ferandez. Pacheco also has a 2nd round stoppage over Juan Antonio Mendez (12-2). Pacheco is coming off a unanimous decision over Rodolfo Gomez Jr. on February 21st in Miami.

Palomares of Sonora, Mexico is 7-0-1 with four knockouts, and has defeated two undefeated opponents in his last two bouts. He has a 2nd round stoppage over Christian Hermosillo (3-0) and in his last bout Palomares won a unanimous decision over Jaime Portillo on November 19th in Sonora, Mexico.

Both Pacheco and Palomares were 167 lbs at Friday’s weigh-in

In Ashland, Kentucky Conwell and Brady were able to book fights following bouts being postponed in Miami.

Conwell of Cleveland is ranked number-seven by the IBF, has a record of 14-0 with 11 knockouts,

The 2016 United States Olympian is the USBA champion, who has made three defenses has wins over Roque Zeoeda (4-1-3), Travis Scott (19-3), His USBA title winning effort over Courtney Pennington (12-3-3) and defenses over undefeated Webdy Toussaint (12-0) and Madiyar Ashkeyev (14-0).

Conwell, who is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Holden Productions checked in at 158 lbs.

Ortiz of Yucitan, Mexico has a record of 37-26 with 18 knockouts, and is a 21 year veteran,

He has fought many world champions and title challengers and has sprung upsets over Daniel Seda, Miguel Angel Huerta, Mian Hussein and Ramzan Baysarov

Brady of Albany, Georgia is 2-0 with both wins coming via knockout. He weighed 128 lbs.

The 19 year-old Brady, who is promoted by Top Rank, is coming off a 2nd round stoppage over Michael Land on December 12th in Las Vegas.

Benichou of Puebla, Mexico has a record of 2-4 with two knockouts.

LAS VEGAS, NV (June 24, 2021) – Thompson Boxing Promotions’ undefeated super welterweight contender, Giovani Santillan (26-0, 15 KOs), returns to the ring this Saturday, June 26, 2021, against Cecil McCalla (23-4, 10 KOs). The 10-round bout, promoted by Top Rank, takes place in Las Vegas on the undercard of Vasily Lomachenko vs. Masayoshi Nakatani. Santillan-McCalla will be among the undercard bouts streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT.

Santillan, who will be making his 2021 debut, feels confident going into this bout after having a great training camp.

“I put in a lot of hard work with my team and took my strength and conditioning to new levels,” said Santillan. “I’m feeling extremely confident that I’ll be able to perform at a very high level in every round because I made all the needed sacrifices to be in the best shape of my life. I want to leave no doubt in the judge’s minds with an electrifying performance, and my mind will be on stopping McCalla before the final bell rings. I’m looking to steal the show.”

“Giovanni is really focused for this fight,” stated promoter Ken Thompson. “He’s on the verge of landing a big fight and a victory will solidify him as a top contender, one who will be eligible to fight for a world title soon. We are proud of his accomplishments and want to see him shine this Saturday.”

LAS VEGAS (June 22, 2021) — After a close call in his last fight, Giovani Santillan is set to add to his name to the ranks of the top welterweight contenders. Santillan will return from a yearlong layoff to fight seasoned pro Cecil McCalla in a crossroads battle scheduled for eight or 10 rounds this Saturday, June 26 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
 
Santillan-McCalla will be among the undercard bouts streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT.
 
The return of former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko in a 12-round lightweight bout against Masayoshi Nakatani, and a 10-round middleweight contest between unbeaten sensation Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and former world champion Rob “Bravo” Brant will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
 
Promoted by Top Rank, tickets starting at $75 are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Etix.com.
 
The San Diego-born Santillan (26-0, 15 KOs) developed his craft on the Southern California club show circuit, and the 29-year-old is now a welterweight contender closing in on a world title opportunity. He last fought on June 16, 2020, escaping via majority decision over former lightweight world champion Antonio DeMarco in a pitched two-way battle. It represented the closest call of the southpaw’s career, and he hopes to put forth a more dominating effort against McCalla (23-4, 10 KOs), a 13-year pro who has never been stopped in the paid ranks. McCalla, from Maryland, has won two straight bouts since a decision defeat to Madiyar Ashkeyev.
 
In other undercard action on ESPN+:

• Heavyweight knockout artist Guido “The Gladiator” Vianello (7-0-1, 7 KOs), a 2016 Italian Olympian, makes his return against Marlon Williams (6-1, 3 KOs) in a bout scheduled for four rounds. Vianello hopes to bounce back from last October’s draw to Bubble fan-favorite Kingsley Ibeh.
   
• Bantamweight puncher Robert “Biggie” Rodriguez (9-0-1, 5 KOs), who shined with a pair of devastating knockouts last year inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, will fight Mexican veteran Luis Fernando Saavedra (8-6, 3 KOs) in a six-rounder. Saavedra last fought in February 2019, when he bested the previously undefeated Mario Hernandez over eight rounds.
   
• One of Japan’s most promising young fighters, Subaru Murata, will make his professional debut in a four-round junior featherweight tilt against Keven Monroy (1-1, 1 KO). Murata had a reported 68-12 amateur record and defeated the likes of undefeated bantamweight contender Lee McGregor.
   
• Flashy bantamweight prospect Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (1-0), who turned pro in February, returns against fellow unbeaten Jaime Jasso (2-0) in a four-rounder. Diaz, from Las Vegas, was mentored by Floyd Mayweather Jr. as an amateur and is managed by James Prince.

About Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a reimagined and re-conceptualized casino resort. The property is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. The integrated resort intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture and features three hotel towers totaling over 1,500 Chambers and suites; the 60,000 sq. ft. Mohegan Sun Casino, operated by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment; a five-acre desert pool oasis including a multi-functional event lawn; live music and entertainment theater with 4,500 capacity; 24 Oxford showroom accommodating 650 guests; an exclusive portfolio of twelve food and beverage venues including Todd English’s Olives, Kris Yenbamroong’s Night + Market, the legendary Nobu, Michael and David Morton’s One Steakhouse, Kassi Beach House from restauranteur Nick Mathers, Casa Calavera by global hospitality company Hakkasan Group, the sports entertainment, daylife and nightlife venue Money, Baby! from Justin Massei and Mikis Troyan of Clive Collective, famous Afters Ice Cream, Pizza Forte by the Ferraro Family and signature Virgin Hotels restaurants and bars including The Kitchen at Commons Club, The Bar at Commons Club, The Shag Room and Funny Library Coffee Shop. The property is owned by JC Hospitality, LLC, in partnership with Juniper Capital Partners, Virgin Group, LiUNA, Fengate Asset Management, Dream and Orlando Development. The off-Strip playground is located at 4455 Paradise Road. For more information, visit www.virginhotelslv.com.
 
About Virgin Hotels
Virgin Hotels is a lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service, straightforward value, and a seamless, personalized hotel experience with the track record of innovation and smart disruption that Sir Richard Branson’s global Virgin Group has pioneered for 50 years. Each property intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for travelers and locals alike. Virgin Hotels Chicago – named the “#1 Hotel in the United States” in 2016 and “#1 Hotel in Chicago” in 2016, 2017, and 2020 by the Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards – Virgin Hotels Dallas – named the “#16 Hotel in Texas” – Virgin Hotels Nashville and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas are now open. Locations in New York, New Orleans, Miami, Edinburgh and Glasgow to follow. Virgin Hotels continues to explore hotel and office conversions and ground-up development in Boston, Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, and London.
 
About Curio Collection by Hilton
Curio Collection by Hilton is a global portfolio of nearly 100 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts. Curio Collection properties offer travelers authentic, curated experiences through distinctly local offerings and elevated amenities, while providing the benefits of Hilton and its award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors. Read the latest brand and hotel stories at newsroom.hilton.com/curio, and connect with Curio Collection on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 13.8 million subscribers.
 
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $18.99/month (Hulu w/o ads). 
 
About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features nine U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.  ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hears