Busy Villa Faces Gonzalez In Corona

Featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (12-0, 5 KOs), 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.

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."