Giovani Santillan is eager to prove he is amongst the elite of the 154-pound division. A win over a former world titleholder will justify that.
Santillan will face former WBA world titleholder Abass Baraou on Friday, Sept. 11, at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside. The 10-round bout will stream live on ProBox TV at 4:30 p.m.
Santillan is trained by former world titleholder and 1993 Channel Islands High School graduate Robert Garcia.
The southpaw Santillan (35-1, 18 knockouts) has not fought since defeating gatekeeper Courtney Pennington by unanimous decision on Jan. 31. Ironically, Santillan fought on the same card as Baraou when he lost by split decision to Xander Zayas in a world title unification fight.
Baraou would lose his WBA title to WBO world
titleholder Xander Zayas.
Friday is a compelling clash between Santillan and Baraou, with the winner putting himself in a position for a high-profile fight or a shot against any of the world titleholders in the division.
“This fight is huge for me,” Santillan told The Star. “Abass is a former world titleholder. I’m interpreting this fight as though he still has the title. A win over him would make me a world titleholder. This is a career-defining fight for me on the same level as when I beat Alexis Rocha (in October 2023). It’s a new weight-class for me. Everything is on the line for me.”
The 34-year-old Santillan had fought at welterweight for most of his career. He decided to move up in weight to 154 pounds as it is advantageous for him to recover after a weigh-in after cutting weight in the lead up to a fight.
Santillan’s last significant fight at welterweight was against Brian Norman for the vacant WBO welterweight title in Santillan’s hometown of San Diego in May 2024. It was an action fight before Norman knocked out Santillan in the 10th round.
Santillan has sparred top fighters at 147 and 154 pounds, who are also trained by Garcia, including interim WBC junior middleweight titleholder Vergil Ortiz Jr., former unified junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez, welterweight contender Raul Curiel and unbeaten prospects Art Barrera Jr. and Hector Beltran.
Santillan appreciates being under the tutelage of Garcia.
“Robert is a very good trainer and he has a lot of experience,” he said. “I appreciate the advice I get in training camps. He’s played a huge role in my career. It’s the best place I can be at in my career. He tells you what you need to hear and I like and appreciate that as a fighter.”
With a lot on the line Friday, Santillan cannot afford a loss at this point in his career. A win would put him in the mix with the best fighters in the junior middleweight division.
He is not about to miss out on this opportunity.
“A win would mean a lot to me, personally. I’m up for this challenge. I’m going in there thinking I am fighting for a world title because of who I’m facing. Abass is a former world titleholder and beating him Friday will take me to the next level.”
Baraou (17-2, 9 KOs), who resides in Berlin, Germany, won the vacant WBA world junior middleweight title by defeating Yoenis Tellez on Aug. 23, 2025, in Orlando.
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for The Star. He has also written for Ring Magazine, Boxingscene and Fightnews. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at FSalazarBoxing.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Garcia-trained Giovani Santillan ready for next challenge in the ring
