ORANGE, Calif. (May 17, 2017) – Blue chip featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (5-0, 3 KOs) headlines an action-packed “New Blood” undercard when he puts his undefeated record on the line against Anthony de Jesus Ruiz (2-2, 2 KOs) this Friday, May 19, from the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif.
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.
Friday’s bout marks the fourth time Villa will fight in front of an expected sold out crowd at the Doubletree Ontario. It will be his first, however, fighting on a live streamed show.
“I’m definitely excited for it. It’s great exposure for us new guys trying to make a name for ourselves,” said Villa, who is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. “I know a lot of my friends and family will be watching. It also gives an opportunity for boxing fans all over the country to tune in and watch some quality fights.”
Villa, a southpaw, is coming off his East Coast debut in April where we notched his third career knockout win over the previously unbeaten Luis Diaz Torres. Villa stopped the stiff-chinned Torres in the sixth and final round. It was the first, sixth round fight of Villa’s career, one that tough him several impactful lessons.
“It’s important to stick to the plan and listen to my corner,” said the 20-year-old, who hails from Salinas, Calif. “He was somewhat reckless so I needed to show a little more patience with him. I’m used to fighting guys who are a little more technical. Diaz was able to take a shot. He was willing to absorb two or three punches to set up one of his own. I learned not to give him those opportunities.”
For Friday’s six-round bout versus Ruiz, Villa spent most of his training camp sparring at the Robert Garcia Gym in Riverside, widely seen as one of Southern California’s most boxing rich environments. His chief sparring partner was Hector Tanajara, another highly regarded prospect with an undefeated record.
“Training camp went great,” said Villa, who as an amateur won back-to-back National Golden Gloves championships. “I had quality sparring sessions against Hector Tanajara. He fights one division higher than me so it’s always good to learn from guys that are naturally bigger than you.”
While Villa comes from a well-rounded amateur career that saw him bank two wins against fellow high ceiling prospect Shakur Stevenson, the Northern California native is always on the quest to better his skills.
“I’ve been working on using more angles to set up punches,” Villa said. “The goal is to develop better range with my jab so I can be more effective. With Ruiz, I plan to feel him out for the first round and then I’ll start going at his weaknesses. A lot of what I plan to do will come off the jab.”
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.
