Brian Norman Jr. vs Giovani Santillan Preview May 18th, 2024
Two unbeaten welterweight prospects will be going at it over 12 rounds this Saturday, May 18th when Giovani Santillan of San Diego, California tangles with Brian Norman Jr of Decatur, Georgia. Santillan last fought in October when he stopped Alexis Rocha for the NBO NABO Welterweight Title while Norman was last in the ring in March when he defended his WBO International Welterweight Title. However, his fight with Janelson Bocachica was called a no-contest in the third round as both boxers suffered severe cuts. Norman had won the vacant belt in November via a 10-round unanimous decision over Quinton Randall. This week’s contest from San Diego can be seen on the ESPN platform in America while fans in the UK and Ireland can catch it on Sky Sports Action and those in Canada can see it on TSN 5.
Norman Jr vs Santillan Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Brian Norman Jr +350
- Giovani Santillan -500
My Pick
The 23-year-old Norman Jr enters the ring with a perfect record of 25-0 with 19 Ko’s and has 82 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2018. As an amateur, Norman won the 2016 USA Junior Olympics Final. He stands 5-feet-8 inches tall with a 72-inch reach and carries pretty good power in his fists as his current knockout ratio tips the scales at 76 per cent but has gone the distance in his last three official fights.
Norman made his pro debut in Houston, Texas and then fought a dozen times in Mexico and none of his first 12 opponents had a winning record and the same can be said for 16 of his 25 overall opponents. But we must remember he’s just 23 years old. This will be his 12th straight fight in the United States however. His biggest wins have been against Carlos Ramirez, Flavio Rodriguez, Juan Rodriguez Jr, Benjamin Whitaker, Rodrigo Coria, Jesus Campos and Quinton Randall so it’s safe to say that Norman jr will be stepping up in class against Santillan this weekend.
As for Santillan, he’s a 32-year-old southpaw who climbs through the ropes with a perfect mark of 32-0 with 17 Ko’s. He’s boxed 166 rounds since turning pro back in 2012 following an amateur career which saw him reach the 2005 National Silver Gloves Final as a youngster. Santillan measures 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 68.5-inch reach which sees him give up 3.5 inches in reach to Norman Jr. As far as power is concerned, Santillan appears to possess average power as his current knockout ratio comes in at 53.1 per cent and he has gone the distance in five of his last seven fights.
However, his power was certainly evident against Rocha in his last outing as he dropped him three times before the fight was called off. Santillan won the vacant NABF Junior Super Lightweight Title in 2014 and the WBO NABO Welterweight in 2017. His biggest wins have been over Rocha, Luis Solis, Jose de Jesus Macias, Miguel Angel Mendoza, Sammy Valentin, Dodzi Kemeh, Alejandro Barboza, Antonio DeMarco, Julio Luna Avila and Erick Bone.
Prediction…
Santillan looked very good against Alexis Rocha and displayed a great chin and a ton of power in that slugfest. Norman Jr also has power and fine boxing skills but based on Santillan’s performance against Rocha I will give him the edge here even if he is almost 10 years older than Norman Jr.
Santillan has the edge in experience.
Play: Santillan -500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Brian Norman Jr betting • Giovani Santillan betting