Frederick Lawson vs Giovani Santillan Preview December 7th, 2024
Two welterweight hopefuls will be going at it this Saturday, December 7th when Giovani Santillan of San Diego, California tangles with Fredrick Lawson of Accra, Ghana. The 10-rounder from Phoenix, Arizona can be seen on the ESPN platform in America while fans in the UK and Ireland can catch it on Sky Sports Plus. Santillan last fought in May when he was stopped in five rounds by Brian Norman Jr in a shot at the interim WBO Welterweight Title while Lawson also lost his last contest and second in a row as he was halted after seven rounds by Alexis Rocha in March after being stopped by Vergil Ortiz Jr in the first round just two months earlier.
Lawson vs Santillan Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Frederick Lawson +1400
- Giovani Santillan -4000
My Pick
The 34-year-old Lawson, who fights out of Chicago, Illinois, carries around a mark of 30-5 with 22 Ko’s and has boxed 175 rounds since making his pro debut in 2011 following an amateur career which saw him reach the quarterfinals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. Lawson, measures 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 70-inch reach and as far as power is concerned, he’s no slouch as 73.3 per cent of his victories have come by stoppage, but he’s halted just two of his last 13 opponents.
Lawson’s five defeats have come in come in his last 11 outings so his career is definitely in a downward trajectory at the moment. He was stopped by Kevin Bizier after 10 rounds in 2015; by Juan Ruiz in the fourth round in 2019 and by Charles Hatley in the 10th and final round in 2021 in a shot at the vacant WBC USA Welterweight Title. He was then halted in his last two outings by Ortiz and Rocha, so has been stopped in all five of his losses.
On the bright side, since turning pro Lawson has captured the vacant WBC International Silver Welterweight Title in 2017 with a 12-round majority decision over Sakina Mullings. He won the vacant IBF African, and IBF International Welterweight Crowns in 2013 and the vacant West African Boxing Union West Welterweight Belt in 2011 and has wins over Breidis Prescott in 2015 and Alfred Kotey in 2012. however he’s now on the wrong side of 30 years old and obviously doesn’t have the greatest punch resistance in the welterweight division.
As for Santillan, he’s a 33-year-old southpaw who climbs through the ropes with an impressive record of 32-1 with 17 Ko’s. He’s boxed 176 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 1.5-inches in reach to Lawson as well as an inch in height. 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 six of his last eight fights.
However, his power was certainly evident against Alexis Rocha in October, 2023 as he dropped him three times in a slugfest 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 fight but he met his match against Norman Jr seven months ago and is now trying to rebound against Lawson. Santillan has the edge over Lawson in all departments other than power and as long as he doesn’t make any drastic mistakes he should leave the ring with a victory this weekend. As the odds suggest, this is seen as a bit of a mismatch, so the best bet here is to take Santillan by stoppage.
Lawson’s chin is likely to let him down.
Play: Santillan -4000 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Fredrick Lawson betting • Giovani Santillan betting