PHILADELPHIA, Penn. / ORANGE, Calif. ( April 16, 2018) – Prized prospect Ruben Villa(11-0, 4 KOs) continued his upward trajectory by thoroughly dismantling Marlon Olea (13-3, 12 KOs) to win the vacant WBO Youth Featherweight Title Saturday night from his hometown of Salinas, Calif.
Villa, just days before his twenty-first birthday, headlined his first event and won his first title in front of a raucous home crowd. The southpaw delivered an impressive performance, winning every round on all three scorecards (80-72 x3).
“It’s exactly how I wanted to end this night,” s aid Villa, who is promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. “I blocked out the crowd and just did what I had to do. Olea moves around a lot, but I was able to land whatever I wanted.”
After a feeling out first round, Villa turned up the heat in the second. Both hands began to split Olea’s guard, which became a constant theme throughout the 8-round title fight.
As in his other fights, Villa consistently landed a seldom used punch by most boxers, a stiff jab to the midsection that neutralized the Colombian’s attack.
In the third round, a “Ruben” chant broke out in the Salinas Storm House , just as the former back-to-back Golden Gloves champion started to land heavy combinations. Villa, who is managed by Danny Zamora, thrilled the sold-out crowd with his aggressive punching.
“I thought Ruben had a terrific performance on Saturday,” said Artie Pelullo, president of Banner Promotions. ” It was a great night for him to perform in front of his hometown fans, and capture his 1 st title. This is the 1 st of many titles in Ruben’s future, and by the way, the fans turned out for him. I see Salinas being the home of many more fights for Ruben.”
“Ruben put an exclamation point on what turned out to be a fantastic event,” said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing . “It’s the best I’ve seen him fight since he turned professional. He showed the skill and confidence of a veteran, yet he’s barely turning 21. The sky is the limit for Ruben.”
“New Blood” was presented by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing Promotions.
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Photos by: Carlos Baeza / Thompson Boxing