Undefeated Prospect Ruben Villa to make ShoBox Debut on Friday

[philly]

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. / ORANGE Calif.(Jan. 8, 2019) - Unbeaten featherweight prospect Ruben Villa (14-0, 5 KOs) takes the next step in what has become a promising young career when he makes his national television debut this Friday in a co-featured fight of a ShoBox: The New Generation tripleheader

The eight-round bout takes place from StageWorks of Louisiana in the southern U.S. city of Shreveport. Coverage airs live on SHOWTIME beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Villa, a southpaw who turned 21 late last year, faces Colombian Ruben Cervera (10-0, 9 KOS), who will be stepping up from super bantamweight to fight the former two-time Golden Gloves winner from Salinas, Calif.

"It's an exciting opportunity to fight under the bright lights," said Villa, who is co-promoted by Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. "This is what all boxers plan for - to be showcased on a national platform. The focus will stay the same. I'm going to be aggressive and put my stamp on the fight. I'm looking forward to delivering a memorable performance."

Villa is fighting a largely unknown talent in Cervera. He boasts an impressive record, but it has been built against marginal opposition. Villa, who started boxing at age five, comes from an outstanding amateur pedigree and has seen advanced styles in sparring sessions since turning professional in 2016.

"There's not much video on him, but we know he likes to load up for big punches so we'll be aware of that," Villa said. "I'll play it smart the first couple of rounds and see what he's made of."

The match up figures to provide a test for Villa in the sense that a lightly scouted fighter makes for a dangerous opponent.

"I'm just going to fight my fight," Villa continued. "I'll use my footwork to keep him off balance and get him tired. I can pressure him with my hand speed and land punches from angles that he won't see coming."

The event is promoted by Devin Haney Promotions and Bishop Promotions LLC, in association with Banner Promotions and Thompson Boxing. Tickets, starting at $30, are on sale now and available at www.akafights.com.

[Best Coast]

This ShoBox debut should elevate former amateur star Villa out from under the radar. Despite being a 2016 Olympic alternate at 123 pounds, RV4 has gotten little media exposure. He lost in the final to eventual 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson at the Olympic Trials after having beaten Stevenson at the 2015 National Golden Gloves Championships.

Villa also had a win over current prospect Devin Haney (who appears in the main event Friday night) at the 2013 US National Junior (Under-17) Championships. Thus far, Villa's media exposure has been limited to fighting on Facebook telecasts, but ShoBox should get him some well-deserved attention.

Although RV4 is not a power-puncher he does have excellent boxing skills and his bout vs Cervera should be very entertaining.

[oogiebe]

This ShoBox debut should elevate former amateur star Villa out from under the radar. Despite being a 2016 Olympic alternate at 123 pounds, RV4 has gotten little media exposure. He lost in the final to eventual 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson at the Olympic Trials after having beaten Stevenson at the 2015 National Golden Gloves Championships.

Villa also had a win over current prospect Devin Haney (who appears in the main event Friday night) at the 2013 US National Junior (Under-17) Championships. Thus far, Villa's media exposure has been limited to fighting on Facebook telecasts, but ShoBox should get him some well-deserved attention.

Although RV4 is not a power-puncher he does have excellent boxing skills and his bout vs Cervera should be very entertaining.

Nice post BC! I'll have to watch a couple of his fights on YouTube.

[Best Coast]

This ShoBox debut should elevate former amateur star Villa out from under the radar. Despite being a 2016 Olympic alternate at 123 pounds, RV4 has gotten little media exposure. He lost in the final to eventual 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson at the Olympic Trials after having beaten Stevenson at the 2015 National Golden Gloves Championships.

Villa also had a win over current prospect Devin Haney (who appears in the main event Friday night) at the 2013 US National Junior (Under-17) Championships. Thus far, Villa's media exposure has been limited to fighting on Facebook telecasts, but ShoBox should get him some well-deserved attention.

Although RV4 is not a power-puncher he does have excellent boxing skills and his bout vs Cervera should be very entertaining.

Nice post BC! I'll have to watch a couple of his fights on YouTube.

Did you happen to catch him on ShoBox last night? Villa looked sharp in his shutout decision over game but limited Ruben Cervera. He lacks power but is a slick boxer with good defensive skills. Now it's time for RV4 to step up the quality of his opposition, as he currently seems to be employing the same slow development strategy as welter prospect Jaron Ennis. It's good to see him getting some good media exposure on ShoBox, which will probably match him tougher next time.

[oogiebe]

This ShoBox debut should elevate former amateur star Villa out from under the radar. Despite being a 2016 Olympic alternate at 123 pounds, RV4 has gotten little media exposure. He lost in the final to eventual 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson at the Olympic Trials after having beaten Stevenson at the 2015 National Golden Gloves Championships.

Villa also had a win over current prospect Devin Haney (who appears in the main event Friday night) at the 2013 US National Junior (Under-17) Championships. Thus far, Villa's media exposure has been limited to fighting on Facebook telecasts, but ShoBox should get him some well-deserved attention.

Although RV4 is not a power-puncher he does have excellent boxing skills and his bout vs Cervera should be very entertaining.

Nice post BC! I'll have to watch a couple of his fights on YouTube.

Did you happen to catch him on ShoBox last night? Villa looked sharp in his shutout decision over game but limited Ruben Cervera. He lacks power but is a slick boxer with good defensive skills. Now it's time for RV4 to step up the quality of his opposition, as he currently seems to be employing the same slow development strategy as welter prospect Jaron Ennis. It's good to see him getting some good media exposure on ShoBox, which will probably match him tougher next time.

I'm going to watch the replay of it, as I fell asleep when they were fixing the ring ropes during the HW fight.

[TheBeast]

He got connected a few times early which could be a problem vs tougher opposition. But he looked real sharp once he found his groove and realised this would again go the distance. Looked better than some recent performances i've seen of him where tough hard working fighters could put him in close fights due to the lack of pop.

[oogiebe]

He got connected a few times early which could be a problem vs tougher opposition. But he looked real sharp once he found his groove and realised this would again go the distance. Looked better than some recent performances i've seen of him where tough hard working fighters could put him in close fights due to the lack of pop.

Do you believe that any of the card is worth watching, or should I simply disregard the replay(s)?

[TheBeast]

Well depends what you are looking for... if it's entertainment i'd watch the last round of the HWs and then watch the Haney fight. Villa put in a nice effort with very little mistakes but after a few rounds, it was a formality.

[oogiebe]

Well depends what you are looking for... if it's entertainment i'd watch the last round of the HWs and then watch the Haney fight. Villa put in a nice effort with very little mistakes but after a few rounds, it was a formality.

Thanks Beast. I'll forgo HW fight and look forward to watching Haney and Villa. I appreciate boxing skills, so excitement is only part of the picture for me!

[gilgamesh]

Well depends what you are looking for... if it's entertainment i'd watch the last round of the HWs and then watch the Haney fight. Villa put in a nice effort with very little mistakes but after a few rounds, it was a formality.

Thanks Beast. I'll forgo HW fight and look forward to watching Haney and Villa. I appreciate boxing skills, so excitement is only part of the picture for me!

Villa definitely was sharp as a tack in his bout. He doesn't appear to have a lot of punching power, but he landed a little over 3x more punches on his opponent, than was landed on him, and got in 121 more total punches.

Haney and Villa both were quite impressive.

[oogiebe]

Well depends what you are looking for... if it's entertainment i'd watch the last round of the HWs and then watch the Haney fight. Villa put in a nice effort with very little mistakes but after a few rounds, it was a formality.

Thanks Beast. I'll forgo HW fight and look forward to watching Haney and Villa. I appreciate boxing skills, so excitement is only part of the picture for me!

Villa definitely was sharp as a tack in his bout. He doesn't appear to have a lot of punching power, but he landed a little over 3x more punches on his opponent, than was landed on him, and got in 121 more total punches.

Haney and Villa both were quite impressive.

[jamamb]

there are lots of fighters who boxed at a high level wirhout much power, haney and villa arent much of punchers but theyve got skills to go pretty far

[Best Coast]

As I watched Villa's ring entrance before last Saturday's ShoBox, the insignia on the back of his robe looked familiar. So I looked it up and found out it is the official seal of Villa's hometown of Salinas, California, which is an agricultural hub in central Cali. The town's nickname is "Salad Bowl of the World".

[oogiebe]

there are lots of fighters who boxed at a high level wirhout much power, haney and villa arent much of punchers but theyve got skills to go pretty far

Willie Pep always comes to mind. 229 w (65 kos)