Friday night Thompson Boxing Promotions held their show “Path to Glory” at their popular venue, the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario CA. The main event found super bantamweights Christopher Martin (27-2-3, 9 KOs) and Raul Hidalgo (20-9, 16 KOs) going toe to toe against each other. This fight was scheduled for eight rounds.

In the first round it was Hidalgo who was the most active and landing the most punches. Martin seemed to be waiting on him, and didn’t have to wait too long. Raul was ready to go. Chris was more willing to engage in the second, but Hidalgo wasn’t going to be a willing target. He got in some good combinations on Martin, and at this early juncture Raul was by far the aggressor.

Some good body combinations by Hidalgo in the third, but in his zealousness he also landed a low blow that Martin walked off for a second. Hidalgo came right back, undeterred by the low blow he was called on, and continued his onslaught. In the last several seconds of the round however, Chris began his attack, landing some good body punches of his own.

The fourth was more of the same, with Hidalgo seemingly still in control. In the fifth, Raul really rocked Chris with a combination, and continued his assault while Martin was on the ropes. Chris survived the round and we moved on to the sixth. All of the great work that Hidalgo had done was for naught, as Martin clocked him, and then jumped all over him with a barrage of punches, putting him down and out at 2:37 of round five.

Martin got another victory, but we can’t throw out Hidalgo’s performance. He put on an outstanding showing, and most had him winning the fight before the beginning of the end. Yes I know, that’s how fights are won, but Raul is definitely a fighter one would want to watch again. He has an exciting, aggressive style that makes for good fights, and that was the case on this night.
 

In the co-main event, a super featherweight bout scheduled for eight rounds, Efrain Esquivias (16-2-1, 9 KOs) went up against Victor Sanchez (5-6-2, 2 KOs). Sanchez got in some very good shots in the opener, causing Esquivias to want to hold a couple of times. A head butt at the end of the round opened up a large, nasty cut over the right eye of Sanchez. The butt was ruled accidental, but have to say it looked a little suspect.

The bleeding from that cut made referee Ray Corona have to call time out in the beginning of the second so that the ring doctor could take a look at it, but the fight continued. Shortly thereafter though, the cut was really bothering Victor, and the doctor again took a look at the cut. This time the fight was stopped at 2:22, and the fight was called a technical draw. Sanchez might not have won the fight in the end, but it’s too bad we didn’t get to see more of him.
 

The very popular Giovanni Santillan (9-0, 5 KOs) matched wits with Adam Ealoms (3-3-3, 1 KO) in a welterweight fight that was scheduled for six rounds. Ealoms was able to connect on Santillan, but seemed slow in the process. Giovanni threw in double time, utilizing accurate combinations in his attack. Round two was a good one for Santillan. His speed and connect ratio was proving to be a problem for Adam.

Ealoms had some very good moments in the third round. He seemed to figure out Giovanni a little bit and his hands were able to connect. But Santillan was still throwing and landing those combinations and making good use of his powerful left hand. In the fourth Giovanni was once again in control.

Round five and the action had not slowed down. Santillan was still throwing punches in bunches, and Ealoms was doing his job as well. In the sixth and final both fighters should have seemed a bit tired, but they continued to do their great work for the final three minutes. We went to the scorecards in this very good fight. All of the judges saw the fight the same, 60-54, giving Giovanni Santillan the unanimous decision.
 

Justin Goslee and Jose Hermosillo both made their professional debuts on this night in a heavyweight bout that was scheduled for four rounds, but that is really not the story. At weigh-in, Goslee was 95 pounds more than Hermosillo – no idea what they weighed at fight time. To put it in my perspective, the weight difference between the two fighters was what I weigh! Alrighty then!

There was no way that Jose could fight this man. Besides the weight, he is a giant of a man at 6’9”, and it looked as if there was no way he could be hurt. Hermosillo was knocked down in the first, but Goslee had a point taken away after that knockdown for pushing him down. It mattered not, Jose went down again and that was the end of it. Mercifully, the fight ended at 2:14 of that first round. Goslee notched up his first win of his professional career. Now comes the task of finding him another opponent.
 

In a super bantamweight fight that was scheduled for four, Daniel Roman (7-1-1, 2 KOs) stood across the ring from Manuel Rubalcava (1-5). This was a great first round, with Rubalcalba fighting as if his record was 4-0. He was landing his overhand right a lot. Roman came back at the end of the round.

Roman’s hands were finding their home now, and even though Rubalcava was still connecting a bit, it was becoming all Daniel. A left to body of Manuel put him on the canvas, but he got up and continued on. He was rocked right at the end, but the bell rang to get him out of the round.

Daniel still had his man measured in the third, but make no mistake, Rubalcava was also landing shots along the way. In the fourth and final, Roman kept trying to find the body of Manuel, looking for the same result that he got in the second but the tough Rubalcava refused to go down. Both men got in some strong shots during this good, entertaining four round brawl. We had to go the judges’ scorecards. Not only was it a unanimous decision, but all three judges saw the fight the same, 40-35 for Daniel Roman.
 

To open up the evening the middleweights stepped in the ring for a scheduled four rounds as Joshua Conley (7-0, 6 KOs) and Roberto Lara (0-4) took their turn. This fight was a quick one, as Conley was all over Lara from the outset, bombarding him with lefts and rights to both the head and the body. It was a body shot that put Roberto down and out at 1:07 of the very first round.

This was a relatively short fight card as well as some of the fights being quick ones, but the bouts were entertaining and for the most part action-packed. The crowd was not huge but were really into the action. The next Thompson fight will be back at the Doubletree on July 26.