Giovani Santillan has produced a ton of great and lasting memories in the ring, but he’ll never forget about the night he came up short.

The San Diego native spent years working on his craft and building his reputation. Although it took a while, his hard work finally paid off in the form of a secondary title shot against Brian Norman Jr. in 2024.

Since coming up short via 10th-round stoppage, Santillan has grabbed two stoppage victories of his own. His name isn’t quite as hot as it once was, but Santillan believes he’s built up enough equity for another big-time fight. As for who he would like to be his dance partner, he pointed in the direction of a bombastic personality who’s fresh off the biggest win of his career.

“I would love to get a fight with Rolly [Rolando Romero],” said Santillan to a group of reporters. “I’d love that fight. I think it would be exciting for everybody. He’s an exciting fighter. I think with my style, it would be a treat for everybody.”

Technically, Romero wasn’t supposed to be here. Ryan Garcia was viewed as a heavy favorite when the two matched up roughly two weeks ago. Romero dropped his man and cruised to a victory. Before the 29-year-old made his way to his post-fight party, he stopped by the WBA’s office and picked up his WBA “regular” 147-pound title.

Santillan (34-1, 18 KOs) wasn’t mentioned by Romero when he gave out his hit list, something that isn’t surprising. Santillan doesn’t have the biggest fanbase and knows that he has to get things done the hard way.

By and large, Santillan isn’t eschewing the competition. He’ll have to be patient and hope that he’s selected by one of the welterweight division’s top dogs. His preference is to fight for a title, but if that doesn’t happen he’s down to fight any and everyone.

“I want those big fights, anybody.”