Rohan “El Rayo” Polanco, the Dominican welterweight with championship aspirations in 2026, looks to kick off the new year with a statement-making performance.
Polanco will take on Mexican puncher Christian Gomez in a 10-round battle on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Polanco-Gomez will serve as the co-feature to the junior middleweight world title unification showdown between WBO champ Xander Zayas and WBA king Abass Baraou.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with ICON+, Move Concerts, and Noah Assad Presents, tickets are on sale and can be purchased via Ticketera.com.
Polanco (17-0, 10 KOs) represented his country at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and signed with Top Rank the following year. Initially campaigning as a junior welterweight, he stopped the likes of Keith Hunter and Cesar Francis before moving to 147 pounds. Ranked in the top 10 by the WBO and IBF, he is closing in on a world title shot following a 2025 run that has included victories over Fabian Maidana and Quinton Randall.
Polanco said, “I’m not coming to play on January 31. I’m coming to send a strong message to the division. Fighting as the co-main event at Coliseo de Puerto Rico is a great opportunity that I intend to take advantage of. I represent Dominican boxing. I’m hungry, fearless, and determined to get closer to a world title opportunity.”
Gomez (23-6-1, 21 KOs), a 12-year pro with 30 fights, has earned nearly all of his victories by knockout. His biggest test came in May 2022, when he went the distance with Uzbek phenom Shakhram Giyasov. The 32-year-old veteran is coming off consecutive decision losses to Nicklaus Flaz and Alberto Palmetta.
The undercard will also include the junior middleweight debut of Giovani Santillan (34-1, 18 KOs), as well as the return of rising Dominican middleweight Euri Cedeño (13-0-1, 12 KOs), in separate 10-rounders.
Santillan, a former No. 1 welterweight contender, faces Courtney Pennington. The San Diego native bounced back from his May 2024 loss to Brian Norman Jr. by defeating Fredrick Lawson and Angel Beltran. The Brooklyn-born Pennington (17-11-3, 7 KOs) is a 13-year pro who has given stern tests to the likes of American Olympian Charles Conwell and Canadian contender Custio Clayton.
Cedeño steps up to take on Ivory Coast native Etoundi Michel William (16-2, 12 KOs). The 26-year-old signed with Top Rank in May and has won his last six via the fast route. William broke onto the scene with a victory over eventual world title challenger Jorge Garcia in January 2023, remaining undefeated until an October 2024 loss to Mexico’s Jose Miguel Borrego. He last fought in June, dropping a 10-round decision to top American contender Troy Isley.
