It will be 15 months since bantamweight Eros Correa last fought when he again looks to get into the mix for a title this weekend.

Correa will face Jose Saant in an eight-round bout as a part of Saturday night’s event at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. The fight will be a local attraction after the main event. 

Correa, a 32-year-old from San Jose, California, has relocated to Las Vegas and is looking to jump start his career. He was nearly a 2012 U.S. Olympian who also opted to try and qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games. He didn’t succeed, however, and therefore turned professional in 2017. He enters Saturday’s fight on a four-fight win streak which includes a split-decision win over former title challenger Saul Sanchez.  

“I’m looking to shake the rust off in this fight and get my timing down,” Correa told BoxingScene. “This fight is at 122lbs and I usually fight at bantamweight, so I just want to get back into the ring and let my hands go. I’m not looking past Jose Saant because I know he’s coming to fight. Moving forward I want to get right back in the ring and fight a top contender or a big name as soon as possible.”

Correa was set for that type of opportunity when agreeing to fight Walter Santibanes on ProBox TV last June. That was until Santibanes missed weight. Correa is now looking to become an active fighter once again in a division that is fairly wide open.  

“It was a big disappointment when I stepped on the scale in June of 2024, because my opponent came in five pounds overweight,” Correa, 14-1 (9 KOs), said. “That situation put me back, but it’s in the past and I’m ready to move forward. After this fight, I want to be thrown in with anyone, as long as I can be in a meaningful fight that will put me in position to fight for a world title.”

Thirty-six-year-old Saant, a veteran opponent, is 15-8-1 (5 KOs) and an Ecuadorian living in Medford, New York. He is entering the fight on a four-fight losing streak and was stopped in three of those four fights. The four title-holders in the division are all based in Japan and the interim WBA title-holder Antonio Vargas has an amateur rivalry with Correa dating back to his Olympic run. Correa is letting it be known that he is willing to travel overseas in the near future for a title shot. 

“The bantamweight division is dominated by Japanese fighters and all of them are good, but they are beatable,” Correa said. “I believe with ProBox behind me, I can get there with a couple of wins. I’m ready to fight anyone, anywhere to make it possible. I will travel anywhere to get my opportunity, including Japan.”