Palms’ Pearl getting punchy

Thursday, May 3, 2007 | 7:24 a.m.

Who: The Next Great Heavyweight Contenders

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: The Pearl at the Palms

Tickets: $50-$100; Pearl Box Office, www.ticketmaster.com

Trainer Wayne McCullough's latest prospect, welterweight Francisco Santana, reminds him of a fighter he knows well.

Wayne McCullough.

"He's a good puncher, but he couldn't relax his shoulders at first," McCullough said of Santana, who's 5-0 in his young professional career. "That was the first thing (legendary trainer) Eddie Futch told me, that I was too stiff. I've been working on giving him more rhythm."

Santana, 20, a Santa Barbara, Calif., native who lives in Las Vegas, fights Henderson's Lester Balmores in an all-local matchup on the undercard of Friday night's inaugural boxing card at the Palms' Pearl theater.

In the headliner, heavyweights "Fast" Eddie Chambers (28-0, 16 knockouts) and Dominick Guinn (28-4-1, 19 KOs) clash in a scheduled 10-rounder.

In two other heavyweight matches, Cristobal Arreola (19-0, 17 KOs) meets 2004 U.S. Olympian Devin Vargas (11-0, 5 KOs); and Malik Scott (27-0, 10 KOs) faces Las Vegas' Charles Shufford (20-6-1, 9 KOs).

McCullough, a longtime Las Vegas resident originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has trained five fighters in the past year. Known for his straight-ahead, rough-and-tumble style in the ring, McCullough said he emphasizes body shots and defense as a trainer.

"I love body shots," McCullough, a former bantamweight world champ, said. "They say it's a Mexican thing, but it's an Irish thing, too."

Former heavyweight champion Chris Byrd will serve as a commentator on the Showtime broadcast of Friday's fight card, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions.