The years have changed but the routine hasn't.

Five days a week of conditioning, training, and weight work prepares Salinas' Ruben Villa IV for his latest foe in the ring.

Villa and his trainers from Garcia Boxing are starting their fourth year together in professional boxing. And with a headline fight Friday night at the Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana, this year will prove the biggest one yet.

He'll be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) International Featherweight title for the second time, with this bout against Cuban boxer Alexei Collado (26-2, 23 KOs).

"Working hard to keep my title is important," Villa said. "I have a target on my back now and we need to keep doing what we do to keep winning and move up."

At 17-0 (5 KOs) before his 23rd birthday, Villa's steadily banked wins over increasingly tougher opponents. The southpaw's now listed as the fourth-best featherweight in the country and no. 25 in the world by BoxRec, the worldwide database for boxing.

This fight marks his third consecutive headliner, reflecting his rise up those rankings.

"It lets me know I'm doing my job — working hard and listening to my team," he said. "These times remind that I'm so close but I'm not (at my goal) yet. That's the hardest part but it drives me to focus and work harder."

Defending a championship: Salinas boxer keeps his championship belt with win

That work has been in a different venue this time around. With the bulk of training happening during the holiday season, Villa and his team were unable to train in Riverside due to scheduling complications.

Instead, they've split time between Team Villa Gym in Salinas and trainer Ruben Guerrero's Pound 4 Pound Sports Fitness in Gilroy, while rooming in Prunedale to remove distractions from his fight preparation.

"It was a little different," Villa said. "I'm kind of away from the love from my family and my girlfriend but we still got to make the sacrifices needed for this fight to show I've still got more to prove."

Though he's rated a 3.5-star (out of five) fighter on BoxRec, his knockout ratio — five out of 17 fights — is much lower than his opponent Friday, Collado, has on his resume.

But the team isn't worried about the lack of knockouts, according to trainer Max Garcia, as Villa won't reach his highest punch power until he's 27 or 28 years old. Especially considering his speed, technique and footwork, he's certainly got the tools to rack up more victories.

"Skills pay the bills," he said with a smile.

One of the fighters to see that speed firsthand is Colombian boxer Ruben Cervera, who Villa beat last January in a unanimous decision win.

"He’s much faster when you see him inside the ring," Cervera said after that bout. "I tried everything I could but my distance was off."

Cervera's now training with Villa's team as well, going through the regiment in Salinas and Gilroy at Guerrero's gym.

The Guerrero name is a familiar one for Salinas boxers; fellow Everett Alvarez alum and up-and-coming super lightweight Justin Cardona (4-0, 2 KOs) also trains with Guerrero.

"Seeing Justin come up, I used to train and workout with him when he was young," Villa said. "He's on the same path as me and we're both doing something positive for the community."

Villa sees that positive success outside of the ring, too.

"Football, baseball, a lot of athletes around in Salinas are earning that success," he said. "Hopefully a win will boost that even more."

The event begins at 7 p.m. Friday night with seven fights on the card before Villa steps in against Collado. It'll be broadcast on SHOWTIME as part of the "ShoBox: The New Generation" program.

Giving back:Salinas boxer Ruben Villa IV's gym open doors to community kids

With a win, it'll be the first of multiple headliners this year.

"2020 should be opening new doors for me," Villa said. "Starting with this fight."

Ayrton Ostly peruses Twitter, fields, courts and tracks throughout Salinas looking for stories from the community. Have a tip? Drop an email to aostly@thecalifornian.com and subscribe for full access to all of The Californian's local news coverage.