DUEL WITH JULIO CAESAR CHAVEZ JR. OFF
Santillan throws away P5 million pay check in losing by knockout
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 18 Feb 2008
The shocking 6th round knockout loss suffered by Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) welterweight champion Rev ?Gentle Giant? Santillan to unheralded Japanese challenger Motoki Sasaki (29-7-1, 19 KOs) in Tokyo last February 16 has dashed to pieces his chance to earn a whooping P200,000 (about P5 million) in his next fight on April 26 in Queretaro, Mexico.
In fact, Santillan?s scheduled 12-round fight against the unbeaten champion Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr. for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas light middleweight title has been scrapped following his unexpected defeat, said his manager Rex ?Wakee? Salud.
Well-known Japanese matchmaker Joe Koizumi earlier quoted Salud as saying that ?Rev was slated to meet Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on April 26. He was supposed to take a $200,000 purse. This defeat has blasted his lucrative payday.?
The 30-year-old Santillan (24-4-1, 17 KOs) was stopped by his 32-year old challenger at 2:59 of the sixth round in a 12-round OPBF championship fight held at the Korakuen Hall.
?The sixth and fatal round saw Sasaki, moving to-and-fro, seldom throw punches to be content only to block Santillan?s retaliations. People thought Sasaki was taking a rest because of his too high pace in the previous five rounds,? Koizumi, who is also a matchmaker, narrated in his Fightnews report.
?Sasaki, however, suddenly turned loose with a four-punch combo and his vicious left hook dropped the champ with only twenty seconds remaining. Going all out for a kill, Sasaki pinned him to the corner and floored him again with a barrage of punches, when the referee Shimakawa declared a well-received halt as the Filipino had no power left to go on. It was a really stunning upset.?
Chavez, 22, (35-0, 28 KOs), son of the legendary former WBC lightweight king Julio Caesar, Sr., last defended his WBC crown in February 9 with an 8th round disposal of
Jose Celaya at the Domo De La Feria in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Santillan would have been his first Asian opponent since he turned pro four years ago.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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