Will Jeo Santisima be a Lucky Eleventh?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 20 Feb 2020
Jeo Santisima will only be the eleventh Filipino fighter to vie for a world championship in the super bantamweight or junior featherweight division, a weight class that was revived in the late 80s and early 90s after its first brief introduction in 1922.
Santino will go up against reigning WBO super bantamweight champion Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico as chief support to the main event featuring the rematch between WBC heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury for the WBC and lineal heavyweight championsip of the world in Las Vegas this Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila).
Roberto Bernaldez AKA Bobby Berna was the first Filipino boxer to fight for a world championship in the division, first losing in his bid for the vacant WBC title to Jaime Garza by TKO in June 1983 before winning the inaugural title of the then newly formed International Boxing Federation (IBF) in December 1983 by stoppage over South Korea's Seo Sung In.
His reign lasted just months as he was halted by the same Seo in their rematch April the following year. Berna would have another crack at the IBF title in 1987 but lose to South Korean champion Ji Won Kim by TKO in Busan.
Since Berna, eight other Filipino fighters have fought for world championship in the division for fighters campaigning above bantamweight or 118 lbs with the maximum weight limit of 122 lbs.
Three of them would win world championships.
Fil Hawaiian Jesus Salud defeated Juan Jose Estrada by disqualification to briefly reign as WBA titlist in 1989 but would be stripped of his title the following year. He would later have unsuccessful bids for the titles against Welcome Ncita, Kennedy McKinney, Antonio Cermeno, Vuyani Bungu, Kevin Kelly and Marco Antonio Barrera in the 1990s.
Jeo Santisima (L) of the Philippines does the mitts with his trainer Michael Domingo in Las Vegas Wednesday ahead of his world title challenge against reigning WBO superbantam champion Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico on the televised undercard of the huge Wilder-Fury heavyweight championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday February 22 (Sunday Feb 23 in Manila).
Manny Pacquiao sensationally wrested the IBF crown from then dreaded South African Lehlo Lebwaba in 2001 and vacated the title undefeated in 2004 after a long reign to campaign in the higher weights. Among the fighters he fought in the division included Agapito Sanchez with whom he had a technical draw and Faphrakob Rakkiatgym, Jorge Elicier Julio and Emmanuel Lucero, all of whom he easily knocked out.
Nonito Donaire first won the vacant WBO title in 2010 then the IBF WBA and WBC tiaras in 2011-2012 beating Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka and Jorge Arce before losing to Cuba's WBO titlist Guillermo Rigondeaux in a unification in 2013. Donaire would win another vacant WBO title in 2016 over Cesar Juarez but lose it to Jessie Magdaleno in 2017.
The other six namely Arnel Barotillo, Reynante Jamili, Gerry Penalosa, Rey Bautista, Drian Francisco and the most recent, Juan Miguel Elorde were not as fortunate.
Barotillo challenged Vuyani Bungu for the IBF championship in 1997 but lost by unanimous decision.
Jamili gave Erik Morales a good fight in their WBC super bantamweight title bout but succumbed to the Mexican's pressure and power and lost by late round TKO in 1999.
Gerry Penalosa, after winning his second world title, the WBO bantamweight crown via stunning body punch knockout of Mexican Jhonny Gonzales in 2007 challenged Mexican Daniel Ponce de Leon and later Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez for the WBO super bantamweight title but came up short in 2007 and 2009.
Bautista lost by first round technical knockout to Ponce de Leon in 2007 in his bid for the WBO super bantamweight title while Drian Francisco gave Rigondeaux little problems in losing a one sided decision for the lineal title in 2015.
Mig Elorde challenged Mexican WBO current champion Emanuel Navarette last year but lost by 4th round technical knockout.
Will eleven be a lucky number for Jeo Santino Santisima?
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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