SANTISIMA LOSES TO A GREAT CHAMPION AND THERE'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 25 Feb 2020
Referee Russell Mora stops the contest in the 11th round for TKO victory by Navarrete over Santisima.
Jeo Santisima was predicted not to last six rounds with Emanuel Navarrete last Saturday, that was Sunday (Manila time). But he withstood the blazing guns of the Mexican before losing an 11th-round technical knockout as Navarrete retained his World Boxing Organization super bantamweight world title. Though he lost in his first world title bid, Santisima was a little bit luckier than Deontay Wilder who lasted only for less than seven rounds while badly battered by Tyson Fury in the main event for the WBC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
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Navarrete was successful in his fifth defense of the title in dominating fashion. After a rather slow start, he started to unload his ammunition in the third round. Santisima was able corner Navarrete in the fourth, who bounced back off the ropes with a blow. The WBO champion unleashed his bombs on the ALA fighter in a huge fifth round, landing a staggering left hook and followed up by hitting him almost at will.
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Navarrete connected with several flurries which bothered Santisima again in the tenth round but still could not stop the Filipino. The challenger failed to retaliate the barrage of unanswered punches by the champ in the eleventh round causing referee Russell Mora to stop the fight at 2:20 of the penultimate round as Santisima’s corner threw in the towel.
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Navarrete reportedly had a problem with his right hand. “I hit him weirdly with my right and I hurt my thumb,” said Navarrete, who changed from orthodox to southpaw stance in some instances during the fight. “But I had to plough through it and get the win tonight."
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"Navarrete was strong. His punches were powerful and they hurt," Santisima told Homer Sayson. The Masbate native suffered just the third loss of his professional career, the first knockout defeat, in his first ever try at the world title. Navarette, who stood at 5-foot-7, also had a four-and-a-half inch reach advantage over the 5-foot-6 Santisima.
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Navarrete did not show any sign of wear and tear even if he was fighting for the fifth time in nine months. He just threw those voluminous punches, so strong with both hands from all offensive directions. Santisima was able to defend and respond in some instances. But his punches were not enough to pile up points nor were they able to hurt the Mexican.
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The 25-year old Navarrete improved his professional record to 31-1 with 27 wins by KO. Santisima, 23, dropped to 19-3 with 16 knockouts. So far, this is only the third of the champion's fights that reached up to the 11th round. Santisima was dropped twice, in the fifth and 11th rounds, but referee ruled out a knockdown because he was obviously pushed.
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"As I said during the build-up to the fight, I was coming for another knockout victory, and I got it," Navarrete said through an interpreter as quoted by ESPN-TV5. He give his appreciation too for his opponent. "It took me a little more time than expected. I hurt him a couple of times during the fight, but I got to give it to him; he is a real Filipino warrior. He took a lot of punches and didn't go down."
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The champ called "Vaquero" dreams of unifying his division but did not discount the possibility of moving up. "This is my fifth successful defense of the world title. Now I want a unification fight," Navarrete said as quoted by Boxing Scene. "I'll look at my options, but if I don't get it soon, I'll probably move to 126 pounds to challenge the champions at featherweight."
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"Navarrete is a great champion, and I gave it my all to bring a world title back to the Philippines. I came up short, but I can hold my head high," Santisima said. Indeed there's nothing to be ashamed for Jeo. He lost to a great champion. And he could fight again for the world title with the courage and bravery he has shown.
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Navarrete landed 330 out of 992 punches thrown for a rate of 46%, according to CompuBox punchstats. Santisima connected a fewer 64 of 307 punches thrown for a 29% rate. It was obvious that Navarrete was busier than Santisima.
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According to Bixing News 24, the Navarrete vs. Santisima fight was "more interesting to watch than most of the fights on the card" including the Fury vs. Wilder main event. Navarrete vs. Santisima was at least a competitive and entertaining fight.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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