MASAM SPORTS 15: JEO SANTISIMA'S BOUT WITH JOET GONZALEZ IS MOVED TO MARCH 4
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 17 Jan 2022
World rated featherweight contender Jeo “Santino” Santisima will have to wait a little longer for his fight in the United States after his scheduled match with Joet Gonzalez on February 5 in Fresno, California was postponed to March 4 due to COVID-19.
This happened because the former IBF super featherweight titlist and the former WBO lightweight champion Jose Pedraza of Puerto Rico had reportedly been tested positive for the corona virus.
Pedraza will supposedly headline the boxing event against Jose Ramirez of Hanford, California in a non-title bout. Santisima is assigned to fight Joet Gonzalez of Glendora, California in the undercard.
Trainer Domingo thinks positively about it saying it gives them more time to train rigidly and spar with elite boxers at the Wild Card Boxing Gym of Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach.
"For now, Jeo is okay with the climate here, he has already adjusted. So it would be better if the bout will be moved so that we will have more time for sparring sessions here," said Domingo as quoted by Cebu Daily News.
The sparmates in the Philippines are not so incredible as compared to those in the United States, according to Santisima's long time trainer.
"Here in Cebu, the quality of his sparring partners are not that great. Here his sparring partners are world rated and world champions like Jerwin Ancajas. We are also helping Jerwin in sparring because he is fighting first than Jeo," added Domingo, also his trainer at the defunct ALA Boxing Gym.
The 25-year-old Santisima of Aroroy, Masbate is ranked No. 8 in the WBO featherweight division while Gonzalez is rated No. 5. The American is the favorite while Jeo is the underdog.
But Santisima is targeting an upset win for another crack at the world title. He lost in his first try when he was defeated by Mexico’s Emmanuel Navarrete in his first U.S. fight when he challenged the then WBO super bantamweight champion on February 22, 2020.
Santisima fought bravely but lost via a technical knockout to Navarrete in the 11th round. It was his first knockout loss. The fight was on the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II undercard at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada.
After he loss to Navarrete, Santisima seized successive stoppage victories over Marjon Piencenaves of Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte by KO2 and Allan Alberca of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte by TKO1.
Santisima is 21-3 with 18 KOs, while Gonzalez is 24-2 with 14 KOs and a former WBO inter-continental featherweight champion. Gonzalez lost to Navarrete for the WBO featherweight title by unanimous decision on October 15, 2021 in San Diego, California.
Per Domingo's analysis, the one month postponement accorded them ample time to prepare against the Mexican opponent who also was defeated by Shakur Stevenson on October 26, 2019 by unanimous decision for the vacant WBO featherweight title in Reno, Nevada.
"This is an advantage to Jeo because we have more time to spar. He has already sparred with Azat Hovhannisyan ug Jerwin (Ancajas). He will also spar with Marlon Tapales from Mexico. We will have longer time to spar here in the Wild Card Gym," said Domingo as told to CDN Digital.
Santisima also had some sparring sessions with four-division world champion Donnie Nietes in Cebu before leaving for the United States.
Filipino fight fans are hoping only the best for Jeo as we want him to wear a world title belt someday.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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