{"id":112281,"date":"2024-02-19T13:28:30","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T19:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/?p=112281"},"modified":"2024-02-19T13:29:50","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T19:29:50","slug":"wbc-special-preview-santiago-vs-nakatani","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wbc-special-preview-santiago-vs-nakatani\/","title":{"rendered":"WBC Special Preview: Santiago vs Nakatani"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>WBC Special Preview: Santiago vs Nakatani<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>WBC STATISTICS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>WBC Bantamweight World Championship<\/p>\n<p>February 24, 2024 \/ Tokyo, Japan \/ Ry\u014dgoku Kokugikan<\/p>\n<p><strong>TEIKEN PROMOTIONS &amp; TOP RANK PRESENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-112285 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-Santiago_Nakatani-1-816x12020\/024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"816\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>ALEXANDRO \u201cPeque\u201d SANTIAGO<\/b> (Mexico)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>WBC Bantamweight World Champion, 1st Title Defense<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Age: 28 \/ Date of birth: February 7, 1996<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Residence, birthplace: Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Record: 28-3-5, 14 KOs \/ Total rounds: 217 \/ World championship fights: 1-0-1, 0 KOs<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Height: 5\u20193\u201d \u2013 160 cm \/ Reach: 65\u201d \u2013 165cm \/ Stance: Right-handed<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Promoter: Paco Damian \/ Manager: Romulo \u201cBobby\u201d Quirarte Jr. \/ Trainer: Romulo Quirarte Sr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><b>JUNTO NAKATANI<\/b> (Japan)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>Ranked WBC No. 1 at Bantamweight<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Age: 26 \/ Date of birth: January 2, 1998<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Residence: Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan \/ Birthplace: Inabe-Gun, Toin Cho, Mie, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Record: 26-0, 19 KOs \/ Total rounds: 130 \/ World championship fights: 5-0, 4 KOs<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Height: 5\u20197\u201d \u2013 170cm \/ Reach: 67\u201d \u2013 170cm \/ Stance: Left-handed<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Promoter: Akihiko Honda \/ Manager: Takeshi Murano \/ Trainer: Rudy Hernandez<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Eder Jofre (Brazil)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01963 \u2013 1965<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Masahiko Harada (Jap)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01965 \u2013 1968<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Lionel Rose (Aust)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1968 \u2013 1969<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ruben Olivares (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01969 \u2013 1970<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Chucho Castillo (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01970 \u2013 1971<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ruben Olivares (Mex) *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01971 \u2013 1972<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Rafael Herrera (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01972<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Enrique Pinder (Pan)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1972<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Rafael Herrera (Mex) *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01973 \u2013 1974<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Rodolfo Martinez (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01974 \u2013 1976<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">11.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Carlos Zarate (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1976 \u2013 1979<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">12.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Lupe Pintor (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1979 \u2013 1982<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">13.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Albert Davila (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1983 \u2013 1984<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">14.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Daniel Zaragoza (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01985<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">15.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Miguel Lora (Col)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1985 \u2013 1988<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">16.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Raul Perez (Mex)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1988 \u2013 1991<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">17.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Greg Richardson (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01991<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">18.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1991 \u2013 1993<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">19.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Victor Rabanales (Mex) (Interim)\u00a01992 \u2013 1993<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">20.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jungil Byun (Kor)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1993<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">21.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) (Interim)* 1993 \u2013 1994<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">22.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yasuei Yakushiji (Jap)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1993 \u2013 1995<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">23.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Wayne McCullough (Ire)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1995 \u2013 1996<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">24.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sirimongkol Singmanassuk (Thai) 1996 \u2013 1997<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">25.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Jap) *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1997 \u2013 1998<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">26.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Veeraphol Nakhonluang (Thai)\u00a0\u00a01998 \u2013 2005<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">27.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hozumi Hasegawa (Japan)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2005 \u2013 2010<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">28.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fernando Montiel (Mexico)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2010 \u2013 2011<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">29.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nonito Donaire (Phil)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2011<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">30.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shinsuke Yamanaka (Japan)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02011 \u2013 2017<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">31.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Luis Nery (Mexico)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2017 \u2013 2018<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">32.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Takuma Inoue (Japan) Interim\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02018<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">33.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nordine Oubaali (France)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02019 \u2013 2021<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">34.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nonito Donaire (Phil)*\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2021 \u2013 2022<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">35.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Naoya Inoue (Japan)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2022<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">36.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Alexandro Santiago (Mexico)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02023 \u2013<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">*Regained<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">31 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, four of whom have regained the title: Ruben Olivares (Mexico), Rafael Herrera (Mexico), Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Japan) two times, Nonito Donaire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">140 bantamweight world title bouts have been held in WBC history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>WBC TOP 10 BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">1. Carlos Zarate (Mexico)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">2. Eder Jofre (Brazil)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">3. Ruben Olivares (Mexico)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">4. Rafael Herrera (Mexico)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">5. Veeraphol Nakhonluang (Thai)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">6. Joichiro Tatsuyoshi (Japan)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">7. Jungil Byun (Korea)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">8. Yasuei Yakushiji (Japan)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">9. Hozumi Hasegawa (Japan)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">10. Shinsuke Yamanaka (Japan)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>MEMORABLE WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">July 29, 2023\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Alexandro Santiago W12 Nonito Donaire \u2013 Las Vegas, Nevada<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dec.13, 2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Naoya Inoue KO11 Paul Butler \u2013 Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">June 7, 2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Naoya Inoue TKO2 Nonito Donaire \u2013 Saitama, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dec. 11, 2021\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nonito Donaire KO4 Reymart Gaballo \u2013 Carson, California<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">May 29, 2021\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nonito Donaire KO4 Nordine Oubaali \u2013 Carson, California<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Nov. 7, 2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nordine Oubaali W12 Takuma Inoue \u2013 Saitama, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Jan. 19, 2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nordine Oubaali W12 Rau\u2019Shee Warren \u2013 Las Vegas, Nevada<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Aug. 15, 2017\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Luis Nery KO4 Shinsuke Yamanaka \u2013 Kyoto, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Sep. 22, 2015\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shinsuke Yamanaka W12 Anselmo Moreno \u2013 Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Nov. 6, 2011\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shinsuke Yamanaka TKO11 Christian Esquivel \u2013 Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Feb. 19, 2011\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nonito Donaire TKO2 Fernando Montiel \u2013 Las Vegas, Nevada<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Apr. 30, 2010\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fernando Montiel TKO4 Hozumi Hasegawa \u2013 Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Apr. 16, 2005\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hozumi Hasegawa W12 Veeraphol Sahaprom \u2013 Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">June 25, 2000\u00a0\u00a0Veeraphol Sahaprom W12 Toshiaki Nishioka \u2013 Takasago, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Aug. 10, 1996\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sirimongkol Singwancha TKO5 Jose Luis Bueno \u2013 Phitsanulok, Thailand<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Jul. 30, 1995\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Wayne McCullough W12 Yasuei Yakushiji \u2013 Nagoya, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Sep. 17, 1992\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Victor Rabanales TKO9 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi \u2013 Osaka, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Sep. 19, 1991\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Joichiro Tatsuyoshi TKO10 Greg Richardson \u2013 Moriguchi, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Oct. 29, 1988\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Raul Perez W12 Miguel Lora \u2013 Las Vegas, Nevada<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Aug. 9, 1985\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Miguel Lora W12 Daniel Zaragoza \u2013 Miami, Florida<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">June 3, 1979\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Lupe Pintor W15 Carlos Zarate \u2013 Las Vegas, Nevada<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">May 8, 1976\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Carlos Zarate KO9 Rodolfo Martinez \u2013 Inglewood, California<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dec. 7, 1974\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Rodolfo Martinez TKO4 Rafael Herrera \u2013 Merida, Yucatan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Mar. 19, 1972\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Rafael Herrera KO5 Ruben Olivares \u2013 Mexico City, Distrito Federal<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Aug. 22, 1969\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ruben Olivares KO4 Lionel Rose \u2013 Inglewood, California<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Mar. 8, 1969\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Lionel Rose W15 Alan Rudkin \u2013 Melbourne, Australia<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">May 18, 1965\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fighting Harada W15 Eder Jofre \u2013 Nagoya, Japan<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Apr. 4, 1963\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Eder Jofre KO3 Katsutoshi Aoki \u2013 Kokugican, Japan<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-112287 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/art-santiago-belt-1024x610.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-1024x610.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-245x146.jpg 245w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-50x30.jpg 50w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-126x75.jpg 126w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-960x572.jpg 960w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt-1133x675.jpg 1133w, https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/art-santiago-belt.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Alex and Junto<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>By James Blears<\/em><\/p>\n<p>WBC bantamweight champion Alexandro \u201cPeque\u201d Santiago has packed his bags and slung his gloves around them, in the tradition of a Road Warrior, embarking on a long trip to Tokyo, for the first defense of his title against hard hitting and undefeated local lad Junto Nakatani on February 24<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n<p>Actually, undefeated southpaw Junto (26-0, 19 KO\u2019s ) with a formidable 73.08 percent stoppage rate, was born in Inab-gun Mia, Japan, but the fans at the Kokugikan Arena , have taken him to their hearts . Alex will get a very decent, kind, warm and respectful welcome from the Japanese fans, who are knowledgeable about their boxing, sporting and love a good well-matched fight, but they will obviously be cheering on and rooting for their compatriot combatant.<\/p>\n<p>Why has Alex (28-3-5, 14 KO\u2019s) decided to take on such a tough, daunting and exacting first defense, far away from home in Tijuana? Well\u2026he\u2019s no doubt going to get well paid. He\u2019s also convinced that aged twenty eight, which is almost two years older than the challenger, he has come of age and is fully matured as well as spicily seasoned. As the champion, you should take on the best available opponent. That\u2019s what being the champion of the World, holding the precious Green and Gold Belt, is all about.<\/p>\n<p>To win it, he fought one helluva fight against legend Nonito \u201cFlash\u201d Donaire to lift aloft the vacant WBC bantamweight crown, absorbing some ferocious, determined, and diverse early onslaughts, to then steady himself and thanks to marvelous and dedicated conditioning, plus ring smarts, prevail with his very own high class, crafted and crafty boxing, to deservedly win a UD down the stretch. Characteristically and marvelously the very first person to congratulate him was Nonito. This is what makes Boxing, so absolutely majestic.<\/p>\n<p>Alex who debuted in December 2012, has been boxing as a pro for more a decade. He has earned his plaudits and garlands via a ruggedly worthy apprenticeship. His first championship opportunity came against Jerwin Ancajas for the IBF super flyweight belt and they fought to a spirited draw.<\/p>\n<p>He went on a whirlwind tear following this, by winning his next eight fights, including six stoppage wins. He then lost a MD to the talented Gary Antonio Russell. One Judge saw it as a draw, while the other two scored it for Gary Antonio. Since then, four more victories including that excellent performance against Donaire.<\/p>\n<p>For most of his career, Alex has fought as a bantamweight. He\u2019s barrel chested and robust but only stands five feet two and a half inches tall, with a sixty-five and a half inches reach. By contrast, Junto is five inches taller. His reach is sixty-seven inches. Alex is no stranger to being the shorter man. To be effective he will have to fight at close range. Upward and onward for him.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s Junto\u2019s first bout in this weight category. He\u2019s already been a world champion in two others. He\u2019s a quality opponent. His pro debut was in 2015. A significant early win was against Mashamichi Yabuki, who went on to defeat Kenshiro Teraji for the WBC light flyweight crown with a tenth rounds TKO, only to be blasted out via KO in three, during their return bout. It was a great performance, but by the time of the rematch, Kenshiro had fully shaken off the lingering effects of the covid virus.<\/p>\n<p>Junto won the vacant WBO flyweight title in his twenty first pro fight, with an eighth round KO of Giemel Magramo followed by three successful defences, two of which came via TKO. Then Junto won the vacant WBO super flyweight title with a KO of Aussie Andrew Moloney. He dropped Andrew in rounds two, eleven and twelve to finish the job with punctuating panache. He then defeated tough as nails Argi Cortes via UD in his first and only defense, before moving on and up to\u2026 Alex.<\/p>\n<p>Will he be able to successfully step up to this higher weight category and bring his natural punching power along with him? Alex may not be bigger, but \u2018s heavier and naturally stronger than anyone Junto has faced thus far. Whereas Alex will need it to be toe to toe, to be effective, Junto might initially try to pick him off at long range. Hand speed is going to be an crucial factor, together with ring generalship.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s taken Alex quite some time to become a world champion. He achieved it on his second attempt. So he\u2019s coming into to this bout determined to retain what\u2019s currently his. Junto is fighting on his own homeland turf and this is a great opportunity, although it won\u2019t be straightforward. He\u2019s never lost a fight, while Alex who has a fifty percent KO percentage, has been defeated thrice with five draws. As the fight against vastly experienced Donaire clearly showed, he\u2019s learned from everything along the way and benefited from it. He certainly rose to the occasion when required.<\/p>\n<p>Before making this trek, he\u2019s prepared well, which is just as well, because Junto is looking for the KO. An intriguing contest of skills and experience Vs proven punching power.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-111730 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Santiago_Nkatan2019\/i.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WBC Special Preview: Santiago vs Nakatani WBC STATISTICS WBC Bantamweight World Championship February 24, 2024 \/ Tokyo, Japan \/ Ry\u014dgoku Kokugikan TEIKEN PROMOTIONS &amp; TOP RANK<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":112290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,122,121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-featured","category-main-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wbcboxing.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}