Former multi-division world champion Nonito Donaire fully realizes that his career is at stake when he faces Alexandro Santiago for the vacant WBC bantamweight world championship.
Their bout takes place on July 15 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Donaire vs. Santiago is the co-feature of a Showtime televised tripleheader, with the card headlined by a WBC lightweight title eliminator between Frank Martin and Olympic bronze medalist Artem Harutyunyan.
Donaire will be looking to bounce back after getting crushed in the second round of his unification rematch with Naoya Inoue back in June of 2022.
Donaire (42-7, 28 KOs) has captured titles at flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight. He will look to make another run at bantamweight after capturing the title with a May 2021 knockout of Nordine Oubaali. Donaire’s previous campaign at bantamweight began in 2018 by upsetting then unbeaten champion Ryan Burnett in his hometown to capture a title once again, before eventually dropping the belt in his first matchup against Inoue.
“I’m coming to the ring on July 15 to take that belt home and there’s no second option for me,” said Donaire. “I’m thankful to my team for this opportunity and I’ve been training hard to make the most of it. I’ve brought in some really fast fighters who have helped me prepare, and my team has really focused on giving me some defensive pointers. I’m ahead of schedule right now and I can’t wait to get in there.”
A native of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, Santiago (27-3-5, 14 KOs) will compete for a bantamweight crown for the first time in his career.
He enters this fight on a three-bout winning streak since a majority decision loss to Gary Antonio Russell in November 2021. The 27-year-old had previously fought for a 115-pound championship in September 2018, battling Jerwin Ancajas to a split-draw. Santiago most recently avenged one of the draws on his record, as he stopped Antonio Nieves in seven rounds last October.
“I would like to thank my whole team for this amazing opportunity,” said Santiago. “It has been a long time coming. I have been waiting for another world title opportunity since my draw with Ancajas. Camp has been great and I’m working extremely hard. It is also a great honor to be able to share the ring with one of the greatest of my generation, Nonito Donaire. However, this is my time to shine.”
Credit: BoxingScene