Santisima faces Gonzalez in the U.S.

By Edri Aznar

JEO Santisima gets another opportunity to make a name for himself in the mainstream US boxing as he locks horns with fellow former world title challenger Joet Gonzalez on Feb. 5, 2022 in Fresno, California.

The 25-year-old Santisima, who has only fought in the US once in his career, sees this as a perfect opportunity to break into the US market.

“This is my big chance to move up in my career,” Santisima told SunStar Cebu.

The only other time Santisima fought in the US was a world championship fight against then World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight champion Emanuel Navarrete in 2020. Santisima fought gallantly but lost via a technical knockout to Navarrete in the 11th round.

“I have learned a lot from that fight. I have gained a lot of experience from fighting Navarrete. This time, I’ll be in the U.S. earlier. I’ll be there for a month,” he said.

Santisima, a former ALA boy, will be leaving for the US Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, along with longtime trainer Michael Domingo. He’ll continue his training in the US for his fight with Gonzalez.

Following his loss to Navarrete, Santisima won back-to-back fights against Marjon Piencenaves and Allan Alberca.

The 28-year-old Gonzalez, on the other hand, dropped two of his last three fights.

He suffered his first career loss after a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to fast-rising star Shakur Stevenson in a WBO featherweight bout in 2019. He fought for that same belt and also lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Navarrete last Oct. 15, 2021.

“He’s a fighter,” said Santisima.

Gonzalez fights like a typical Mexican fighter, aggressive and has a sturdy chin.

Gonzalez is currently ranked No. 5 by the WBO and No. 10 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as a featherweight.

Santisima, on the other hand, is currently not world rated but should break into the featherweight list if he beats Gonzalez.

Santisima is 21-3 with 18 knockouts, while Gonzalez is 24-2 with 14 knockouts.