FORMER world title contender Jeo Santisima knows the importance of his upcoming fight in Japan next month. A win could bring him right back up the world’s featherweight rankings, while another loss could further ruin his plans of another run at a world title.
“This is a very important fight for me so that I’ll be back as a top contender. That’s why I’m doing my best because my opponent is no pushover,” the 26-year-old Santisima told SunStar Cebu.
Santisima is gunning for the vacant Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) featherweight strap against former amateur standout Hayato Tsutsumi on May 31, 2023 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Santisima suffered a crucial loss in his last fight in Japan after losing to Toshiki Shimomachi by a lopsided decision last Dec. 11, 2022. He won only one of three fights last year.
Santisima has been pouring his heart out in the gym preparing for an important fight against a very promising prospect in Tsutsumi.
“I’ve been training in Japan for a month. I’ll be sparring here with Milan (Melindo). He’ll be coming to the ZIP-SANMAN Boxing Gym. We’ll also try to get some sparring in other gyms,” said Santisima, who was training with World Boxing Organization minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem in Japan.
Sparring against his former ALA teammate, former world champion Milan Melindo, should give Santisima some quality sparring. Melindo is also deep in preparation for an upcoming title defense of his OPBF Silver featherweight belt against South Korean Jong Seon Kang in South Korea in June.
The 23-year-old Tsutsumi just turned pro last year. So far, he’s as good as advertised, beating two legitimate Pinoy fighters in his first two pro fights. He totally outclassed former regional champion Jhon Gimeno by unanimous decision in his pro debut and then beat Pete Apolinar also by unanimous decision in his second fight.
“He’s a very good fighter. I’ll do my best to get my timing right and I’ll box him,” said Santisima. “I’ll watch out for him straight away. He also likes to pressure and brawl. This will be a good fight.”
Tsutsumi had a stellar amateur career with a gold medal in the 2016 Youth World Championships. He competed in the 2021 World Championship but fell short and lost to Vsevolod Skumkov in the third round of the tournament. He finished with a 22-4 slate in the amateur ranks. He owns a win over three-time Olympic bronze medalist Lazaro Alvarez and lost to Pinoy Ian Clark Bautista in the amateurs.
Santisima is 22-5 with 19 knockouts, while Tsutsumi is 2-0. (EKA)