ZIP-SANMAN warriors Gabriel Santisima and Kiyoto Narukami are set to see action in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s “Blow-by-Blow” on Sept. 22, 2024, at the Mandaluyong City Gym.
Santisima will take on Jelo Bacalso in an eight-round fight, while Narukami will go up against Jaybie Ignacio in a six-rounder..
Santisima, the younger brother of former world title challenger Jeo Santisima, continues to be a promising young talent after turning pro in 2023.
He debuted with a lopsided unanimous-decision win and won all four of his fights last year. In 2024, Santisima forged a technical draw with Miller Alapormina and recently achieved a third round stoppage of Jovanie Tagusi.
Bacalso, on the other hand, is a tough fighter who’s never been knocked out. After a challenging period in his career, he’s now on a roll, winning his last three fights against Venjie Patac, experienced Jenny Boy Boca, and Mike Kinaadman.
Santisima is 5-0-1 with four knockouts, while Bacalso is 6-5-2 with four knockouts.
Meanwhile, Narukami, a Japanese prospect based in Cebu City, is also a newcomer who made his pro debut last year. He’s fresh from a second-round technical knockout of Arnold Montales.
His opponent Ignacio is looking to bounce back from a unanimous-decision defeat at the hands of John Vincent Lauriaga.
Narukami is 3-0 with a knockout, while Ignacio is 3-2 with a knockout.
The main event features World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem (22-3, 12 KOs) defending his title against undefeated Mexican Luis Castillo (21-0-1, 13 KOs).
Jerusalem, Santisima, and Narukami are stablemates at the Zip-Sanman Wellness Center in Banawa, training under the tutelage of former ALA Boy Michael Domingo. / EKA