Alexandro Santiago a dangerous foe for Donaire —boxing analyst

Veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino is convinced that Alexandro Santiago would be a difficult opponent for Nonito Donaire Jr. when they battle for the vacant WBC world bantamweight title on Sunday, July 16 at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

The former four-division world champion Donaire, 42-7 with 28 knockouts in his career, is coming off a second-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue in June 2022.

Should he beat Santiago, he will also beat his own record of being the oldest bantamweight world titleholder in history.

But the relatively unknown Santiago could be a tough fight for the veteran boxer.

"(Santiago) has been on an impressive run and only lost on points since 2015 against Gary Antonio Russell. He has been unknown until 2018 when he battled Jerwin Ancajas to a draw where many thought Ancajas lost," Tolentino said on Sparring Sessions.

"Ancajas said he is one of the best he fought. I have a bad feeling about this fight. He (Santiago) has been under the radar all along. We saw what he did to Ancajas, can he do it to Donaire? He is an interesting opponent. They call him Peque, but this guy is for real."

According to Tolentino, Santiago would be a handful for Donaire, especially since the former world champion is now 40 years old and is coming off a tough loss.

"He has youth at 27 years old. Though short, he is a good pressure fighter who comes in with a jab and throws fast combinations. He has a good left hook and overhand right," Tolentino stressed.

"He is a very dangerous fighter given that Donaire is 40 years old and not the same guy."

Prior to Donaire's loss to Inoue, he was coming off of two knockout wins against Nordine Oubaali in May 2021 and against fellow Filipino Reymart Gaballo in December 2021. He has held a boxing world title as recently as 2022.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News