Shinsuke Yamanaka vs. Diego Ricardo Santillán

This will be Yamanaka's next defense - his eighth - of the WBC 118lbs title, on April 16th. This will be his first time competing at the famous Bodymaker Coliseum in Osaka.

Santillán - who is 23-0 (15) and ranked #7 by the WBC, and has a belt collection including the Argentine bantamweight title and some minor WBC trinkets - has actually flown completely under my radar, even though I generally keep my thumb very closely on the pulse of both the bantam weight range and the Argentine domestic boxing scene, which dovetail in his case. I've literally never seen him. Of course, that probably has much to do with him barely ever having fought outside his obscure home state of Salta.

I'm not sure if he is any relation to Sergio Carlos "El Tigre" Santillán (doubtful, since the latter hails from Curuzú Cuatiá, 800m north of Salta) but that guy is a tough-as-nails, game journeyman. :conf

I know absolutely nothing about Diego Ricardo "El Fantasma" Santillán except what's in the paragraph two above this one. :conf

The only footage available is 5 years old and of very grainy and poor quality, of Santillán making short work of a debutant named Raúl Arroyo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsThKKloViw


Yamanaka didn't look so hot in his 7th WBC defense, over Suriyan Kaikanha. He took a comfortable enough W on the cards (115-109 on mine, comparable on the official judges') but he was in real danger at times and spent a lot of it, surprisingly, on his bike. That said, even with him slipping a little I can't see him losing to a complete unknown, which is what Santillán is. Kaikanha was at least a proven quantity and former champ.

 

I take it back - there's one more video available.

This is Diego Ricardo Santillán vs. Guillermo Osvaldo Soloppi, also from 2010, and is the one time Santillán has fought away from Salta - as well as his only ever nationally televised appearance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K8WoHzP23A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtXxPF2CvJY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmdx2Fhk2to

The knockout is at 5:45 of vid #3. Sweet uppercut. :think

 

The first part? :yep

I'm surprised the cameraman didn't cold-caulk him.

 

Based on the limited video, I have a hard time imagining the upset for Santillán. He is just too wild; Yamanaka too sharp a counter-puncher. Yamanaka would have to have become shot overnight, and less than half as good as even against Kaikanha.

Then again, one punch can always change things and Santillán does seem to have real power even though his record is mostly padded.

 

Yamanaka vs. Iwasa II & Yaegashi vs. Ioka II has been my dream Japanese card for years now. :good

 

He seemed bothered a few times by the raw aggression of Suriyan and some of the challenger's punches seemed to have really stung him.

Anyway it shouldn't be anything to worry about unless Santillán is some diamond in the rough. He probably won't be able to replicate what Kaikanha did.

 

:yep

 

:yep You weren't alone, in either. :!:

 

This is Thursday on NTV.