Once-beaten bantamweight prospect Alexis Santiago returns to the ring this Friday night when he meets up with journeyman Evaristo Primero in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.
And while this may look like business as usual for the 21-year old, a lot has been going on behind the scenes with Santiago.
Perhaps it was his lone loss this past July, a unanimous decision he dropped to Randy Caballero in Indio, California that he still refutes, or maybe it was a feeling that he needed to be somewhere outside of Phoenix to propel his career, but in September Santiago decided to pack his bags and head for Las Vegas.
While there he crossed paths with outspoken trainer Roger Mayweather, who told him that he would be willing to give him a shot, and Santiago since hasn’t strayed far from the Mayweather Boxing Club.
Not to say that Santiago was content while back at home, however, as he found time to travel to the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles to soak up some valuable experience in sparring the likes of Rodel Mayol and recently-crowned WBA junior featherweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux.
But still, Santiago will be the first to admit that a full move was in order if he was able to maximize on his true potential.
“In Phoenix I really wasn’t training that good,” Santiago stated recently. “I would be over there with all my friends and everything. It’s not a bad thing, being with them, but I wasn’t really concentrating on what I had to do. Coming over here I pretty much did what I had to do to get ready for the fights and I actually started training right and getting everything on point for fight time.”
And while the elder Mayweather is known best for his work with his nephew Floyd Jr. and his outlandish takes in the media, Santiago insists he has been introduced to a different side of the sport through his work with Roger.
“We’ve been working on defense, getting a little faster, more technique,” claimed Santiago. “Not just head-hunting, actually working the body. It’s been all kinds of different stuff that he’s been showing me. Every tme I spar he’s in my corner. He tells me different things that I didn’t really know about.”
Primero possesses a modest 14-14-1 record with 7 knockouts but it’s interesting to note that he has faced a bevy of formidable foes, including the likes of Johnny Tapia, Mauricio Pastrana, Raul Martinez, Hussein Hussein, and Gerson Guerrero, amongst others.
Santiago figures to have too much talent and youth to be tripped up by such a matchup but it’s not a fight he’s looking past.
“He’s a tough opponent,” Santiago said with respect. “He’s been in there with different fighters, a couple world champs. I think he lost to some good fighters by a few points. He’s been in there with good fighters and went the distance with them. I think it will be a good test for me.”
.
.
BONUS SLIDESHOWS - Women in the sport
LATEST SLIDESHOWS FROM THE BOXING WORLD
Pacquiao makes an appearance on HBO's On Freddie Roach - In the fourth episode, Freddie Roach travels over to the Philippines and starts working with his premiere fighter, Manny Pacquiao, at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City
Inside Chavez Jr.-Rubio/Donaire-Vazquez Jr. - Donaire defeats Vazquez, Chavez Jr. overcomes Rubio - Candid shots from ringside of Donaire and Chavez's victories plus bonus shots of Mosley, Rigondeaux, and others / Massive Weigh-in Gallery - A closer look at all four HBO stars weighing in, and cameos by Roach, Arum, Merchant, and others / Tensions arise at final Donaire-Vazquez presser - See images of Nonito Donaire and Wilfredo Vazquez going face to face plus bonus shots of Freddie Roach, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Bob Arum, Marco Antonio Rubio and others
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.Twitter.com/CRHarmony
Comments