There was one thing on the mind of Rev “Gentle Giant” Santillan after he lost his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation welterweight title – reclaim the belt and punish his tormentor.
In the scheduled mandatory rematch with Japanese champion Kazuhimo Hidaka on Dec. 3 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, Santillan will get his chance to do just that.
The 5-foot-11 Golden Boy of Cebu suffered his first-ever knockout defeat in the fourth round that cost him the OPBF 147-pound-division belt that carried with it a lofty WBC No.4 ranking. Since that loss, Santillan’s rating in the WBC plummeted to No.33.
“I believe Santillan is all psyched up right now. He wants to reclaim his belt,” said Santillan’s handler Rex “Wakee” Salud.
After the March 19 defeat, also at the Korakuen Hall, Santillan went to his hometown of Jaro, Iloilo to recharge and rethink his priorities. He then made a new resolve: Be the king of the Orient once again and then the world.
Last July, Santillan went back to training under former amateur boxing standout Brix Flores.
“I think we are going to see a new Rev Santillan. He is more resolved than before. He told me he wanted the belt back and I am here to help him do it,” said Flores.
Flores admitted that Santillan was not in top form when he fought Hidaka last March.
“Before the fight (in March) he told me and Sir Wakee that he doesn’t feel like fighting. I knew that he had personal problems before we left for Japan and as a result, we saw a different Santillan,” Flores said.
“Santillan could have won the fight because unlike Hiroshi Watanabe, Hidaka is a fighter and he wanted to exchange punches but the poor state of Santillan’s mind affected his game,” said Flores.
Santillan is currently OPBF No.4 and will try to improve his 21-2-1 record. , where 15 of his victories came by way of knockout.
While Hidaka is fresh off a seventh-round TKO win over Filipino Dondon Sultan to keep the OPBF belt. The Japanese champion is ranked No.10 in the WBC and is holding a 22-4 win-loss slate with 16 wins scored by way of knockout. (
