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Philippines, 14 Feb 2026 |
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Santino to Battle Tsutsumi for OPBF Belt May 31 in Japan By Carlos Costa PhilBoxing.com Wed, 05 Apr 2023  Filipino former ALA star Jeo "Santino" Santisima (22-5, 19 KO's), is more than willing to head back to Japan for the crucial mission of facing Japanese newcomer warrior Hayato Tsutsumi 堤駿斗 (2-0, 0 KO's) for the vacant OPBF Featherweight strap on Wednesday, May 31, at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The important 12-round title war - as per boxrec.com - will be Santino's third consecutive fight in the Land of the Rising Sun. Last August, the 26-year-old Santino - a former WBO Oriental titlist - scored an exciting round 5 stoppage win over veteran Nippon man of action 大沢宏晋 Hiroshige Osawa (38-6-4, 21 KO's), It was a rewarding victory in which Santino dropped, and overpowered the brave Osawa to claim an exciting triumph that gave much-needed boost to his pro boxing career. But then, last December, Santino was soundly outsmarted and outboxed over 10 rounds by promising Japanese slugger 下町俊貴 Toshiki Shimomachi (16-1-2, 11 KO's) in Osaka. The Pinoy might not have won not even one round in that battle against Toshiki. It was indeed a difficult encounter for the former world-title challenger who began his pro boxing career 10 years ago in Escalante City, Negros Occidental. So what will happen next? Will Santino's coming May 31 rumble against the 23-year-old Tsutsumi be another thrilling, stunning knockout victory like the one got over Osawa... or a sad defeat? Notably, Santino's coming opponent, Hayato Tsutsumi - born in the Chiba Prefecture, 40 Km east of Tokyo - is a former amateur standout who captured gold at the 2016 World Youth Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Tsutsumi also competed in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, and in the 2021 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. As a pro since July of last year, Tsutsumi has climbed the ring two times, scoring wins by points over Pinoy boxers Jhon Gemino (23-15-1, 13 KO's) and Pete Apolinar (17-4, 10 KO's). In fact, Santino will be the third consecutive Filipino fighter that Tsutsumi ever faces... and what will the result be? Will Santino's vast experience and tormenting punching power be too much for the Japanese former amateur star with a current pro record of 2-0 with zero knockouts??? Or will Tsutsumi's amateur background - plus the advantage of fighting at home - give him the edge to control, dominate and outdo the tough Pinoy fighter born in Masbate? Hayato Tsutsumi vs Jeo "Santino" Santisima will be the main event of the May 31 fight show promoted by 木谷卓也 Takuya Kiya's Shisei Promotions. May the Best Man Win. The author of this story is veteran boxing reporter Carlos Costa of Panama. Carlos can be reached at carlos@philboxing.com. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.  |
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