OAKLAND, California ? Alejandro Santiago, the obscure Mexican challenger out to spoil Jerwin Ancajas? party plans this weekend, arrives Tuesday from his native Tijuana via San Diego.
A check with Top Rank?s Lee Samuels reveals that Team Santiago is expected to land at Oakland Airport on a Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego at 3:20 pm.
Santiago, 22, holder of a 16-2-4 win-loss-draw mark with seven KOs, will be joined by chief cornerman Romulo Quirarte Sr. and a support staff composed of Romulo Quirarte Jr. and Roberto Quirarte.
Small but compact, the 5-2 Santiago hopes to ruin Ancajas? grand plans in their scheduled 12-round showdown for the International Boxing Federation super-flyweight title on Friday at the Oracle Arena.
While Santiago is being labeled as a mere sacrificial lamb, the presence of Quirarte Sr. suggests that he is the opposite.
Ancajas is looking to dispose of Santiago without much difficulty, get back to his hotel to begin packing and board the next available flight back home to Manila to prepare for a trip to Thailand.
The proposed travel to Bangkok is meant to create noise for a possible clash between Ancajas and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, regarded as the premier 115-pounder in the world.
Ancajas is thrilled when asked about his plans to go to Bangkok and size up Sor Rungvisai.
?I just hope that the trip happens and that we get to fight each other,? said Ancajas in the vernacular as he made his way to his hotel room after Monday?s evening training session.
Somebody else, aside from Santiago, could derail Ancajas? plans though.
Quirarte, once a part of the training team of Julio Cesar Chavez, is calling the shots in Santiago?s corner and that could only mean one thing if Ancajas loses focus: Trouble with a capital T.
