Southpaw Rev “Gentle Giant” Santillan of Cebu regained the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation welterweight crown, prevailing on a split decision verdict over Hiroshi Watanabe after their 12-round showdown last night (4/25/04) at the Park Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Santillan (20-1-1, 15 KO’s) battered Watanabe for most of the fight, and never allowed the Japanese to escape with yet another controversial win as he peppered his foe with head and body shots en route to winning on two of the three judges’ scorecards. Australian referee-judge Brad Vocale and Filipino judge Alex Vidal favored the Iloilo-born Santillan, while the third judge–a Japanese–saw it for Watanabe. The win is a sweet redemption for Santillan, having lost the same OPBF belt to Watanabe on October 14, 2002 via a highly-disputed split decision win. Before the grudge rematch, Santillan had racked up four wins to keep himself on top of the OPBF hierarchy and get the chance for revenge. This time, OPBF president Frank Quill made sure the judging will not be stacked against Santillan, appointing a neutral official in Vocale, who hails from Australia. Santillan’s trainer Brix Flores, in a long-distance call, informed that Santillan did enough damage in the fight to warrant a win. “Santillan clearly dominated the fight this time. We are so happy for this win,” Flores said. Santillan was cheered on in his corner by manager Rex “Wakee” Salud and wife Elvie, and a group of Filipino seamen from Yokohama led by Torribio Manaay who came for their local idol.
