Alexandro Santiago captured his first world title tonight by defeating Nonito Donaire via unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBC bantamweight title. The judges scored the bout 115-113, 116-112, and 116-112 in favor of Santiago. Bad Left Hook's unofficial scores were wider at 119-109 on both cards, suggesting the judges' scores were closer than many felt was accurate.
Santiago (28-3-5, 14 KO) was closer in the pre-fight odds than expected, likely due to the age of the 40-year-old Donaire (42-8, 28 KO). A mix of Santiago’s well-executed performance and the impact of Father Time proved too much for the Hall of Fame-bound Filipino star. The punch stats between Santiago and Donaire were fairly even, though they didn't quite capture the fight's story. Donaire reverted to relying heavily on his left hook, a tendency that had hindered him earlier in his career, perhaps at the expense of a more varied game plan.
This might have been more out of necessity than a tactical error this time around, though Donaire felt it was simply that he didn’t execute as he had trained. “I feel good still, and a big congratulations to Alexandro, because he deserves it, he’s a tough guy,” Donaire said. “I love the sport so much, but we gotta go back to the locker room and talk about it. I felt good, but some things just didn’t trigger. I didn’t pull the trigger. I was just trying to counter so much, trying to put too much power into it.”
Donaire didn't seem ready to retire, although his goal of becoming undisputed has taken a significant hit. In a division where achieving that was already a tough task, especially before he turns 42, it's uncertain what lies ahead for him.
When asked what Donaire said to him after the fight, Santiago replied, “It’s been an honor to fight such a legend like Nonito Donaire, and he just told me thank you for this great fight.”
“We were very focused, and in training camp, we tried to find the mistakes Nonito makes,” Santiago added.
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