Santisima, Dasmarinas fall short in Japan bouts

Jeo Santisima (left) and Michael Dasmarinas (right). | Facebook photos

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Former world title challengers Jeo Santisima and Michael Dasmarinas fell short in their respective bouts on Saturday night, March 29, in Tokoname, Aichi, Japan.

The Cebu-based Santisima battled fiercely but ultimately dropped a unanimous decision to the taller Japanese opponent, Ei Go, in the undercard of the world title clash between Mexico’s Angel Ayala and Masamichi Yabuki.

Meanwhile, Dasmarinas suffered a devastating fifth-round technical knockout (TKO) loss at the hands of Kyosuke Okamoto in the same card.

READ: Santisima battles unbeaten Japanese prospect in Japan

SANTISIMA’S GRIT NOT ENOUGH

Santisima, who was coming off a victorious return to Japan after stopping Hiro Ichimichi in Osaka last year, absorbed his eighth career defeat, bringing his record to 25 wins (21 knockouts). Go, on the other hand, maintained his unbeaten streak, improving to 5-0 with two knockouts.

Despite the loss, Santisima showcased his trademark grit by neutralizing Go’s height and reach advantage, forcing the fight into close-quarter exchanges where he landed stinging jabs, powerful haymakers, and well-timed overhands.

READ: Santisima scores TKO win over Japanese foe in Osaka return

However, Go kept his composure and effectively used his jab and combinations to secure the judges’ nod with scores of 79-73, 79-73, and 77-75.

Despite the defeat, Santisima earned the admiration of Japanese boxing fans, who gave him a thunderous applause for delivering an action-packed bout.

READ: Michael Dasmariñas TKO’s Belizean foe, wrests WBF Int’l title

DASMARINAS STUNNED BY TKO

Dasmarinas, the reigning WBF International Featherweight champion, looked in control early, dictating the pace with sharp body shots that kept Okamoto on the defensive.

But everything changed in the fifth round when Okamoto connected with a thunderous right straight that sent Dasmarinas crashing to the canvas.

The referee immediately stopped the fight without a count, recognizing the severity of the blow.

The loss snapped Dasmarinas’ six-fight winning streak, dropping his record to 36-4-2 (25 KOs). Okamoto, meanwhile, improved to 10-1-1 with seven knockouts.