World-rated junior welterweights Alfredo Santiago and Nestor Bravo have been added to the March 1 card headlined by the IBF junior welterweight title eliminator between Subriel Matias and Gabriel Valenzuela at Coliseo Tomas Dones in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
Santiago, 16-2 (7 KOs), will face former titleholder Javier Fortuna, 39-5-1 (28 KOs), in the co-featured bout while Bravo, 23-0 (16 KOs), will face Xolisani Ndongeni, 32-6-1 (19 KOs). Both fights are scheduled for 10 rounds.
Santiago, 30, was born in the Dominican Republic but now lives in Fajardo. He is rated No. 3 by the WBO at 140lbs and had previously challenged for a world title in 2019, losing a unanimous decision to Devin Haney for the WBC lightweight title. He has won three straight since, including a first-round stoppage of Pedro Campa last November.
Fortuna, 35, of La Romana, Dominican Republic, has fought twice in recent months, losing a decision to Robbie Davies Jnr last November in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before stopping the unheralded Jonatan Mariano last December in a stay-busy fight in the Dominican Republic.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase the level I am at,” said Santiago. “I have worked hard, I’m in my best shape, and on March 1 in Fajardo, I’m going to give it my all in the ring. I respect Javier Fortuna, but he will find out that he’s facing a true warrior. I’m ready for any version of him that shows up in front of my people in Fajardo. I’m going to go to war and take the victory.”
Bravo, 31, of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is rated No. 7 by the WBO and No. 6 by the WBA at 140lbs. The 34-year-old Ndongeni of Duncan Village, South Africa, has lost four of his past five bouts, though he has faced top opposition such as Arnold Barboza Jnr and Raymond Muratalla in that stretch.
The show, which will stream live on DAZN, will be the second time in five months that Salita Promotions will be promoting a show in Puerto Rico.
“We provided a path and platform for many fighters to earn recognition and achieve their dreams,” said Salita Promotions President Dmitriy Salita in a press release. “From solidified world champions like Claressa Shields to budding stars like Ardreal Holmes Jnr, Salita Promotions continues to mine for the next super stars of boxing throughout Michigan, and now we are doing the same in Puerto Rico. Stars from the Caribbean Island such as Miguel Cotto, Félix Trinidad and Juan ‘John John’ Molina have all paved the way for the prospects we will be showcasing on March 1.”
Also slated for the card will be Salita Promotions’ heavyweight signee Pryce Taylor, 6-0 (4 KOs), of Brooklyn, New York, against Arizona’s Trevor Kotara, 4-3-1 (1 KO), plus the pro debut of two-time Puerto Rico national champion Yandiel Lozano.
In the main event, the winner between former IBF junior welterweight titleholder Matias, 21-2 (21 KOs), of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and Valenzuela, 30-3-1 (17 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico, will be the mandatory challenger for the title currently held by Richardson Hitchins.
Read the full article here
