February 12, 2015
TOKYO, JAPAN
WBC bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka (22-0-2, 16 KOs), a hard-punching southpaw Japanese, will make his eighth defense against unbeaten Argentine Diego Santillan (23-0, 15 KOs) in Osaka, Japan, on April 16. It was announced today by Teiken Promotions of Tokyo. Yamanaka, one of the most stable world champions here, acquired the vacant WBC throne by disposing of Mexican Christian Esquivel in eleven give-and-take rounds in November 2011, and impressively registered seven successful defenses including five KOs or TKOs since to his credit. The Argentine challenger, five years his junior at 27, previously seized the national, WBC Mundo Hispano and WBC Latino titles in the 118-pound category to extend his unblemished mark. It will be a highly expected encounter of the unbeaten bantams. Santillan is nicknamed “El Fantasma (the Ghost)” but will he be able to avert Yamanaka’s pulverizing left shot called “God’s Left”?
(2-12-2015)