Rene Santiago (12-4, 9 KOs) is set to bring the fight back to his hometown, facing off against Ricardo Astuvilca (21-3-4, 15 KOs) in a 10-round junior flyweight clash on October 30. This bout, hosted at the Coliseo Marcelo Trujillo in Humacao, Puerto Rico, carries extra weight for Santiago, as it’s his first chance to fight in front of his home crowd. The event, aptly titled "Night of Champions," is part of the 37th annual World Boxing Organization Convention and will be broadcast on ESPN+ in the U.S. and ESPN Knockout in Latin America.
For promoter Felix "Tuto" Zabala, Jr., this fight is particularly meaningful. His late father held his very first event in Puerto Rico, and now, on the 60th anniversary of that debut, Zabala is back with another thrilling lineup. He shared his excitement: “Now we are back in our 60th anniversary and what better way with our WBO family and worldwide on the ESPN+ and ESPN Knockout platforms." WBO President Francisco "Paco" Varcarcel echoed this sentiment, promising a night of competitive, closely matched fights.
Santiago enters this bout with a deep sense of gratitude, saying, "This is a dream come true fighting in my hometown for the first time in my career." Santiago will be looking to rebound from a narrow loss to former WBO world junior flyweight champ Jonathan Gonzalez, following a strong three-win streak and a previous interim title victory against Kevin Vivas. For Santiago, this is a pivotal fight as he aims to rise back into contention.
The co-main event features Puerto Rican flyweight Juan Carlos Camacho (17-1, 8 KOs) going head-to-head with former world title contender Jayson Mama (20-1, 10 KOs) of the Philippines. With both fighters holding impressive records, Camacho vs. Mama promises to be a fierce, high-stakes battle.
Fight card:
▪️Rene Santiago vs. Ricardo Astuvilca, 10 rounds, for the vacant WBO International light flyweight title
▪️Juan Carlos Camacho vs. Jayson Mama, 10 rounds, for the vacant WBO NABO flyweight title
▪️Jaouad Belmehdi vs. Leonardo Padilla, 10 rounds, super featherweight
▪️Christian Barreto Gonzalez vs. Miguel Angel Marrero, 6 rounds, lightweight
▪️Yoandy Toirac vs. TBA, 6 rounds, heavyweight
▪️Leonel Alejandro-Cruz vs. Terrance Brown, 4 rounds, cruiserweight
▪️Genesis Lopez vs. Magnanamay Delgado Baez, 4x2 rounds, light flyweight
