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SportsTranscript
00:00It's been a tough, clean fight.
00:01Made my commencements all the time,
00:02but it's settled all the time.
00:03Touch him up.
00:04All right.
00:06Gian Santana has six fights in the Dominican Republic,
00:09then five fights in Puerto Rico,
00:11making his mainland U.S. debut.
00:15He says, I'm a boxer,
00:17but I've been blessed with power in both hands,
00:19and that's how I finish every fight.
00:22Alongside Chris Algieri, I'm Bernardo Osuna,
00:25ready for this featherweight fight
00:28here in beautiful Miami.
00:31Your expectations for Gian Santana, Chris?
00:34Well, I want to see.
00:36These are big featherweights.
00:37I want to see how they're going to utilize
00:39their length, their size,
00:40and I want to see if that power is for real.
00:43Well, normally, they'd be big featherweights,
00:45but after seeing Rafael Espinosa last week,
00:48you know, it kind of puts it into perspective.
00:50Yeah, that changes the whole dynamic.
00:52But, yeah, these guys are good-sized feathers
00:56and 11 fights, 11 wins, 11 KOs.
01:00That's what I'm wondering.
01:01Is that power real?
01:02Yeah, we've only had 58 seconds of action here so far
01:06in our first fight,
01:07which featured one of the many Dominican fighters
01:10we're going to be seeing tonight.
01:11Now, Gian Santana digging to the body of Valdez.
01:16It looks to me like Valdez wants to find out
01:18if that power is real as well,
01:19because he's in there trading, no problem.
01:20He's not worried about the power puncher that is Santana.
01:23Well, he's been in with Ruben Villa,
01:25who he took the distance in Texas in September
01:27against Robesie Ramirez
01:28before he was a world champion
01:30in his seventh professional fight in 2020.
01:32So he's not afraid to mix it up.
01:34No, not at all.
01:35Valdez punching with the puncher,
01:36which I think is a very smart idea early on here,
01:38as long as he's able to evade the big shots.
01:41Gets elite sparring training out there
01:43in Southern California.
01:45So you know what that routine is like out there?
01:49Oh, I've been out there.
01:50I went out there for a number of camps,
01:51and the sparring out there is different
01:53than anywhere else in the world.
01:54I mean, it's consistent.
01:55If you show up and your sparring partner doesn't show up,
01:57there's two, three more guys waiting in line.
01:59So, always work.
02:00And they're always going to give you good rounds in the gym.
02:03Plenty of places to spar,
02:05and that's where Valdez hones his craft.
02:08He's got Santana up against the ropes,
02:10and now Santana switches it up,
02:12and those body shots are just really impressive,
02:15the ways he's ripping downstairs.
02:17Yeah, Santana fighting very, very confident,
02:18placing his punches really well.
02:20Ooh, good left hook upstairs,
02:21trades with the big puncher!
02:24And down goes Valdez with that left hook on the chin!
02:27That was exactly what I was talking about,
02:29Bernardo, punching with him.
02:36It's great if you can land,
02:38and it's not great if you allow your opponent to connect.
02:41And once again, he goes downstairs,
02:43sets up the overhand left hook,
02:45and it's pretty much a left hook clinic here
02:47by Jan Santana.
02:48Once again, shakes the neurons inside the head of Valdez
02:53and he's got him pinned against those ropes.
02:55Yeah, he's not trying to let him go here.
02:57He hurt him with some good body shots.
02:59The left hook down low has been a dangerous punch,
03:01and he's been bringing it upstairs as well,
03:03which is what dropped Santana a few moments ago.
03:05Oh, big right hand.
03:06Straight right hand there from Santana,
03:08switching things up here.
03:09Ooh, good uppercut from Valdez.
03:11I told you he was game,
03:13and that's exactly what he came out here to do.
03:15And he gets Santana off of him with the right hand,
03:17but then here comes the combination punching
03:19from the young Dominican.
03:21A lot of firefighting round one.
03:22These guys are not afraid to mix it up.
03:27Take a listen to the corners.
03:41Take a deep breath.
03:42Good work here.
03:43Breathe hard.
03:44Inhale.
03:47Grab your breath.
03:49Nice.
03:50Good.
03:51Everything was wonderful until you got hot.
03:53You got heated in there.
03:55There is absolutely no rush.
03:57You don't need to go in there and take shots.
03:59Look at me when I talk to you.
04:02You're gonna work round by round, okay?
04:04Like we've taught you.
04:05In the center of the ring,
04:07and the shots are gonna come for you.
04:09Don't look for them.
04:11All right, Chris, take a look at this shot.
04:13Yeah, that left hook upstairs.
04:14I mentioned just before this
04:15that he was punching with the puncher, Santana.
04:17Right there, he hit him with two left hooks.
04:19One prior to actually dropping him.
04:21Right here, bang, they trade left hooks.
04:23They always say don't hook with a hooker.
04:25Well, if your hook is shorter, you can.
04:27Valdez did and was able to hurt his man
04:29and put him down in round number one.
04:31Santana dropped Valdez there.
04:35Santana wasn't even a boxer as a kid.
04:38He was actually in the gym as a basketball player.
04:41They put on the gloves with another basketball player.
04:44The boxing coach who was observing them
04:46said, hey, kid, why don't you come into the gym?
04:48He was a Cuban coach out in the Dominican Republic.
04:51He's like, nah, not really interested.
04:53He hunted him down, found out where he lived,
04:55went, and basically forced him into the gym.
04:58He says, I'm gonna make you a world champion.
05:00You have that talent.
05:02And here he is fighting on ESPN
05:04plus in his 12th professional fight.
05:06Ooh, nice straight right there
05:08from Santana, the Dominican fighter.
05:11Bernardo, I always say, you don't have to be
05:13a great athlete to be a great boxer,
05:16and basketball, there's a lot of carryover
05:18in terms of the athleticism that boxers need,
05:20and we're seeing that from Santana tonight.
05:22Footwork as well.
05:23Yeah, the footwork, the athleticism, the explosiveness.
05:25He obviously looks very athletic,
05:27and that coach was able to see the potential in him,
05:30and here he is.
05:31Ooh, nice right uppercut there from Jan Santana.
05:33Who was the most athletic fighter you ever faced?
05:36Kenny Pacquiao, man.
05:38His ability to change angles, change speeds
05:41was very, very difficult to deal with.
05:43Just a natural athlete.
05:45Here we see Santana now going with the stab jab,
05:48settling down after his corner.
05:50Really ripped into him because they were right, Chris.
05:53When he was working at his pace,
05:55things just came to him,
05:57and then he went looking for it and almost got caught.
05:59Yeah, punchers often fall in love with their power.
06:01You're loving an 11-0, loving KOs.
06:03You got a guy in front of you who's punching with you,
06:05so you see opportunities, but Valdez,
06:07just a little crisper, a little tighter,
06:09got his punches there first, and that was the difference.
06:11Ooh, good right hand from Santana.
06:16Valdez, though, has his game.
06:18He's coming forward.
06:19He's trying to show Santana
06:21that even though he's got power, he's not afraid of him.
06:23You see that right hand once again.
06:25Game and confident.
06:26He seems very, very confident there.
06:28He mentioned the sparring, so obviously,
06:30he's used to the tough work,
06:32and he's willing to get in there,
06:34even with a guy who's got a big punch.
06:35He sparred Manolo Lopez.
06:37Talking about other sport athletes
06:39who are great fighters,
06:41Jesse Magdaleno, Mick Conlin.
06:44That's a who's who of work.
06:47That's a nice left hook there from Valdez,
06:50and then Santana makes him pay downstairs.
06:53You know, the difference I'm seeing so far right now
06:55is Valdez's variation in where he places his punches.
06:58High, low, right, left,
07:00up the middle, around the corner.
07:02With Santana, it's a lot more basic.
07:04Right down the middle, one-twos, one-two,
07:06come back with the hook.
07:07Nothing wrong with that.
07:08The basics and the fundamentals always work,
07:09but when you've got a guy like Valdez,
07:10who's confident in there,
07:11and is able to pick his spots a little better,
07:13that's why you get the opportunities
07:14that we're seeing so far.
07:16Valdez with a straight right hand, once again,
07:18coming forward in those white trunks trimmed in blue.
07:21Santana with the white trunks with the Miami colors.
07:26Nice body shot from Valdez right on the belt line.
07:28That was a nasty shot.
07:30Valdez wasn't expecting it.
07:31Those are the ones, the ones you don't see,
07:32the ones you don't expect, especially to the body.
07:35Stay with you.
07:36Good recovery round from Brandon Valdez
07:38as we see Santana go back to his corner.
07:45I need you to be more fluid here.
07:49I need a bucket for the water.
07:54If you're going to spit, spit over here.
07:57Look down.
08:00Remember when I told you,
08:02I need you to float and touch.
08:05Move right to your right.
08:06He's trying to catch you with that right hand.
08:09Hey, don't get overconfident.
08:11You're giving away too much.
08:13Good right hand to the body there.
08:15Like I said, it's pretty basic.
08:16Comes back with a one, two, three,
08:17and then Valdez with the more creative opportunities
08:20that he comes up with that uppercut,
08:22which lands in the middle.
08:23He's doing a great job of punching
08:25in the middle of the puncher, that is Santana.
08:28Santana met his girlfriend or his fiance
08:32while they were in line for a trip
08:35with the Dominican boxing team.
08:37They were going to Ecuador for the Gold Cup,
08:39which he ended up winning bronze in,
08:41and her teammates were making fun of her.
08:45He said, don't allow them to bully you.
08:47She got mad, slapped Santana with her passport,
08:51and then ended up apologizing for that
08:53because he was a bully.
08:55He ended up apologizing for that
08:57because he was trying to protect her,
08:59and he says she fell in love while watching him fight.
09:02Now they have three kids together.
09:05Nice shot there.
09:06Similar to the shot that hurt Santana in round one.
09:11Back comes Santana.
09:12Santana seems to be taking the punches better here
09:14in round three than he was in round one.
09:16He was more surprised.
09:19Now Santana coming forward with the overhand right
09:22as Valdez tries with the stab jab.
09:28They want Valdez more on his toes here
09:31in round number three,
09:33but he continues to come forward
09:34and gets caught with a Santana jab there.
09:37That's one thing I'd like to see more from Valdez
09:39is using that stick from the outside
09:41to control the puncher
09:42because Santana wants to close the distance,
09:44get in front of you, and let that power go.
09:52Valdez trying to go to the body,
09:53and the referee admonishes him for going low.
09:57It looked like it was on the belt line, though.
09:59Yeah, those look like good hard body shots to me.
10:01Nice left hook there from Santana.
10:04Santana did a good job.
10:05He said, you know, Bernie,
10:06that last round was a good get-back round,
10:08but here he is.
10:10Santana with a nice shot,
10:11and now Valdez gets clipped to the body
10:13once again with that left hook.
10:23Santana making Valdez miss with the jab.
10:25He's weary of the left hook from Santana,
10:29who is making Valdez come to him.
10:31Nice body shot from Valdez.
10:32Yeah, I was really looking for that one.
10:33Found it.
10:37You can see Valdez is a thinking fighter.
10:39He's looking for his opportunities,
10:40looking for his spots,
10:41staying defensively sound
10:43while also creating opportunities for his offense.
10:47Nice change of body shots.
10:49Santana, man, he's got heavy hands.
10:51You can see it.
10:52He's very explosive.
10:53He answers everything.
10:57Nice right uppercut from Valdez.
11:02See Santana now closing the gap behind a jab,
11:07making Valdez miss as he keeps him out of range
11:10with that jab.
11:16And the fight's a lot easier for Santana
11:18when he uses his jab.
11:19Yeah, I mean, he's explosive.
11:21He needs to try to be careful not to hang out
11:23at that middle distance.
11:24He can use that explosive to get inside,
11:26get that work done,
11:27and then step back out,
11:28but being deceptive with that jab
11:31to deliver that power,
11:32that's the way he needs to be fighting.
11:35All right, this is a Featherweight fight,
11:37but tonight's main event features
11:39Teofimo Lopez,
11:40the longest reigning current champion
11:43at junior welterweight.
11:44Chris, your former division.
11:46Liam Parrow just pulled off the upset.
11:49Alberto Puello has been upgraded to WBC champion
11:52after the Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney snafu situation,
11:56and WBA champion Isaac Cruz
11:58after stopping Pitbull Cruz.
12:01Do you see Teofimo hanging around here
12:03at this division,
12:04or is 147 where he's headed,
12:06and is that a good place for him?
12:08I know he's talking about 147,
12:10but I think there's a lot of good work
12:11for him to do at 140.
12:12Two months ago,
12:13this group was a completely different group of guys,
12:15and I think Teofimo,
12:17the fact that he's still here,
12:18means something,
12:19and I think he has an opportunity
12:20to actually unify this division.
12:21I think he can beat every one of these guys there,
12:24and there's no reason for him to move up to 147 yet,
12:26unless he can secure some kind of huge fight,
12:28which I don't know if there's that many there for him.
12:29Yeah, I mean, the 147-pound division,
12:32it's bigger guys.
12:34I mean, you were there.
12:36You've done it.
12:37What's the jump like from 40 to 47?
12:39Seven pounds.
12:40It's the biggest jump.
12:41It's the biggest first jump there is in the sport,
12:43and, yeah, those guys are big,
12:45and it's the last weight class where you wear 8-ounce gloves,
12:47so it's the biggest, heaviest guys
12:49that wear the smallest gloves.
12:50And who are still athletic,
12:51who still have quick hands,
12:52who still have footwork that, you know, is...
12:55Ooh, that's a nice right there from Santana.
12:57Beautiful, beautiful shot.
12:59But Valdez is in his groove.
13:01Yeah, I mean, he's in his groove, is what he is.
13:03He's very smooth, he's slick,
13:05and he's got versatility,
13:07but more and more, Valdez is making this fight
13:09more of what he wants.
13:11We're seeing the battle of the real estate here.
13:13Santana getting closer and closer,
13:15Valdez being less and less busy.
13:20Santana wearing the white gloves,
13:21Valdez with those red Everlast gloves
13:24in the center of the ring,
13:25trying to pursue Santana around the ring,
13:28not letting him think, not letting him breathe.
13:30Just a reminder, Santana dropped Valdez
13:33with a double left hook there in the opening round,
13:36but Valdez has settled in to make this a fight.
13:39Ooh, that's a straight right from Valdez.
13:41It's interesting.
13:42You would think that Valdez would want to be the boxer
13:45because he doesn't hit as hard as Santana,
13:47but he's done better when they're in exchanges
13:49because his punches are tighter.
13:51Yeah, he's got seven knockouts and 15 wins,
13:54four losses, too.
13:57As a pro, only Roblesy Ramirez has been able to stop him.
14:02Santana, perfect with 11 knockouts and 11 wins.
14:05The body work from Valdez we're seeing there
14:07from the overhead shot.
14:09Yeah, those are great overhead shots.
14:10You can see the footwork.
14:11And I saw something that I couldn't really notice
14:13until I saw it overhead,
14:14was Santana tends to get very square on the inside,
14:17and that's going to take away some of his power.
14:19It's also going to create a lot more openings
14:21against Valdez.
14:22And Santana does best, Chris,
14:25when he starts working the body.
14:27He's really abandoned the body work.
14:29Yeah, when he starts off with the jab,
14:30gets inside, and then works the body,
14:31that's a nice body shot.
14:32He's at his best.
14:33He just has to be careful not to stay too long,
14:35because Valdez is a very good counterpuncher.
14:37Like I mentioned earlier,
14:38he throws the shorter punches like that one.
14:41Ooh, good measure of body shot there from Santana.
14:43He's looking over to the referee.
14:45That's a dangerous place to be
14:46when you're in the center of the ring,
14:47and Valdez capitalizes with that left hook.
14:55Referee Christopher Young really doesn't allow
14:59the fighters to work downstairs,
15:01and that's got to be frustrating,
15:02especially when you're a fighter like Jan Santana,
15:04who's at his best when he's working downstairs.
15:06Yeah, he wants to break you down.
15:07He's got those heavy hands.
15:08Guys like him, even when they hit you on the elbows,
15:10you feel it.
15:11So for him, he just needs to work,
15:13get that leather on you.
15:15And if he's not allowed to work,
15:16that's going to hurt him.
15:17Ooh, good left hook there again.
15:18Body one-two combination there from Santana.
15:19Nice left from Valdez as well.
15:21Good round from Valdez,
15:22as now Santana connects overhand right.
15:26Oh, good slip and a right.
15:33Right there.
15:38Staredown right here between Santana and Valdez.
15:41We'll listen in to Javier Capetillo in Valdez's corner.
16:03Okay.
16:04And you just keep stabbing him.
16:07We're doing well.
16:09See, he's starting to stand still.
16:11He's just trying to throw power shots.
16:13Keep your hands up and then counter.
16:16He's looking for an uppercut too.
16:23Don't forget to keep your guard up
16:25as you're stepping backwards.
16:28I think if you go downstairs,
16:29that's going to be the key.
16:32He's not used to being past this distance,
16:34so keep working the body.
16:36And they are right over in Valdez's corner
16:38because Jan Santana has never been past round four.
16:42His latest fight was a fourth-round knockout.
16:45So here he is in uncharted territory
16:47as a professional in his first fight
16:49scheduled for ten rounds
16:51here in the featherweight division.
16:52Bernardo Osuna alongside Chris Algieri,
16:55the former world champion.
16:58Great instructions there from Capetillo and crew.
17:02As to be expected.
17:05Nice stab jab there from Santana.
17:10Looking for that uppercut.
17:11Sets up overhand shots.
17:14Oof.
17:15Body work from Valdez.
17:19But once again, a warning from the referee here.
17:23Christopher Young.
17:25Nothing egregious in terms of low blows.
17:28Nice overhand right there from Valdez.
17:32Good head movement there.
17:34Nice.
17:36Nice.
17:38Nice.
17:40Nice.
17:42Good head movement there from the outside.
17:48Pace is slowed down a little bit.
17:50That may favor Valdez.
17:52With the experience, as you see,
17:53the right hand to the body from Santana.
17:55Oh, good counter there with the right hand.
17:59Yeah, I love that.
18:00You mentioned the athleticism.
18:01You see that upper body movement from Santana.
18:03He's able to slip, slide, roll.
18:05He sees the punches coming.
18:07That understanding of the range and the distance.
18:12Body work from Valdez.
18:13Good defense from Santana.
18:22Valdez walking backwards,
18:23allowing Santana to push forward.
18:32Valdez coming back being dogged in there,
18:35but having trouble putting the leather
18:39on the slippery Valdez here.
18:42Excuse me, Santana.
18:44Valdez's corner asking him to keep the gloves by the ears
18:48because they know that Santana's dangerous
18:50if he can get his power shots going.
18:55A little smile on the face there of Santana
18:57because he's having some fun.
19:10Become more of a chess match here in the fifth round.
19:15Yeah, the pace is slow,
19:16but I mean, I favor Santana.
19:17You see him picking these spots.
19:20The more eye-catching shots,
19:21the more effective punches.
19:23Ooh, nice body work.
19:26He started upstairs, kind of lulled Valdez
19:28into a sense of comfort.
19:29And then the right uppercut, left to the liver,
19:31and a left upstairs from Santana.
19:34Comfort in the right uppercut, left to the liver,
19:36and a left upstairs from Santana here.
19:39Just when he needed things to heat up,
19:41he did exactly that,
19:42but Santana has to take a couple of shots from Valdez.
19:46Valdez always answers, comes right back.
19:52Although referee Christopher Young
19:54has been admonishing both fighters for low blows,
19:57the body work from Santana has been exceptional, Chris.
20:00Yeah, I mean, that's what really started the trouble
20:02for Valdez early on.
20:03It was a body shot early on,
20:04covered by that double left hook.
20:06Textbook stuff. Fundamentals.
20:07Down low, then back upstairs.
20:09Nice double body shot there.
20:11Great way to take the energy and soul out of your opponent.
20:15Here we see he gets caught by the right hand,
20:16but he comes right back with two body shots.
20:18Right uppercut and a left hook to the liver.
20:20Responding immediately when he does actually get touched.
20:23That really can take the will out of your opponent.
20:27Left hooks like that.
20:28When you see that elbow slide down,
20:29that's when you know he felt it.
20:34Don't throw heavy punches.
20:36Just take your time.
20:38We came here to win.
20:40I want you to work.
20:41Listen to me.
20:42Don't get heated in there.
20:44Just, you're doing well.
20:46Box.
20:47Those are the words of Emilio Lozada,
20:50who has been training Santana in Bayamón, Puerto Rico,
20:54for the last year and a half.
20:56That was a big moment for Santana
20:59in his third professional fight against Juan Isabel.
21:03When Miguel Cotto and Cotto Promotions,
21:06after his fight, decided to sign him
21:08after what they saw during the pandemic, Chris.
21:10He said it was hard getting fights in the Dominican Republic.
21:13Ended up going to Puerto Rico.
21:14That's where Miguel Cotto and the crew,
21:16Brian and the entire team, saw him.
21:19It was Miguel Cotto who signed him on the spot.
21:21Hey, man.
21:22Skills pay the bills, and Santana's got it.
21:24You've got an eye for talent like Team Cotto.
21:27You're going to be able to see this guy's special.
21:32He just uses his range well.
21:34This is a great place for him to be.
21:35You see that right hand.
21:37Valdez has to take a step back.
21:40This is not where Valdez wants to be.
21:42Backing up straight to the ropes is a bad place to be
21:44when you're hurt.
21:45Oh, and then another overhand right
21:47from Santana to punctuate that combination.
21:51And Brian, do you remember the instructions in the corner?
21:53Don't load up.
21:54That punch was just perfectly straight.
21:56No fat on the punch.
21:57Straight to the target.
21:59Caught Valdez.
22:00Had him hurt.
22:01Beautiful work here.
22:02When the people in the corner know what they're seeing,
22:05and you can actually execute what they ask you to do,
22:08that's what happens.
22:09Nothing better.
22:10Nothing better.
22:11And that's when there's a high ceiling on a fighter like this.
22:13Obviously, he's got the athleticism.
22:15Obviously, he's got the fundamentals in place.
22:18But then he also listens in the corner,
22:20in the heat of the battle.
22:21I mean, that's what you want to see in a young prospect.
22:23And he's got a corner who doesn't baby him and just
22:26sugarcoat it in there.
22:27No, no.
22:28They tell him exactly what they want, what they see,
22:30what is wrong, and how to fix it.
22:34Valdez is tough, though.
22:35He comes back on everything.
22:36He keeps trying.
22:41And all that hard sparring out there in Southern California.
22:43The fighter from Barranquilla, Colombia.
22:45Nice body work again from Santana.
22:47And you see Valdez take a breath and step back.
22:50Yep.
22:51That's smart, man.
22:52A lot of those Colombian fighters,
22:53he only has seven KO's in his 15 wins.
22:56What about that right from Valdez?
22:59It seems like Colombian fighters tend to hit really hard, right?
23:01It always seems like these Colombian fighters come up,
23:03they always have big knockout wins.
23:05Not so much with Valdez here, but you can see he has heavy hands.
23:09He's a fighter who started his career 13-0 with seven knockouts,
23:12two and four over his last six fights.
23:15It seems like he's hurt once again.
23:17Santana just landing all those shots that aren't heavy looking,
23:21but they're just perfectly placed.
23:23Yeah, he hasn't needed to put the big power on those shots.
23:26Here comes Valdez with a nice right hand over the top.
23:29But I think that's smart.
23:30Sometimes when you hit the guys with the big shots and they're still there,
23:33take the power off.
23:34Start touching them, touch them, touch them.
23:36That creates openings.
23:37Then you can hit those guys with those big shots again,
23:39the ones that they don't see.
23:41Mm.
23:42In our fighter meetings, Emiliano Vargas,
23:44who you'll see later on in this fight,
23:45talked about how he got his last knockout.
23:47He's like, when I stop throwing everything heavy and loading up,
23:50the punches just started landing.
23:52They started landing hard, and eventually I got them out of there.
23:55More staring between these two young men.
23:58Second round coming up between Santana and Valdez as we'll listen in.
24:05Hey, son, I don't need you taking those shots.
24:07Give me some water.
24:11How do you feel?
24:12Like I'm new.
24:16Take a deep breath.
24:20You're clean.
24:21You're clean.
24:24I need you to keep using that left, but don't get overconfident.
24:29Battle of right hands, Chris, in that last round.
24:31Beautiful short right hand.
24:32That was the one that had Valdez in trouble early on,
24:34and there's a punch to be said.
24:35No fat on that punch.
24:36Just a beautiful right hand.
24:38Elbow doesn't come up.
24:39Boom. Perfect.
24:40Right on the money, right on the chin.
24:42Had Valdez have a little bit of a delayed reaction.
24:45But again, I said Valdez is tough, man.
24:47He's in there.
24:48He came right back with a big shot that popped up the head of the undefeated Santana.
24:52Got his head off line.
24:54Made him miss the uppercut.
24:55Came with the right hand right over the top.
24:57Beautiful shot.
24:58Santana made a little mistake there.
25:00Throwing that lead uppercut from too far away.
25:02We talk about that uppercut.
25:04When you're going to land it, it has to be an intimate shot.
25:06Intimate, yes.
25:07But when you're there, you're in danger,
25:09and that's what we saw exactly in that sequence
25:12where Brandon Valdez got the better part of that.
25:15Six rounds in the book.
25:16This is a scheduled ten-rounder.
25:18The first one in the career of Jan Santana.
25:23Valdez, he's been the ten-round distance three times,
25:26so this is where that experience favors him.
25:29Nice straight right from Santana.
25:32Yeah, he looks the part of that grizzled veteran.
25:35He's been there.
25:37Even when he's been hurt, he comes right back.
25:40Comes out off that stool ready to go.
25:44When you need a break, use the jab,
25:46as now Valdez goes to the body of Santana.
25:50When you've got a fighter who's never been there,
25:52let's test them and go downstairs.
25:54That's what the veteran's trying to do here.
25:56Another chippy right hand there from Valdez.
25:5885 more rounds of experience for the Colombian.
26:01Nice left hook from Valdez.
26:04This is when things get interesting,
26:06late in fights when you haven't been there.
26:08As good as Santana has looked all night,
26:11he has not been this late in a fight
26:14with a guy who is as durable and as tough as Valdez is.
26:21Another big left hook there from Valdez.
26:25But you know what you're in against
26:26if you're in against Brandon and Tanque
26:28on that nice right to the body,
26:30a strafing shot that Valdez didn't even expect.
26:35And I think that's been one of the surprising factors
26:39of the attack by Santana.
26:41You're used to the left hook downstairs.
26:43And now Valdez lands a right hand
26:45that has Santana shaking.
26:48Can he put on onslaught here on Santana
26:51or will the Dominican fighter
26:54connect with a right hand of his own?
26:58Valdez is looking locked in though.
27:00Santana made that mistake again.
27:01He threw the uppercut from too far away.
27:03This time was the right uppercut, not the left uppercut.
27:05Got hit with the right hand over the top.
27:08Now his mouthpiece was about to fly out
27:10of Santana's mouth.
27:12And Valdez is smelling that he's got
27:15the young fighter hurt.
27:16Low blow there from Santana.
27:18And this is a situation Santana doesn't know
27:20how to hold yet.
27:21He doesn't know that he can move.
27:22He's standing in front.
27:23He's still taking leather.
27:27Oh, man.
27:28Young fighters need to understand
27:29clinching is not illegal.
27:31Excessive clinching is.
27:32You can utilize the clinch
27:34to get a break in the action.
27:35Oh, right in the center of the ring.
27:37And Valdez says, keep standing there.
27:39And I'm going to continue to land my big shots.
27:41Now it's a right uppercut.
27:44And now a body shot.
27:46Valdez being very workmanlike here.
27:49Letting those hands go.
27:50Taking his time.
27:51Finding big shots.
27:53What a great round from Valdez here.
27:57Rounds that Santana's never been in.
27:59And now an overhead right from Santana
28:02punishes Valdez.
28:03And what a fight we have here
28:05through 7 rounds in Miami.
28:07Great stuff.
28:11Chris, a lot of stuff that's worth seeing
28:14in this round because Santana started well
28:17but Valdez got the better of him.
28:24Alright, let's take a look at some of that
28:26back and forth action.
28:28Now Santana was having his way
28:30these last couple rounds.
28:31But boom, it was that first right hand on the chin.
28:33He's staying in front a little too long.
28:35He saw his legs wobble a little bit there.
28:37Big right hand right across the chin there.
28:40Another right hand.
28:42Seemed like he was getting a little too comfortable
28:44standing in front of Valdez.
28:46And Valdez, like I've been mentioning from the outset,
28:49he comes back every time he gets hit.
28:51He keeps those hands moving.
28:52He looks like he has heavy hands.
28:54And he just kept working those hands.
28:57Valdez was in front of him.
28:58I'm sorry, Santana was in front of him.
29:00Didn't clinch, didn't move.
29:02But then, bang!
29:04They trade right hands and that one was right on the chin.
29:06And those were the shots that were giving Valdez
29:08trouble a few rounds ago.
29:09A great round for Brandon Valdez.
29:11But Jan Santana once again
29:13proving that he is durable as well.
29:16For a guy with 11 knockouts and 11 wins,
29:19that's a lot of power.
29:21For a guy with 11 knockouts and 11 wins,
29:24so far he's proving his mettle
29:26against a fighter who's got 85 more rounds of experience
29:29and is using every bit of that experience in this fight, Chris.
29:3310 rounds is a long time.
29:34Your first time going 10, man?
29:36It's tough.
29:37Round 7, round 8, round 9.
29:38Man, how many rounds is it?
29:40I think Santana's having that feeling right now.
29:42Even though he's been having his way all night.
29:44Yeah, for a guy who has never been past round 4,
29:46this is pretty much double the longest fight
29:49he's ever been in.
29:50Nice left hook there from Santana,
29:52but Valdez, with those rights, finding a home.
29:55Beautiful short left hook on the inside
29:57catches Valdez as he was trying to hook.
29:59Body shot.
30:00If Santana goes downstairs,
30:02he brings the fight back in his favor.
30:04Yes, absolutely.
30:05I mean, he's got great fundamentals.
30:06He goes downstairs with that left hook,
30:07comes back upstairs with the left hook.
30:11Which is probably why, when Cotto saw him,
30:13he liked him so much.
30:15It's like, I see a little bit of myself in him.
30:17Left hook to the body, left hook to the head.
30:18Okay, I've seen that before.
30:20Puerto Rican stamp of approval.
30:21Nice overhand right there from Santana.
30:23And the rollout after.
30:25That's the thing about Valdez,
30:26he comes back right away.
30:27So you've got to be ready with the defense
30:29after you land those big shots.
30:31Ooh, what a right uppercut there from Santana.
30:34That was a classy shot.
30:40But Valdez is right there.
30:41He's like, okay, do you have any more of that?
30:43Durable, durable, durable.
30:44Comes right back.
30:47Great rounds for Santana at this stage of his career.
30:4912 fight, I mean, to go through this?
30:52Yep.
30:53I would say, man,
30:54everyone wants knockouts, right?
30:55We all love knockouts.
30:56But I like when young fighters get rounds.
30:58This is when you decide what kind of fighter you're going to be.
31:01This is what's going to matter
31:03when you get that championship level.
31:04All right, can I pull it out of the fire?
31:06Which we're seeing from Santana.
31:08And Chris, it's different doing it with headgear on,
31:1116, 18 ounce gloves.
31:13These hurt.
31:14So you make a mistake, Valdez makes you pay.
31:16Well, listen, in sparring, you don't like to,
31:18but hey, you can say timeout.
31:20You can't do that here.
31:21This is your professional record.
31:23It doesn't change.
31:24I see a little bit of blood emanating from the mouth of Valdez.
31:26Good jab there from Santana.
31:28Starting to take control of the fight once again.
31:30Nice.
31:31Right to the body.
31:32That one hurt him.
31:33And now Valdez reels back against the ropes.
31:36How does Santana capitalize on this momentum?
31:39It's with the overhand right
31:40and then tries to go downstairs once again.
31:42The body shot we talked about,
31:44how effective he's been going downstairs on Valdez.
31:49That body shot hurt.
31:50And when you see a guy go straight to the ropes,
31:52you know that he's hurt.
31:53He doesn't want to use his legs.
31:54He wants to lean on those ropes for support.
31:57Another liver shot from Jan Santana.
32:00Valdez, you see him starting to break down.
32:02He had that good round two rounds ago,
32:04but it's been all Santana since then.
32:09Nice uppercut on the inside.
32:12Ooh, a jab jab.
32:17Santana started to pick Valdez apart.
32:19Let's listen in to Capetillo in corner.
32:27And you can't let him think,
32:28but you can't get overconfident either.
32:33I think he gave you everything he had.
32:36You're still strong.
32:39You have to pick up the pace now.
32:41There's no other option.
32:53The fight's close.
32:57The arsenal of Santana was on full display here, Chris,
33:00in the eighth round.
33:06Tremendous round for Santana,
33:08really putting things together.
33:09Gets a touch of the right hand there,
33:10but they trade the left hooks.
33:12That's what dropped Valdez early on in the fight.
33:15And then that beautiful roll uppercut.
33:18Man, what a beautiful shot.
33:20And that's what I talk about him,
33:21creating openings for these shots.
33:23Right through the middle and then man the body.
33:25One of the more consistent weapons for Valdez all night long,
33:28that left hook to the liver.
33:29We saw Valdez's reaction, put himself right on the ropes.
33:32Great work from Santana in that eighth round.
33:35Round nine of a scheduled 10-round fight.
33:37Santana had never been passed round four as a professional.
33:4111 wins, 11 knockouts.
33:44Considers himself more of a boxer,
33:46but has been blessed with power in both hands,
33:49as we've seen in this fight against the very game,
33:52Brandon Valdez, in his 20th professional fight.
33:56And we spoke about that, being in love with the power early on.
33:59You know, he definitely could jab more,
34:01especially some of those mid rounds,
34:02especially once he did get rocked at that one point
34:05a few rounds ago.
34:06Getting back on that jab,
34:07learning how to slow the pace in a fight,
34:09I think is a really important thing that you learn
34:11as you start getting into the 10, 12-round distances.
34:13And Chris, the other thing you mentioned,
34:15when he got hurt, Santana was not holding.
34:17So I'm sure that's something that they will work on now inside the gym.
34:21But you also don't know how you're going to react until you've been hurt.
34:24Oh, good body shot.
34:26Right hand.
34:27Folded Valdez with that shot.
34:29Yeah, absolutely, Bruno.
34:31I mean, it's an important thing to go through.
34:34I have been very impressed with his ability to right the shit.
34:37You know, he was very hurt that round.
34:38He hit a lot of big shots.
34:39But ever since then,
34:40he's gone right back into doing what was working prior to that
34:43and hasn't made many mistakes since then.
34:52It's a game of adjustments,
34:53and Santana has proven capable of listening to his corner
34:58and making those adjustments.
35:04Body shot once again from Santana.
35:06Valdez takes it well, counting with the right.
35:09Valdez has shown a really solid chin,
35:11very durable, very dogged in his approach.
35:13But man, that body shot,
35:15that's the punch that's been consistently hurting him.
35:18Even when he doesn't show it,
35:19I think he's been hurt to the body quite a bit.
35:21Valdez would be smart to really try to finish there
35:23if he wants to get that knockout.
35:25Nice counter left uppercut from Valdez
35:27as Santana was landing something of his own.
35:33Oh, nice.
35:34See, this distance,
35:35I like seeing Santana from out here.
35:37He's got that athleticism that we spoke about.
35:39He's able to see these punches come.
35:40He creates openings.
35:44Nice body work from Santana once again.
35:46Nice left hook from Valdez.
35:50Going backwards is what Valdez's corner says.
35:53Capetillo feels that this is where Valdez is at his best.
35:58Landing a nice right hand, then a straight left.
36:01Valdez is a very scrappy guy.
36:02I mean, it's all fundamentals,
36:04but he makes it work.
36:05He's physically strong.
36:06He's durable.
36:07He's got the right mentality of a fighter.
36:09Oh, but then a left-right combination from Santana.
36:13Saw the knees buckle there momentarily.
36:16And when Santana throws combinations
36:19and puts those punches together,
36:20that's where he's at his best.
36:23Let's listen in to the corners here
36:25for the final instructions
36:26as they come out for round 10.
36:33I know he cracks, but you've got to go in there.
36:37Didn't you want this?
36:38They're not going to give you anything.
36:41You have to throw punches here.
36:43He doesn't know how to fight going backwards.
36:45This is your last round.
36:48Nothing's going to give you anything.
36:50But he can't.
36:51You're allowing him to stop you.
36:54Just put your hands up.
36:58I'm not going to give you anything.
37:01I'm talking to you.
37:02Look at me.
37:06I need you to listen to me.
37:07I need you to move your head
37:08and get those hands going.
37:11Don't just stand in the center of the ring.
37:13Throw combinations.
37:15Rhythm with your hands.
37:18This is your last round.
37:20Don't throw it away.
37:23I like that instruction.
37:24The rhythm with the hands,
37:25the athleticism,
37:26the fluidity of Jan Santana tonight.
37:28That's been the difference.
37:29When he utilizes that,
37:30it's a beautiful thing to watch.
37:32He's got 11 KOs in 11 fights,
37:34but he can box, too.
37:35He's a good athlete.
37:37That's what he said.
37:38I consider myself more of a boxer.
37:39There he catches Valdez coming in.
37:41Now Valdez, who's been sent out to take risks,
37:44is going to be in a vulnerable position.
37:47There's going to be opportunities for Santana
37:49to finish his fight.
37:50I know he wants the knockout.
37:51That's why he asked for the corner.
37:52Is this the last round?
37:54You see now a great combination from Santana.
37:57That's where he excels.
37:59When he puts two, three punches together,
38:01there's nothing Valdez can do.
38:04I know a few rounds ago,
38:05I said I like when these young guys get rounds in.
38:08Even better is when they get last round knockouts
38:10because they get the rounds and they get the KO.
38:13Jan Santana says,
38:14I like the work,
38:15and then the last second,
38:17the last round,
38:18put my opponent out.
38:19If he continues to do that left hook,
38:21and that right uppercut,
38:22and that left hook again,
38:23he may do just that.
38:25This is exactly what he's going for.
38:26I think this is exactly what his corner asked for.
38:27Just let the hands go.
38:28Get the fluidity going.
38:32When Santana's in a groove,
38:34it's fun to watch.
38:35Absolutely.
38:36It's a beautiful thing.
38:37It's a beautiful thing.
38:38Very rhythmic.
38:39That's what his corner was asked for.
38:40Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm.
38:41Dominicans love merengue.
38:43Little merengue action here from Jan Santana.
38:47Santana needs to be careful with that uppercut
38:50from far away.
38:51That's how he got caught a few times.
38:53If you'd say his flaw tonight,
38:55it's been that.
38:56It's just the timing.
38:57Not that you can't throw those punches,
38:59but you've got to know when to throw them.
39:00With a guy like Valdez,
39:01who's always throwing with you,
39:03he can be a dangerous guy.
39:04That's when the jab comes into play.
39:08That's a nice right hand from Santana as well.
39:10When he's working at that distance,
39:11making Valdez miss,
39:13although there Valdez lands a nice left.
39:15Santana's so precise with his punches here
39:18in this final round,
39:20which is heartening for a fighter
39:21who's never been this distance.
39:23Absolutely.
39:25He's still keeping his head off the line.
39:28He gets his head off the line,
39:29throws that right hand.
39:30He's staying elusive while still being offensive.
39:36Fluid, rhythmic.
39:38Making, creating opportunities.
39:40That's hard to do in only your 12th pro fight.
39:42I'm very impressed with Santana tonight.
39:44A little Emmanuel Augustus.
39:46A little drunken boxing style there.
39:49Now he switches to southpaw for a moment,
39:52making Valdez miss.
39:54Can he make him pay here
39:55as Valdez continues to be game
39:58with 30 seconds left in this fight?
40:02A lot of respect for Valdez standing in there
40:05and taking some of these huge shots from Santana.
40:08Absolutely.
40:09I'd like to see Valdez again.
40:10You said the word game.
40:11That's a perfect description
40:13of what Valdez is all about.
40:16Sometimes you misinterpret that.
40:18Just like a guy who takes a good shot
40:20and has a prayer shot.
40:22There's moments where Valdez makes Santana
40:25pay for his mistakes like he does there.
40:27There's something to Brandon Valdez
40:29also as a fighter.
40:31Oh, absolutely.
40:32I think Valdez will beat some prospects on the way up.
40:35Just not Jan Santana tonight.
40:38Jan Santana was on his game this evening here
40:42at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.
40:46The knockdown in that first round
40:48got to give Valdez a lot of credit
40:50for getting up from that brutal left hook
40:53and making this fight and taking it the distance, Chris.
40:57This was almost an early night.
40:59First round we saw some beautiful left hooks
41:02early on from Santana.
41:03We see this double left hook.
41:04He goes down to the body first
41:05and then a nice short left hook upstairs
41:08as they were trading shots.
41:09He had the shorter punches early on
41:12and that was giving Valdez a ton of trouble.
41:14First round he got very hurt.
41:15He was dropped on the seat of his pants
41:17toward the end of the round.
41:19Here we see Valdez,
41:20as we saw him consistently throughout the night,
41:23coming back, throwing with the crisper, sharper Santana.
41:27There we saw that uppercut from too far away.
41:29Clean right hand over the top.
41:31But then those beautiful, sharp punching counters
41:35from Santana.
41:37Tight punches, gets there first.
41:39It's not always the bigger shot that counts.
41:41It's the one that gets there first.
41:43Beautiful shot, creating openings up the middle,
41:45around the corner.
41:46The variation in Santana's offense tonight,
41:49a beautiful thing.
41:50And then when he's mixing it with the defense,
41:52I mean, it's a beautiful thing to watch.
41:54And Chris, you said they're getting there first.
41:56He's got a three inch reach advantage.
41:58So even though his arms are longer,
42:00it's the quickness with which he throws them
42:02that really helped him against Brandon Valdez.
42:04Valdez was loading up, trying to catch him
42:06and he was just very slick with it.
42:08Yeah, Valdez was doing what he can.
42:12He's a workman-like guy.
42:13He comes forward.
42:14He's a strong guy.
42:15He's physical.
42:16He's durable.
42:17He had the punch with Santana.
42:18Santana, like you said, he's longer.
42:19He's faster.
42:20He hits harder.
42:21So when you say game, I was like,
42:23that's exactly what Valdez is.
42:24He's game.
42:25He's trying to win.
42:26He just didn't have all the tools tonight.
42:27Someone else who's always game
42:29is Mark Chinook with the decision.
42:31Ladies and gentlemen,
42:33after 10 rounds here inside the James L. Knight Center,
42:37we go to the judges' scorecards for the official decision.
42:42Daniel Fitzgerald and Ephraim LeBron have it 98-91
42:46and Brayden Jackson scores it 96-93.
42:50All in favor of your winner by unanimous decision,
42:54Jan Dangerous Santana!
43:00Wow, one of the judges had it by three points.
43:03The other two more in line with what I saw,
43:06more of a 98-91 fight.
43:08First decision victory for Jan Santana
43:10and he booked some very important rounds
43:14after winning his first 11 fights before the fourth round.
43:18All right, we'll take a short break here.