Jonathan Gonzalez vs Rene Santiago Preview March 2nd, 2024
WBO Light Flyweight Champion Jonathan Gonzalez of Puerto Rico will be defending his belt for the third time this Saturday, March 2nd when he takes on fellow countryman Rene Santiago in San Juan. The 12-rounder can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Gonzalez hasn’t fought since November, 2022 due to medical conditions when he beat Shokichi Iwata by unanimous decision in Japan. Santiago was last in action in October when he stopped Kevin Vivas in the 12th round to become the Interim WBO Light Flyweight Champion. Gonzalez beat Mark Anthony Barriga by unanimous decision in his first defence after winning the belt in October, 2021 when he beat Elwin Soto by split decision.
Gonzalez vs Santiago Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Rene Santiago +500
- Jonathan Gonzalez -800
My Pick
The 32-year-old Gonzalez is a southpaw who has 187 rounds under his belt since making his pro debut in 2011 following a fine amateur career. He stands 5-feet-2-inches tall with a 62-inch reach and enters the ring with a mark of 27-3-1 with 14 Ko’s. Since turning pro he’s also won the interim WBO Youth Flyweight Title in 2012 and the NABA Light Flyweight Crown in 2015. He also captured the the WBC Latino Flyweight Belt in 2015 and has captured his WBO NABO Title a couple of times.
His lone draw came against Michael Ruiz Jr in 2014 over eight rounds while his three defeats came at the hands of Kosei Tanaka by seventh-round stoppage in 2019, to Jobert Alvarez by sixth-round KO in 2016 and to Giovani Segura by fourth-round KO in 2013. The loss to Tanaka came in a shot at the WBO World Flyweight Crown. He’s been stopped in all of his losses so it’s fair to say Gonzalez has a suspect chin.
He’s also beaten the likes of Juan Alejo, Julian Yedras, Ricardo Rodriguez, Carlos Ruiz, Miguel Del Valle, Omar Soto and Danny Flores. Gonzalez isn’t known as a heavy puncher as 52 per cent of his wins have come by way of stoppage. He’s gone the distance in his last three fights and in four of his past five. Gonzalez has experience against top-tier boxers though and that should be an advantage for him this weekend.
Santiago is 31-years-old with a mark of 12-3 with 9 Ko’s and has boxed 72 rounds since making his pro debut in 2014. He measures 5-feet-3-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach so is an inch taller than Gonzalez. As far as power is concerned, Santiago has plenty of it as 75 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage, including three of his last four. His first pro defeat came at the hands of Waldemar Pagan by six-round unanimous decision in 2016.
He dropped another six-round unanimous decision two years later to Geovani Garcia Barragan. His last loss was a 10-round unanimous nod to Yudel Reyes in April, 2022 in a shot at the vacant WBO NABO Minimumweight Title. Santiago beat Israel Vazquez by 10-round unanimous decision in 2020 for the vacant WBO Latino Light Flyweight belt and defended it against Gerardo Zapata by way of second-round disqualification in December 2022 and against Carlos Ortega by ninth-round TKO last April.
Prediction…
Santiago has more power than Gonzalez and appears to also have a sturdier chin so he does enter this fight with a legitimate shot at winning it. In addition, Gonzalez will be fighting for the first time since November, 2022. Santiago may want to get off to a quick start here and try to catch the champion cold and early. I’m expecting Gonzalez’s experience to be a factor the longer the fight goes and as long as he can take Santiago’s power he should retain his title. Still, I believe Santiago could pull off an upset.
Gonzalez has the edge in skills but Santiago has a legitimate chance.
Play: Gonzalez -800 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jonathan Gonzalez betting • Rene Santiago betting