(Photo by Team Santisima)
Gabriel Santisima had more than just ambition on his mind as he headed to Japan for his showdown with Subaru Murata. He also had revenge in mind.
Murata, who entered their fight last Friday at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall rated in the top 15 by all four major sanctioning bodies at 122lbs, built the 10-0 (10 KOs) record he brought into their fight primarily on Filipino challengers, including Santisima’s older brother, Alex Santisima Jnr, whom Murata had knocked out in seven rounds back in 2021.
Santisima was able to even the score, knocking down Murata with a sharp left cross in the sixth en route to a unanimous decision victory.
For Santisima, it was sweet redemption for his family name.
“It feels good that at least I made up for my brother,” said the 21-year-old Santisima, 10-1-1 (7 KOs), of Aroroy, Masbate, Philippines, who picked up a regional WBO belt with the win.
“I couldn’t say that I was expecting to defeat him because Murata is strong, he has a good record, he is not just any guy. All I could think about is that I will do my best. I thanked the Lord for getting the belt.”
If Santisima’s surname sounds familiar, it’s probably because you remember his older brother, Jeo, a one-time junior featherweight contender who challenged Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO 122lbs title back in 2020. There are four boxing brothers in all, with David Santisima being a 6-1 (5 KOs) boxer who hasn’t fought since 2024. They all began boxing as children, trained first by their father, who worked on a copra plantation, harvesting the dried white insides of coconuts that would later be turned into coconut oil.
Santisima turned pro in 2023 after a modest 18-2 amateur career, signing with Zip Sanman, the boxing company led by promoter Jim Claude Manangquil and manager Nobuyuki Matsuura. He got his first significant opportunity last May, challenging the 20-2 Zhong Liu in Foshan, China. Santisima lost a unanimous decision by one point on all three cards, teaching the southpaw a cruel lesson about boxing politics.
“He lost but everyone knows he won that fight,” said Manangquil. “He knocked down the Chinese boxer and won the fight, but it happens. It motivated him more and led to a bigger win.”
“As for China, I told myself, maybe it’s not for us yet,” added Santisima, who is trained by former bantamweight boxer Michael Domingo. “I told myself, I’ll definitely come back next time there’s…
2026-02-15 05:00:00
