By Geno McGahee
Giovani Santillan, 26-0, 15 KO’s, got a controversial majority decision over former champion, Antonio DeMarco, 33-9-1, 24 KO’s, by scores of 95-95 and 96-94 (twice), in a fight that seemed to favor the veteran.
From the onset, DeMarco’s punches were clearly harder shots and Santillan was slapping with his return shots. The body work and uppercuts from DeMarco were the story in the middle rounds. In the later rounds, Santillan did rally and made it close, but it’s hard to see him getting the win out of this one.
DeMarco should have turned it up in the later rounds. He let the younger fighter into the fight that he would have won had he not left it to chance and stepped on the gas in the final 3 rounds. A controversial loss for the former champion, but he should have never given away the final three rounds.
