The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has mandated WBO junior flyweight champion Jonathan Gonzalez to face Puerto Rican contender Rene Santiago, and has allotted a negotiation period of 30 days for the two fighters’ teams to reach a compromise.
Puerto Rican champion Jonathan Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KO’s) had an unfortunate year in 2023 where he was prevented from fighting due to illness. In March earlier this year, Gonzalez had been set to face WBA and WBC junior flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji (22-1, 14 KO’s) in a unification match between their world titles. Due to a bout of pneumonia that Gonzalez suffered before the fight, he was forced to withdraw from this pivotal match.
Just last month in October, Gonzalez seemed fully recovered and was scheduled to fight junior flyweight contender Gerardo Zapata (14-1-1, 5 KO’s), only for their match to also be cancelled as Gonzalez again fell ill right before the match. Gonzalez last fought in November of 2022 where he secured a unanimous decision (UD) win over Japanese contender Shokichi Iwata (11-1, 8 KO’s).
Rene Santiago (12-3, 9 KO’s), who also hails from Puerto Rico, can be Gonzalez’ next opponent depending on the negotiations which will take place from November 8th to December 8th, after which a purse bid will ensue if the teams of both fighters cannot agree on terms.
Santiago is currently ranked at #4 on the WBO’s list of junior flyweight rankings, and is currently the mandatory opponent of Gonzalez through his WBO interim champion status, which he attained on October 27th this year after defeating his Nicaraguan opponent, Kevin Vivas (7-1, 2 KO’s) by knockout.
Interestingly enough, both fighters are signed to the same promotion of All Star Boxing, and a fight between these two Puerto Ricans would host an intriguing match-up between two domestic rivals at the elite level.
If a fight between the two parties can be arranged, Rene Santiago will be fighting in his first world title fight, while Jonathan Gonzalez will be defending his WBO title for the third time since first capturing the belt in 2021.
