Takami and Santiago to Unify Titles on December 17 – World Boxing Association

Japan’s Kyosuke Takami will make the first defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA) light flyweight crown in a unification bout against Puerto Rico’s René Santiago on December 17 at the iconic Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

The matchup will pit two reigning world champions against each other—Takami, the WBA titleholder, and Santiago, the WBO king—in what promises to be one of the year’s most compelling fights. The event, promoted by Teiken Promotions, will also feature the WBA bantamweight world title clash between Seiya Tsutsumi and Nonito Donaire.

Takami, just 23 years old, captured the black-and-gold belt last July 30 in Yokohama by stopping Erick Rosa via 10th-round TKO. Now, the young Japanese phenom returns to the ring before year’s end with one clear mission—to become a two-belt world champion.

Standing in his way is René Santiago, a 33-year-old Puerto Rican who stunned the boxing world earlier this year when he traveled to Japan and upset Shokichi Iwata on March 13, also at Kokugikan. Despite entering as the underdog, Santiago dominated the fight from start to finish, dethroning the defending champion by wide decision.

Takami remains undefeated at 10–0 (8 KOs), while Santiago brings a record of 14–4 (9 KOs) into the highly anticipated unification clash.