Matias-Paro Undercard Results: Alfredo Santiago Outclasses Angel Fierro In Upset

Dominican-born Alfredo Santiago was long ago embraced by the passionate boxing public in Puerto Rico.

He officially became an honorary Boricua after his latest performance.

The former title challenger delivered a masterclass performance in an upset points victory over Angel Fierro. Scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92 for Santiago in their DAZN-aired 140-pound bout Saturday at Coliseo Juan Aubin Cruz Abreu in Manatí, Puerto Rico.

Santiago expertly put his height and reach advantages to good use versus Tijuana’s Fierro, who moved up from lightweight. The 5’11” junior welterweight—who lives in Fajardo—frequently switched from southpaw to conventional and boxed well from both stances.

Fierro was able to close the gap in round two and make a fight out of it. Santiago was prepared and stood his ground.

It proved to be Fierro’s undoing, as he never had a response for Santiago’s stick-and-move style. He barely had a response when Santiago initiated exchanges throughout the first half of the fight.

Fierro enjoyed success on the inside in rounds six and seven. Santiago slowed down just a touch and occasionally turned to the referee for help when he felt Fierro landed low.

The ninth produced a Round of the Year contender. Weirdly, it began with a rabbit punch as Santiago was given time to recover.

Fierro went on the attack like a man possessed once action resumed and frequently landed clean power shots upstairs. Santiago rallied midway through the round with rapid-fire combinations. Fierro let his hands go in the final minute as the capacity crowd rose to its feet.

Santiago left nothing to chance in the tenth and final round, where he repeatedly beat Fierro to the punch. Fierro’s mobility was hampered but unbothered by it as he waved his arms and played to the crowd. Santiago was happy to oblige and slammed home combinations to Fierro’s chin.

Fierro was congratulatory of Santiago, though barely able to stand after the fight. He favored his right calf and ankle as he hobbled on one leg in a corner.

All told, it was a forgetful foray into junior welterweight as Fierro fell to 22-2-2 (17 knockouts. The loss snapped a seven-fight unbeaten streak.

Santiago (15-2, 6 KOs) earned his second straight upset win and by far the best victory of his nine-year career. He hadn’t fought since a June 2022 first-round knockout of Philadelphia’s Karl Dargan. Saturday was just his third bout since a Nov. 2019 defeat to then-unbeaten WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney in Los Angeles.

Haney went on to fully unify the division before he moved up to 140. Santiago’s career never progressed until Saturday, though that night taught him a valuable lesson.

“I took that fight on two weeks’ notice,” Santiago told DAZN’s Chris Mannix, as translated by Ciaran Simpson. “I learned that night to never put myself in a position [to fail].”

Unbeaten flyweight Yankiel Rivera improved to 6-0 (2 KOs) after a ten-round, unanimous decision victory over Mexico’s Victor ‘Chucky’ Sandoval.

Scores were 98-91, 98-91 and 97-92 for Rivera, who represented P.R. in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Sandoval (37-5, 23 KOs) was ruled down in round two, though he insisted it was the result of a slip. It mattered little, as he suffered his second straight defeat.

Also on the undercard, Stephanie Pineiro outpointed Diana Tapia (7-2, 2 KOs) in a fun but one-sided, ten-round welterweight battle. Scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91 for Pineiro (7-0, 2 KOs), a 33-year-young Boricua from Bayamon.

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