Unified WBA and WBO light flyweight champion Rene Santiago will defend his titles this Friday, April 3, when he faces former world champion Masataka Taniguchi at the legendary Korakuen Hall. The two fighters came face to face this Wednesday April first at the official press conference, where both made it clear that victory is the only option.
Santiago (15-4, 9 KOs), riding the wave of his career best year in 2025 when he captured both belts in Japan as an underdog arrives confident and fully focused.
“I feel 100% focused and ready for my fight,” Santiago declared. “I want to keep showing my skills to the Japanese fans while I go for my third straight win on their soil. I will give everything I have to return to Puerto Rico with my titles.”
The 33 year old Puerto Rican cemented his elite status by defeating Shokichi Iwata and Kyosuke Takami last year, completing one of the most impressive comebacks in recent light flyweight history. Looking ahead, Santiago has not ruled out a potential rematch with Iwata, now the reigning WBC champion, should he emerge victorious on Friday.
Taniguchi (25-1, 15 KOs), fighting in front of his home crowd, issued a strong warning. “I have to be better than Santiago for 12 rounds or 36 minutes,” he said. “I won’t let him do whatever he wants. Santiago will go home empty handed.”
Taniguchi fought twice in 2025, most notably scoring a fifth round TKO over Takeru Inoue to claim the OPBF light flyweight title.
The event, the 12th edition of Treasure Boxing, is promoted by former world champion Masayuki Ito and features a co-main event between former world champions Yukinori Oguni and Marlon Tapales over ten rounds.
All systems are go in Tokyo for a night where Santiago aims to extend his dominance at 108 pounds, while Taniguchi seeks to reclaim his place on the world stage in front of his fans.
