Santiago vows to shock the world with Jones defeat
Hopeful heavyweight Danny Santiago (31-4, 19 KOs) has vowed to shock and stun by defeating the legendary Roy Jones Jr. when they clash at the Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida on 7 October. Santiago is riding the momentum of his last two bouts since bouncing back from defeats to Zsolt Erdei and Antonio Tarver.
"I'm in a winless situation all around because I'm not supposed to be there," said Santiago. “Not against Roy Jones, who is in video games and has been the face of HBO for the last 15 years. I'm just some kid from a place called Ocala that no one's ever heard of. When I go in there and win, it's going to shock the world."
Really?
Whatever the outcome, this bout won’t shock. The world might have been shocked some five years ago, but today an aged Jones, who has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts, has pretty much done all the shocking he could do. If Santiago makes good on his words though, it would seem incredible for Jones to continue fighting.
Santiago noted that the situation is ‘do or die’ for both fighters, but especially for Jones. He lost a one-sided 12 round decision to Bernard Hopkins, and a fight before that was knocked out in the first round by IBO cruiserweight champ Danny Green.
Santiago explained: “I'm not a 20-year-old kid, I'm a mature man. This could be the start of a great thing for me or it could be the very end for me. The same for him. He's in a do-or-die situation. He lost his last fight. If he loses to somebody like me, it's a wrap."
At least Santiago has his confidence in check.
If Jones has even a glimmer of anything he once had, he should be able to win if he lets his punches go. The trouble is he’s gotten into the habit of standing frozen like a traumatized statue whenever his opponent shows signs of fighting back. This is a very bad sign. All the same, if he can keep his composure, he can win.
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