WILL GOODLUCK HAVE GOOD LUCK?
Tanzania Goodluck Mrema is optimistic that he will pull off a Buster Douglas and beat Jeo Santisima Jeo Santisima is ready for the big fight, saying the first to make a mistake will be knocked out
Most believe that Goodluck Mrema needs all the luck that he can get for him to beat hard-hitter Jeo Santisima this Saturday night in the co-headliner of Pinoy Pride 41 – “New Generation Warriors” at the IEC Convention Center.
The 22-year-old Tanzanian and his trainer Paul Akoth, however, are optimistic about scoring a huge upset against Santisima, who is being groomed by ALA Promotions as a world beater.
“I have seen him online. He is nothing different and is the same with the fighters whom I have fought at home,” said Mrema.
Coming in as a huge underdog, Akoth is confident that Mrema will pull off a shocker that should open his door to bigger opportunities.
“(Mike) Tyson was favored over Buster Douglas but you know what happened,” said Akoth. “We're going to do a Buster Douglas.”
Douglas scored one of the biggest upsets in boxing history after handing Tyson, who was the undisputed heavyweight champion at that time, the first loss of his career by a 10th round knockout in Tokyo, Japan in 1990.
Akoth said that his young ward is a fast-rising young prospect in Tanzania and has a huge following. He was being groomed to fight for a regional title in hope of possibly breaking into the world rankings but the offer to fight Santisima, ranked No. 3 by the Oriental Boxing Federation (OPBF), was hard to pass up.
“He wants to go for a big fight,” said Akoth. “We have prepared for it like it was a title fight.”
Santisima, usually silent in the limelight, is convinced that it will be a battle of wits and that whoever makes the first mistake will lose.
“The first one who makes a mistake will be knocked out,” he said.
ALA Gym trainer Michael Domingo, who has seen only a rare clip of Mrema's fight, fully trusts Santisima's talent.
“We have studied him. He knows when to come and when to run. We have prepared on how to time him. He has a good amateur style. We have prepared for a 10-round fight but if he gets hit then he may go down,” he said.
The 21-year-old Santisima is 13-2 with 11 knockouts, while Mrema is 16-0 with eight knockouts.