Santiago vs Taniguchi

When is Santiago vs Taniguchi?

Rene Santiago will square off against Masataka Taniguchi on Friday, April 3rd, 2026, Tokyo.

The fight will take place over 12 rounds in the Jr Flyweight division, which means the weight limit will be 108 pounds (7.7 stone or 49 kg).

This contest is for the unified jr flyweight championship of the world, with the WBO, and WBA belts on the line.

Santiago will be making his 2nd defense of the WBO World Junior Flyweight Championship. He won this belt against Shokichi Iwata in March 2025. He had held this belt for 10 months and 28 days.

He will also be defending WBA World Light Flyweight Championship for the first time. He won this belt against Kyosuke Takami in December 2025. He has held this title for 1 month and 24 days.

Santiago vs Taniguchi stats

Rene Santiago steps into the ring with a record of 15 wins, 4 losses, and 0 draws, 9 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Masataka Taniguchi will make his way to the ring with a record of 21 wins, 5 losses and 0 draws, with 15 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggest Taniguchi has an advantage in power over Santiago, with a 71% knockout percentage compared to Santiago's 60%.

Rene Santiago is the older man by 1 year, at 33 years old.

Taniguchi has a height advantage of 1 inch over Santiago.

Rene Santiago fights out of the orthodox stance, while Masataka Taniguchi is a southpaw.

Santiago is arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 7 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2014, 1 year and 4 months earlier than Taniguchi, whose first professional fight was in 2016. He has fought 49 fewer professional rounds, totaling 118 compared to Taniguchi's 167.

Rene Santiago goes into the fight ranked number 1 by The Ring at jr flyweight.

Masataka Taniguchi is currently ranked number 7 by the WBA, 4 by the WBC, 9 by the WBO, 10 by the IBF, and 9 by The Ring in the 108lb division.

Santiago vs Taniguchi form

Masataka Taniguchi has stopped 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight, he lost to Thanongsak Simsri on December 15, 2024, by split decision in their 12 round contest at Sumiyoshi SportsCenter, Osaka, Japan.

Prior to that, he had been beaten by Melvin Jerusalem on January 6, 2023, by technical knockout in the 2nd round in their WBO World Minimumweight championship fight at EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka.

Going into that contest, he had won against Kai Ishizawa on April 22, 2022, by technical knockout in the 11th round in their WBO World Minimumweight championship fight at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.

Before that, he had beaten Wilfredo Mendez on December 14, 2021, by technical knockout in the 11th round in their WBO World Minimumweight championship fight at Kokugikan, Tokyo.

He had defeated Tatsuro Nakashima on June 7, 2021, by technical knockout in the 5th round at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.

Activity check

Santiago's last 4 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 1 month and 1 day, which means he has been fighting approximately every 6 months and 9 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 46 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 11.5 rounds on average.

Taniguchi's last 5 fights have come over a period of 4 years, 9 months and 27 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 11 months and 18 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 41 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 8.2 rounds on average.

What time does Santiago vs Taniguchi start?

The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 AM UTC at Tokyo, Japan, which is 7:00 AM EST or 4:00 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 12:00 PM BST in the UK.

What are the odds on Santiago vs Taniguchi?

Sorry, we couldn’t find any odds for Santiago vs Taniguchi yet. If odds are not available initially after the fight is announced, bookmakers usually release them closer to the day of the fight.