An interim 122lbs title fight is in the works while the division’s undisputed champion braces for the biggest fight of his career.
BoxingScene has confirmed that Victor Santillan and Noel Reyes will meet in a WBA interim junior featherweight title fight. The all-Dominican showdown will take place on February 21 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The winner will then hope to challenge whoever prevails between fully unified 122lbs champion Naoya Inoue, 32-0 (27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani, 32-0 (24 KOs). Whether or not the WBA orders a title consolidation bout is another matter.
The matchup will represent a homecoming in every sense of the word, as both boxers train outside their birth country.
Reyes, 19-4 (14 KOs), originally from La Vega, D.R., relocated to Tokyo earlier in his career, hence his “Zappa Tokyo” ring moniker. Santillan, 15-2 (6 KOs), was born in La Romana, D.R. but currently resides in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
The most current WBA 122lbs ratings lists Reyes as its No. 6 contender and Santillan three spots below at No. 9.
Reyes will end a 14-month inactive period with the fight.
The 39-year-old has won 12 in a row after stumbling out to a 7-4 career start. All but one of those wins during his current streak have come inside the distance. In his most recent start, Reyes racked up arguably his best win to date in a second round knockout of countryman and former title challenger Norbelto Jimenez in December 2024.
Santillan is 2-2 in his last four starts but has faced a higher level of opposition.
The 30-year-old southpaw splashed onto the scene after a June 2022 upset decision win over former title challenger Carlos Caraballo in New York City. Exactly one year later, he stepped up to face former titleholder Sho Ishida, against whom he dropped a June 2023 split decision in Osaka.
Two years and two fights later, Santillan proved a rough and rugged challenge for then-unbeaten Tenshin Nasukawa, who outpointed the visiting Dominican last June 8 at Ariake Colloseum in Tokyo.
Santillan rebounded with a third round knockout win last October 18 in San Cristobal, D.R. He remains a perfect 9-0 in his native country.
Original plans called for Santillan-Reyes to take place on January 31 in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico. However, Shuan Boxing – the leading Dominican promotional outfit headed by the brilliant Belgica Peña – was able to gain control of the fight and bring it home.
