FRIDAY: Rene Santiago-Carlos Ortega Junior Flyweight Showdown to Stream LIVE and Exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+

(April 11, 2023) —Puerto Rican junior flyweight Rene “Chulo” Santiago will defend his WBO Latino title in a 10-round main event this Friday, April 14 against hometown hero Carlos “Arañita” Ortega at Coliseo de Combates in Panama City, Panama.

Santiago-Ortega and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Santiago (10-3, 7 KOs) is a 31-year-old contender who debuted as a pro in 2014. He captured his first regional title in January 2020 with a decision win over countryman Israel Vazquez. Following a near two-year layoff, he defeated Jose Calderon via second-round TKO and suffered his third pro loss via unanimous decision against Yudel Reyes in April 2022. Santiago is coming off a controversial DQ win over undefeated contender Gerardo Zapata last December. Ortega (15-6-3, 6 KOs), whose nickname means “Little Spider,” is a 14-year pro. He stopped Victor Berrio in the second-round of their May 2022 matchup.

• Derrieck Cuevas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), the fighting pride of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, will defend his WBA Fedecentro junior middleweight title in a 10-round battle against Cuba’s Damian Rodriguez (13-1, 7 KOs). The 28-year-old Cuevas is coming off a second-round TKO against Esneiker Correa last December, while Rodriguez returns from a three-plus-year layoff.
• In a battle of Central American light heavyweights, Panama’s Yunior “Bronco Man” Menendez (6-0, 5 KOs) and Costa Rica’s Juan Carlos Chavarria (6-1, 6 KOs) collide in an eight-rounder for the vacant WBC Fecarbox title.
• Puerto Rican super middleweight knockout artist Luis J Rodriguez Fernandez (11-0, 11 KOs) looks to make hit 12 for 12 versus Ecuador’s Roger Guerrero (17-3-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-rounder.