Luis Santana faced what was clearly the biggest challenge of his career against Chann Thonson. And although it wasn’t easy, he managed to secure another victory on his record.
In a fight that ended with a split decision in Santana’s favor, he was nevertheless knocked down after a vicious right hand from Thonson in the 4th round. But that’s part of boxing, great fighters like Tyson Fury have hit the canvas and still found ways to win.
And the decision didn’t receive unanimous approval from the fans. It shouldn’t be forgotten that there’s a reason it’s called a split decision…
The fight was close, and yes, it wouldn’t have been a scandal if it had gone either way. But in boxing, we must always remember that the words “close fight” and “robbed by the judges” are not synonyms.
Because in a fight like that, the real winners are the fans. Both fighters delivered an all-out war over those 10 rounds.
Photo: Vitor Munhoz – Luis Santana vs Chann Thonson
And finally, credit must be given to Santana, who dug deep into his reserves. Even though it wasn’t easy, he went out there and got the job done.
So here are 4 potential opponents for the next stage of Luis Santana’s career.
Tevin Farmer (33-9-1, 8 KOs)
To start, we’ll go with the well-known American boxer, Tevin Farmer.
A boxing fan’s first instinct when a fight is announced is to look at a boxer’s record. And that’s fair, but sometimes a record doesn’t tell the whole story.
Farmer has lost his last 4 fights and hasn’t boxed in nearly a year. His last defeat was a knockout in the very first round, so nothing too appealing.
But two of those losses were extremely close fights against William Zepeda Segura, the same boxer who gave none other than Shakur Stevenson a tough time.
Farmer is a veteran who has fought many highly talented boxers, but reality is catching up with him. After his last fight, it’s fair to say he may be nearing the exit door.
So a fight like this would allow both fighters to take a “step” in their careers. Yes, Tevin has lost his last four fights, but he remains dangerous.
Photo: Tapology – Tevin Farmer
If Santana wins, he makes his name heard internationally.
If Farmer wins, he proves he still has something left to say.
Avery Martin Duval (15-0-1, 8 KOs)
Avery is another Quebec lightweight boxer. And the division is starting to get crowded.
He and Luis share the same promoter, and it’s rare to see two fighters like that face each other.
But at some point, we can’t send every one of our fighters to a world championship. We’ll have to determine who the best is and who gives us the best chance to bring major fights to Quebec.
Moreover, we saw it in the fight between Santana and Thonson, local fights rarely disappoint.
The two Quebec fighters would fully understand what’s at stake, and that’s what guarantees fireworks.
They are at a fairly similar stage in their careers, and sometimes moving to the next level requires a fight like this.
Photo: Tapology – Avery Martin Duval
Diego Torres Nunez (22-2, 19 KOs)
Next, we go with a Mexican boxer who has only lost to the best fighters in the division.
Nunez has 22 wins on his record with 19 knockouts, he is very dangerous.
But when he faced big names like Raymond Muratalla or Jose Valenzuela, he came up short.
This is therefore a fight where Santana couldn’t afford to take his opponent lightly, because if he does, he will pay the price.
Nunez knows what it’s like to step into the ring with elite opponents, and he won’t be afraid to trade punches.
But if Luis prepares well and follows the game plan to the letter, a victory would also prove what level he truly belongs to.
Photo: UFC – Diego Torres Nunez
Armando Casamonica (15-2, 3 KOs)
Finally, we propose an Italian boxer who came very close to defeating Lucas Bahdi. We’re talking about the highest-ranked Canadian lightweight on BoxRec.
Casamonica lost that fight by majority decision—and that came right after Bahdi delivered one of the most devastating knockouts of 2024.
So the Italian can box. He may not be the most dangerous puncher, but he would make Luis work. It would be a good opportunity to go rounds and gain experience.
Still, the victory shouldn’t be taken for granted, because Casamonica can pull a rabbit out of the hat, and he has proven that in the past.
Photo: Tapology – Armando Casamonica
If Santana managed to impose himself by knockout, or simply secure a much more convincing decision than Bahdi, who knows what the future could hold?
A fight against Lucas Bahdi?
