Asanau Beats Santana by Unanimous Decision to Win NABF Title

Dzmitry Asanau used his speed, jab and sharper replies to defeat Luis Santana unanimously over ten rounds at the Theatre Capitole in Quebec City, taking the Canadian’s NABF lightweight title while retaining his IBF Intercontinental and WBC Continental Americas belts. Santana went down in the third round but remained competitive enough to make the winner earn his evening’s wages.

The scores were 98 to 91 twice and 97 to 92. They reflected Asanau’s greater consistency and the knockdown, although the contest contained more exchanges and resistance than those margins might suggest. Santana kept advancing and found opportunities of his own. The difficulty was maintaining them against an opponent who usually had the quicker answer.

Asanau, 30, moves from 13 victories without defeat to 14, with seven knockouts. Santana, 28, loses for the first time after 16 consecutive wins and remains on seven stoppages. Both were comfortably inside the 135lb limit, the Belarusian weighing 134.8lb and the Montreal fighter 134.6lb.

This was an unusually direct piece of matchmaking from Eye of the Tiger. Both men belong to the promotional stable, and both brought regional championships and unbeaten records. Rather than preserve those records on separate courses, the promoter asked them to settle which man was better equipped to move forward.

Santana had won his NABF championship against fellow Montreal boxer Chann Thonson in April. Asanau arrived with the deeper international background, having represented Belarus at two Olympic Games, and with a growing professional record that included victories over Francesco Patera and Roger Gutierrez. He had already established himself among the leading contenders rather than merely the leading hopefuls.

The taller Asanau found his jab early. Santana came towards him, trying to close the distance and make the contest an exchange rather than an exercise in following. The Canadian’s attacks drew encouragement from the crowd, but the Belarusian’s quicker hands and movement allowed him to respond without remaining in place for every return.

Santana’s straight right was a useful weapon. He found Asanau with it during the first half and demonstrated that the favourite’s defensive work was not beyond criticism. Yet a successful attack did not necessarily leave Santana in control of the exchange. Asanau frequently answered promptly, turning an opponent’s brief success into another opportunity to score himself.

His punch selection extended beyond the straight blows. Hooks and the right uppercut helped him deal with Santana’s attempts to advance behind his guard. The lead hand remained the foundation, however. It established distance, interrupted the Canadian’s approach and made him work before he could begin the close exchanges he wanted.

The third round supplied the most consequential incident. A stiff jab caught Santana on the chin and put him down. It was a reminder that a lead hand need not be a polite introduction to the heavier punches. Correctly timed and delivered, it can do the disagreeable work itself.

Santana recovered and continued pressing. He did not allow the knockdown to turn his night into a retreat, but neither could he consistently remove the obstacle that had caused it. Asanau’s speed and accuracy remained central to the fight, obliging the Canadian to negotiate the jab repeatedly.

The contest continued to offer lively exchanges through the middle rounds. Santana’s willingness to pursue kept Asanau working, while the Belarusian’s counters prevented that pressure from becoming sustained command. When Santana found the target, Asanau’s response often arrived quickly enough to deny him a comfortable follow-up.

There were periods when the Canadian made the contest awkward and forced his opponent to work while giving ground. Asanau nevertheless remained the more precise operator. His movement had a practical purpose, creating room for the jab and allowing him to choose his replies rather than accept every exchange at Santana’s preferred distance.

By the closing stages, the issue was whether Santana could produce enough sustained success to overcome the earlier deficit. His determination remained intact, but Asanau’s steadier scoring provided the answer. The unbeaten record belonging to the Belarusian survived because his offence was more repeatable, not because the other man stopped trying. Persistence made Santana competitive; precision made Asanau the winner.

Afterwards, speaking in French, Asanau praised his opponent: “I have every respect for him.” He wished Santana well in his career, an appropriate acknowledgement after a contest in which the loser had contributed substantially to the entertainment.

The bout formed part of the DAZN televised promotion headed by Osleys Iglesias’s successful defence against Oliver Zaren. Wilkens Mathieu also defeated Vladimir Shishkin by split decision, while Leila Beaudoin retained her interim WBA super featherweight title against Brisa Alfonzo.

Asanau leaves with three regional belts and a convincing victory over another unbeaten contender. Santana leaves without his championship, but with evidence that he can compete against a polished international boxer. The difference was the consistency with which Asanau made his skill count.

I thought Asanau deserved this clearly, but Santana made him earn it. The difference was how quickly Asanau could answer an attack. Santana would land something useful, then find himself taking a clean reply before he could build on it. That stops a pressure fighter from getting comfortable.

For me, the jab was the best part of Asanau’s work. He used it to control the distance and interrupt Santana’s approach, and the knockdown showed what a properly timed lead hand can do. You don’t always need a big right hand. Catch your opponent coming into range with his balance wrong, and the jab becomes a serious punch.

I liked Santana’s determination and his straight right. He found the target enough to show that Asanau can be hit, and he kept trying to force exchanges after going down. But coming forward behind a high guard wasn’t solving the problem. I wanted him to change the angle of his approach more often and make Asanau reset before attacking again.

Asanau’s hooks and right uppercut gave him useful answers when Santana got closer. He could box at distance, then vary the reply when the space narrowed. That range of punch selection mattered more than simply having faster hands.

I’d still want tighter defensive work from Asanau against stronger opposition. He gave Santana opportunities with that right hand, and better opponents will build combinations from those openings. But this was a proper win against someone who came to compete. Santana showed heart and ability; Asanau showed the more complete boxing.