Giuriceo enjoys his eight-round victory

Staff report

Chester, W.Va.

Jake Giuriceo liked the pace of the action, the volume of action, the outcome and — just 22 days before his wedding — the unscathed condition of his face after Saturday night’s light welterweight victory in the main event at Mountaineer Park.

“From the beginning to the end, I came out throwing a lot of punches and finally got aggressive from round 1 through 8,” the Campbell Memorial High graduate said of his 8-round unanimous decision over Juan Santiago.

“I landed them clean,” he said of not wasting punches. “I threw a lot of combinations — not one punch here and one there,” he said of the fight, which the judges scored 79-73, 80-72, 80-72.

Giuriceo (16-0-1, 3 KOs) and Santiago, a Colorado native, put the pedal to the metal from the opening bell.

“We got into it and battled,” Giuriceo said. “He [Santiago] liked to stay with me and didn’t run around the ring. It was the perfect style for me because I like to fight. It was eight good rounds of action and, praise the Lord, I came out with the victory.

Giuriceo said he hit Santiago (13-9-1, 8 KOs) with some good shots.

“I thought I’d have him out of there but he was tough and didn’t show signs of being hurt. He didn’t hurt me with anything, either. I saw his head get snapped back a few times from a few right hands and I hit him with some clean upper-cuts and some really good body shots, too. It was just a great fight.”

Both fighters weighed 138 for the super lightweight/junior welterweight bout with a limit of 140.

Giuriceo said that Roy Jones Jr., a co-promoter in association with TNT, came into the locker room and talked to him, his manager Joe Corvino and trainer Keith Burnside.

“It was very positive,” the fighter said. “He was very impressed with the way I handled myself. I’d imagine if they have another card, he’d be calling to put me on it.”

Of his 17 fights, Giuriceo has gone the distance all but three times — his three knockouts.

He last fought on March, 10 in Orange County, California.

Giuriceo, 27, said he wasn’t disappointed with a decision.

“A KO isn’t necessary. It’s not important. A win is a win. I care less how I get it. I’m thankful I won, came out safe and didn’t beat up my face. I’m happy about that. Now I’ll take 21 days off before getting married.”