Paul vs Silva: Alexandro Santiago vs Antonio Nieves rematch added to PPV undercard

The Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva pay-per-view undercard has added another fight, and this one is between two pro boxers who have actually been active in the sport.

Bantamweights Alexandro Santiago (26-3-5, 13 KO) and Antonio Nieves (20-3-2, 11 KO) will meet in a 10-round bout, which will be a rematch of a ShoBox fight from way back in 2016, which went to a draw.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me. It means a lot to me,” Santiago said. “Antonio Nieves is a world class fighter and I have a lot of respect for him, but we have unfinished business and this time I am not leaving it in the judges’ hands. I’m training very hard and I’m confident that after this fight we will be in line to face any of the great world champions in my division.”

“This fight will steal the show. It’s Puerto Rico versus Mexico all over again,” said Nieves. “We fought a super close fight six years ago and since then we both have had similar paths. We have both fought world-class competition, we have both fought for the world championship. We both know that a win here will catapult us back into world title contention. We both have lost some very close decisions along the way. This fight won’t end in a decision. I’m the bigger man. I will walk him down. He won’t last 10 rounds this time. I’m not leaving this up to the judges.”

Also on the PPV undercard:

• UFC veteran Uriah Hall will face ex-NFL star Le’Veon Bell in both of their proper pro boxing debuts, a four-round fight with a 195 lb catchweight.
• 18-year-old Paul client Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7 KO) takes on three years inactive Braulio Rodriguez (20-4, 17 KO) in an eight-round lightweight bout.
• MMA veteran Chris Avila (1-1 in boxing) faces Mikhail Varshavski, aka “Dr. Mike,” in a four-round cruiserweight bout.