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Raiko Santana as shown on his Instagram @raikoelcorojosantana

What Raiko Santana's Dreams Are Made Of | Canelo vs Crawford

Cuban Talent Readies Himself For The Biggest Moment Of His Career September 13
By Thomas Gerbasi (Header image courtesy of Santana's Instagram: @raikoelcorojosantana) • Sep. 9, 2025

Raiko Santana always knew he could fight. What he didn’t know was how things would play out once he took those fighting skills honed in his native Cuba to the United States three years ago. And while he dreamed of one day getting the opportunity to show what he could do in the brightest spotlight possible, getting a fight against Steven Nelson in front of 60,000 people this Saturday probably wasn’t on his bingo card.

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“I always dreamt of this,” Santana said through coach / translator Tommy Galindo. “I am like any boxer ever, always dreaming about being on a stage like this. But I am thankful, and I thank God that I’m in the position I’m in right now.”

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It’s a position earned through plenty of blood, sweat and tears, and even a little history, as the 32-year-old may be the only boxer to win a nine-round decision, something that happened in June of last year when he outpointed super middleweight prospect Lester Simpson in a fight that went to a sudden death overtime round after the initial eight-rounder was judged a draw.

“From the beginning, we wanted eight rounds,” said Santana, who got an extra one. “But once we got to this round and we saw that it was a draw and I knew I was going to another round, I was more than ready. I was just very excited and was glad that we were going that extra round.”

Fighting a ninth round when he had trained for eight, doing it as the “B side,” and then delivering when it matters shows what kind of fighter Santana is, despite a 12-4 record that pales in comparison to the 20-1 slate sported by Nelson. And when assured that Saturday’s matchup won’t be going 11 rounds, he interrupts.

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“Less than five,” Santana laughs.

His confidence is based not just in a lifetime in the sport, but in the belief that activity keeps a boxer sharp. On paper, the Nelson fight is just his second of the year, but he has competed 18 times in the Team Combat League promotion in 2025. That’s not a typo, but if you haven’t followed the TCL, it pits boxers against one another in one-round bouts. So Santana has put in 18 rounds in TCL this year, including three in August, winning 16 of them. It’s a payday, and a way to make sure he’s ready to fight in his “regular” bouts as soon as the bell rings.

“I think it's really good because I fight different styles and, of course, different weight classes too, as well,” said Santana. ”It keeps me fresh and keeps my timing good. I’m just focusing and working on stuff that I’m working on in the gym.”

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When we spoke, it was days before his TCL bout against Abimbola Osundairo in Arizona on August 31. Yes, August 31. I told him he was crazy, because all he needed was a clash of heads to open a cut and scratch the Nelson fight. He simply laughed, making it clear that fighters fight. So if he’s going into Las Vegas as the underdog, that doesn’t bother him, either, because he plans on bringing his judges, aka his fists, with him.

“All I think about is winning,” he said. “Most of my career, I’ve been on the B-side. That's one of the reasons why I throw a lot of punches and I’m always coming forward. I know I’m already fighting an uphill battle, so no matter who it is, I'm just going to win. A lot of people don't know me, but they're going to know me after September 13th.”