Youth boxing: Plainfield’s Santiago a champion

• Reprints

Erik Santiago (right), of Plainfield, stands with coach Chris Chodhary at the Silver Gloves State Championships in December in Rockford. | Supplied photo

Updated: February 28, 2012 8:04AM

Erik Santiago, of Plainfield, won the boxing championship in his age and weight bracket at the Silver Gloves State Championships in December in Rockford.

Santiago, 11, a student at Aux Sable Middle School, won two three-round bouts Dec. 17 and 18 at the Patriots’ Gateway Center. The young fighter weighs 82 pounds.

“It’s pretty tough to fight one fight, let alone two days in a row,” said coach Chris Chodhary, who trains Santiago at Rocket Boxing in Oswego.

“The first win really fueled him. I think he was hungry,” Chodhary said. “His mind was there, his heart was there, his spirit was there.”

During the championship fight Dec. 18, Santiago applied pressure early and got the crowd behind him, Chodhary said. The cheering provided momentum.

“It felt like I was on top of the world,” Santiago said.

Rockford bouts

The semifinals bout, on Dec. 17, came on a difficult day. There were 40 bouts scheduled, Santiago’s right in the middle.

However, Santiago was ready when it was time to fight. He showed fire and intensity and stared down his opponent, Chodhary said.

When the bell rang, Santiago was all business.

“He listened to his coach from the corner, he followed the game plan and he showed a lot of pressure in the first round,” Chodhary said. “He hit hard and put the other boy on the defensive.”

Chodhary knew that Santiago’s opponent, having fallen behind, would come out fighting in the second round. And when a fighter attempts such a direct attack, he leaves himself open. Santiago took advantage of that, slipping his opponent’s punches and countering in flurries.

Chodhary calls this strategy, “Make him miss, make him pay.”

“In the second round, coach knew that he would come out punching, so coach was telling me, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing, but don’t let him get inside,’” Santiago said. “He kept pressuring me, but all I had to do was keep throwing punches.”

Chodhary said, “He was on the right track of controlling his opponent.”

In the final round, Chodhary knew once again that the opponent would come out blasting. He instructed Santiago to switch styles. Santiago had been in slugger’s mode the first rounds, and now he would come out in boxing mode. Santiago made a lot of lateral movements, stick and move, make him miss and make him pay.

“He looked like a chess player in that ring — strategy,” Chodhary said.

Santiago prevailed in the semifinal and moved to the championship bout Dec. 18.

As the final bout began, Santiago came in with the same attitude, showing confidence and staring down his opponent.

Chodhary had Santiago apply pressure right away. He noticed that the opponent was flat-footed a couple of times and was loading up for big shots instead of consistently attacking.

Based on this, Chodhary instructed Santiago to go into boxing mode early, in the second round, and not wait until the end: stick and move, make him miss and make him pay.

That’s when Santiago built up momentum, and that momentum continued as he dominated the third round and won the state Silver Gloves championship.

Student athlete

Erik’s parents are Erik and Melissa Santiago, of Plainfield.

Erik’s biggest supporters are his two sisters, Shaieley, 17, a student at Plainfield South High School, and Erika, 13, a student at Aux Sable Middle School.

At Aux Sable Middle School, Erik Santiago is an athlete in wrestling, track and cross country. He also wrestles and plays football, baseball and basketball in various clubs and leagues.

At Rocket Boxing, Santiago’s nickname is “Peanut.” He is the youngest of the boxers training at the Oswego gym, and he spends a lot of time training with teens and adults. This gives him confidence when he fights opponents his age.

Robert Carrillo, of Joliet, who also trains at Rocket Boxing, won the state Silver Gloves championship last year.

Santiago wanted to fight in the Silver Gloves last year, but had a scheduling conflict, Chodhary said.

“This year, we made sure he entered, and he dominated the whole tournament in his age and weight bracket.”