When Adrien Broner makes his in-ring return on Saturday after two years away, Puerto Rican fighter Jovanie Santiago is not intended to serve as anything more than a stepping stone for "The Problem".
Of course, as Mauricio Lara showed us recently against Josh Warrington, underdogs seldom go into these fights for the payday alone.
Santiago (14-0-1, 10 KOs) trains under Raúl “Papo” Torres and Freddy Trinidad, and recently told The Ring (through Fernando Gaztambide) that the Broner fight will be the upset that will put him on the map.
“It’s a great opportunity that they are giving me to face a four-division world champion," he explained. “It is a great challenge for my career and the world will know me when I beat him.
“The pressure is on Broner. A win will change everything for me and my family. I’m ready for war.”
The 31-year-old, who is a gardener and also drives a tow-truck in his native Puerto Rico between fights, is confident he’ll upset Broner.
“The whole world will know me when I take the victory to Puerto Rico,” said Santiago, who fought in close to 100 amateur fights.
“The other thing I can say is that they should follow Puerto Rican boxing, because great fighters come from there in the blink of an eye.”
On Broner, who hasn't won a fight in four years and has spent much of his 24-month absence from boxing in legal trouble, Santiago added: “We are both in this sport working hard every day.
“(Broner) is a good fighter, (but) I don’t see anything special about him. We are just two gladiators in the ring looking for great things in our lives. At the end of the day, I expect that both of us can continue in this great sport.”