This fight headlines the third installment of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN and pits two of Southern California’s most exciting fighters against each other live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, in primetime on basic cable this Saturday, August 29 with televised coverage beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
This Saturday sees California-based Mexican rivals Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares go to war at the Staples Center on a PBC on ESPN broadcast that represents a battle of Los Angeles, securing not only local bragging rights for the winner, but a surefire move on to bigger and better things.
WBC 122lb champ Santa Cruz is fighting up at 126 for the first time against former 3 weight world champ Mares, although physically he will be the bigger – and ostensibly stronger man on the night – he realises that both guys, especially Mares, badly need the win to progress, and especially if it’s a close one, a rematch will almost certainly be called for.
If Don King succeeds in putting the kibosh on next Saturday’s Mosley/Mayorga rematch, then fight fans will only have the PBC on ESPN Leo Santa Cruz/Abner Mares bout – that takes place at the Staples Centre in LA on the same night – for their fistic viewing pleasure.
Not that there will be too many fans disappointed by that mind you, given they were set to pay $49.95 for the “priviledge of watching the ageing veterans go at it, yet one of the protagonists in the latter, free-to-air bout – Abner Mares – has promised he has returned to his form of old and will be looking to stun his fellow California-based Mexican rival in their long awaited, and far more relevant bout.
LOS ANGELES (August 18, 2015) – Former three division world champion Abner Mares was joined by dozens of Los Angeles media members today during his open media workout at his Del Mares Gym. Mares is preparing for his Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on ESPN showdown with Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz on Saturday, August 29 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
Mares went through a full training session as media members watched on and documented the event. In addition, the Mexican band Banda Culiacansito performed a private concert as he went through his workout.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $25, $50, $75, $150 and $300, not including applicable fees and service charges, and are on sale at AXS.com or by phone at 888-929-7849 or at STAPLES Center.
Assuming he gets past arguably his toughest test yet in Abner Mares on August 29th in Los Angeles, then WBC 122 lb champion Leo Santa Cruz – who fights Mares at 126 – has said a fight with IBF super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton is a very real possibility and a fight he definitely wants, win or lose later this month.
While the bout with his California based Mexican rival is no foregone conclusion, Santa Cruz has insisted he will put the pressure on Mares – whose sole defeat is a 1st round knockout at the hands of Jhonny Gonzalez 2 years ago – and hopes to end the fight by stoppage, believing he has what it takes to grind the smaller man down over the course of the fight and take him out.
LOS ANGELES (July 14, 2015) – Mexican boxing stars Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) and Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs) met today at Plaza Mexico to officially announced their Saturday, August 29 Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN showdown taking place at STAPLES Center.
The fighters hosted an open-to-the-public press conference and fan rally to discuss their upcoming bout with media members and met with fans to sign autographs and take pictures.
Hundreds of fans attended the event at Plaza Mexico in Linwood and the fighters stayed to sign autographs for over two hours afterwards.
The highly anticipated showdown between undefeated star Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) and former three-division world champion Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs) is official as the two beloved stars that call Southern California home will fight in their own backyard at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles onSaturday, August 29 live in primetime on ESPN. Televised coverage for this long awaited event begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
To kick things off, an open-to-the-public fan rally and press conference will be held next Tuesday, July 14 at 4:30 p.m. PT at Plaza Mexico in Los Angeles. Both Santa Cruz and Mares will be in attendance. Fans are encouraged to arrive early.
In his latest chat with fighthype.com, WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz has offered up his opinion on the next move for Floyd Mayweather, as well as questioning the levels of excitement the Pacquiao fight brought the fans – also offering up his own promises as to what we can expect to see from him in the near future.
Santa Cruz, involved in his own forgettable mismatch fight on the undercard on May 2nd, said without a hint of irony;
“It (May-Pac) wasn’t what was expected. It wasn’t what all the fans expected. I thought it was a little bit exciting too but (also) not what I expected. I think I would have liked to see more action and stuff like the other fans – but those fights happen.”
Undefeated WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz, WBO Featherweight World Champion Vasyl Lomachenko, their opponents and non-televised fighters participated Thursday in the undercard final press conference before their respective fights taking place this Saturday, May 2, live on pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
In pay-per-view fights before Floyd “Money” Mayweather meets Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao in their epic welterweight championship unificiation showdown, the Mexican star Santa Cruz (29-0-1, 17 KOs) will take on fellow Mexican countryman Jose Cayetano (17-3, 8 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight contest and Ukraine’s Lomachenko (3-1, 1 KO) will defend against Puerto Rico’s Gamalier Rodriguez (25-2-3, 17 KOs).
WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (29-0,17ko) has spoken to FightHype.com ahead of his scheduled “Golden Ticket” appearance on May 2nd’s “Fight Of The Century” under-card, where he is to square off against unremarkable Hungarian fighter Zsolt Bedak (24-1, 8ko)
Santa Cruz, who is looked after by manager Al Haymon, is gushing in his praise of the PBC mastermind, who himself is credited with rejuvenating the career of Floyd Mayweather, at least financially, by helping him out of his prior contract disputes with Top Rank and Bob Arum some years previously.