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 Mares loses, I know he’s going to want a rematch. If I lose, I’m going to want a rematch,” said Santa Cruz. “So none of us are going to be comfortable after the fight.”
Santa Cruz is especially keen to shake off the “cherry-picker” tag that has haunted him over recent times under advisor Al Haymon, as he has fought (in keeping with many PBC fighters) what fans deem “regularly lukewarm” opposition, like Jose Cayatano on the May/Pac under card, while they demand fights either at 122 or 126 with the likes of Guillermo Rigondeaux, Carl Frampton, or, if he can stay at feather, Jamaican former WBA (sup) champion Nicholas Walters.
“This is the toughest fighter I’ve faced,” Santa Cruz added, referring to Mares, who himself is desperate to get his career back to elite level following 2013’s 1 round ko loss to Jhonny Gonzalez, which relieved him of his own WBC featherweight title.
“A fight against him will be the biggest of my career. Even bigger than my first title. Mares has a bigger name, everything is bigger,” Leo continued.
“With two Mexicans fighting, it’s always a war. There have been a lot of great battles like that in the past, and I think this will be too. We could end up with a trilogy of fights.”
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