Leo Santa Cruz: This Is The Hardest Fight of My Career
Aug 28, 2015 • 10:46 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
Leo Santa Cruz emerged as one of the sport's potential breakout stars beginning with his June '12 bantamweight title winning effort over Vusi Malinga. Known for his tireless workrate, the unbeaten talent from Mexico quickly rose through the ranks and emerged as a crowd favorite.
The love continued as he picked up his second title a year later, knocking out Vic Terrazas in three rounds to claim the super bantamweight title. However, his career has since stagnated, with competition level dropping off considerably while his handlers sought out the best path for his future.
More than two years later comes a long-awaited showdown with former three-division champ Abner Mares. The bout headlines at Staples Center in Los Angeles, with ESPN to televise live in primetime (Saturday, 10:00 p.m. ET) as part of Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series.
Ironically, talks of such a fight began just prior to Santa Cruz' win over Terrazas, which served as the co-feature to Mares' shocking knockout loss to Jhonny Gonzalez.
Mares (29-1-1, 15KOs) has since rebounded with three consecutive wins, though none of which came at the championship level. Yet, the burden of proof exists with Santa Cruz to show he can return to past form that allowed him to emerge as a fan favorite.
"I know this is the hardest fight of my career," Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17KOs) admitted during Thursday's pre-fight press conference in Los Angeles. "But I train very hard for this fight. I can’t wait for August 29 and this fight."
Santa Cruz is coming off of a 10-round points win over Jose Cayetano this past May in Las Vegas. The bout took place at a maximum catchweight of 124 lbs., serving as the chief support to Floyd Mayweather's win over Manny Pacquiao in the most-watched and most lucrative Pay-Per-View event in boxing history.
What fans don't remember from the evening, was Santa Cruz's performance. He offered a credible account of himself, but was largely forgotten in the grand scheme of things. The same has been said of his past several ring appearances, all of which served in supporting capacity to far more meaningful fights.
The hope is that he is able to change that perception on Saturday evening.
"I want to show the world that I deserve to fight the best," Santa Cruz insists. "Abner Mares is one of the best. A win against him will move me to the next level."
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
