By Keith Idec

Many more viewers tuned in to watch the “PBC on FOX” tripleheader Saturday night than the last one.

According to ratings released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research, an average audience of 1,483,000 watched a FOX boxing telecast that included victories by featherweight champions Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares. Viewership for the previous “PBC on FOX” tripleheader peaked at 1,039,000 viewers and averaged 886,000.

The peak audience for Saturday’s show was not available as of Tuesday night. The shows Saturday and July 15 both aired in prime time on the East Coast.

Saturday’s broadcast on free TV was considered a lesser offering than the July 15 show, though, because Santa Cruz and Mares participated in what amounted to tune-up bouts before their rematch. Santa Cruz (34-1-1, 19 KOs), the WBA “super” world featherweight champion, and Mares (31-2-1, 15 KOs), the WBA world featherweight champion, are expected to fight again sometime in March in the Los Angeles area.

On Saturday night, Santa Cruz, of Rosemead, California, knocked out Chris Avalos (27-6, 20 KOs), of Lancaster, California, in the eighth round in the main event at StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Mares, of Downey, California, beat Mexico’s Andres Gutierrez (35-2-1, 25 KOs) by technical decision when a cut over Gutierrez’s left eye prevented him from continuing after the 10th round. Mares was up big on all three scorecards when their fight was stopped (100-90, 99-91, 99-91).

The telecast Saturday night began with Mexico’s Antonio DeMarco (33-6-1, 24 KOs) stopping previously unbeaten 140-pound prospect Eddie Ramirez (17-1, 11 KOs), of Aurora, Illinois, in the first round.

The July 15 card on FOX featured Omar Figueroa Jr.’s five-knockdown, third-round knockout of former four-division champion Robert Guerrero at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.