By Thomas Gerbasi
Fight week is approaching for Leo Santa Cruz, and all the familiar feelings are starting for the WBA featherweight champion.
“I think I’m gonna feel nervous like I’m gonna fight and it’s gonna be stressful,” he laughs. “The only thing is I won’t be training hard and cutting weight.”
This is a fairly new world for Santa Cruz, boxing promoter. Getting ready for the first nationally televised card presented by his company, Last Round Promotions, on May 2 in Studio City, California, the 28-year-old is getting a taste of how the other half lives in the sweet science.
“It’s really hard and you have so much stress,” he said. “And right now, it still hasn’t been that much. I have my team and they’ve been taking care of it right now because I’m still fighting and it’s hard for me to get a hundred percent into it. So my team is helping me out a lot and I’m grateful for them. But in the little I’ve seen, it’s very stressful and it’s hard work.”
Harder than fighting?
“Yeah, of course,” he says without hesitation. “I’d rather fight than promote. (Laughs) When I’m not fighting, I think I can do it, but it’s still really hard and harder than fighting. So we’re gonna see how we do.”
In February 2016, Last Round Promotions put on its first event in Ontario, California, and it was a way not only for the Santa Cruz family to stay in the business after Leo hangs up the gloves, but to help local fighters get the push and opportunities they need in a tough business.
“We were planning for a year, and talking about what we can do to stay in boxing,” Santa Cruz said. “My dad had already started getting fighters coming up to him and seeing if he could train them or help them out.”
That’s not surprising, given the way the patriarch of the family, Jose, has guided his sons – Leo, Antonio, Jose Armando and Roberto – through the business. Of course, Leo is the prime example, winning three divisional world titles while defeating the likes of Carl Frampton and Abner Mares along the way.
“My dad loves boxing and he’s really a fan of it, and when we were thinking about what we were going to do after I retire, we said, ‘Why not become a promoter and try to help the up and coming fighters?’” Santa Cruz recalled. “When I was coming up, I needed that help, and since we still want to stay in boxing, we’ll work with fighters that have really good qualities and can become world champions, and be that person to look out for them and help them. We want to help them achieve their goals and do whatever we can for them.”
On May 2, the card at Sportsmans Lodge, which airs on FS1 and FOX Deportes features some of those up and comers, including his training partner Ivan Redkach, who headlines against Argenis Mendez.
“The main event is going to be Ivan Redkach,” Santa Cruz said. “He’s a great fighter and I think he can be world champion. He trains really hard, he’s a lefty, and everything he does in the gym is great. He’s one of the fighters people should look at. My cousin, Antonio Santa Cruz, will be fighting there, and so is another fighter from the gym, Jerry Perez. He made his debut when I fought Carl Frampton. And Richard Acevedo, another great fighter, is making his debut. There’s Luis Bello as well, so there are a lot of prospects coming up that people will want to see and follow.”
Sounds like a promoter.
Santa Cruz laughs, and the laugh grows louder when he’s asked whether there was ever a moment when he just hoped that someone would show up on May 2.
“You want your first show to do well, and all you hope for is for people to show up and that it’s a great event. So that’s always in my head, but so far it’s been doing great and we thank God for that.”