By Jake Donovan
The biggest boxing event of the 21st Century finally has a confirmed supporting cast. The full undercard has been revealed for the long awaited showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao—which takes place May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Leo Santa Cruz was always destined for the show, but whom he would face remained the last lingering mystery of the event. Four different opponents were approached and presented with contracts, but event handlers eventually settled on Mexico's Jose Cayetano to stand opposite the unbeaten 122 lb. titlist.
Their bout—a non-title affair scheduled for 10 rounds—will air live on the Pay-Per-View telecast, along with a featherweight title fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Puerto Rico's Gamalier Rodriguez.
“Mayweather Promotions is looking forward to bringing some of boxing's most exciting current and future stars to the fans on the biggest night in our sport's history," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "Whether you are watching on pay-per-view or in the arena, you are in store for an electric night of fights."
Santa Cruz (29-0-1, 17KOs) will make his third appearance on a Pay-Per-View event topped by Mayweather. The unbeaten star from Mexico served as part of the supporting cast for Mayweather's first fight under his record-breaking contract with Showtime, scoring a 5th round stoppage of Alexander Muñoz in May '13, on a night when Mayweather outpointed Robert Guerrero.
The bout preceded his title reign at junior featherweight, as he went on to knock out Victor Terrazas in three rounds just three months later to win his second major title in as many weight classes.
Santa Cruz surfaced on the PPV televised portion of last September's rematch between Mayweather and Marcos Maidana. His appearnace lasted less than four minutes, vanquishing overmatched Manuel Roman early into round two of their supporting bout.
His last fight came in January in yet another mismatch, stopping Jesus Ruiz in eight rounds.
Cayetano (17-3, 8KOs) comes in having lost his last fight, a one-sided 10-round decision to countryman Enrique Bernache in February. The bout marks his first outside of Mexico.
Other bouts gracing the non-televised portion of what many figure to be the most lucrative event in boxing history:
• Chris Pearson vs. Said El-Harrak—10 rounds, middleweight
• Jesse Hart vs. Mike Jimenez—10 rounds, super middleweight
• Brad Solomon vs. Adrian Granados—10 rounds, super middleweight
• Andrew Tabiti vs. Anthony Caputo Smith—8 rounds, cruiserweight
"Each undercard match could be a main event on another card," said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, though you'd have to believe the quote preceded the formal announcement of Santa Cruz' opponent. "Fans can watch the exciting action as a warm-up to the most anticipated fight in decades."
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox