Photo by Suzanne Teresa/PBC
On Saturday, August 29, 2015, Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) takes on Abner Mares (29-1, 15 KOs) in a 12-round Featherweight bout in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN.
This highly anticipated fight matches two of the best fighters in the division and looks to settle a turf war between the two Los Angeles based fighters.
Although he is undefeated, Santa Cruz may have more question marks looming over his career than Mares does. Santa Cruz has been criticized heavily for the cab driver opposition he has faced, especially in his last few fights.
Santa Cruz has a chance to silence critics with a convincing victory and remind people why they fell in love with his come-forward style.
Mares had one of the most impressive four-fight stretches between 2011-2013 of any boxer in the sport. During that span he won world titles in the bantamweight, super featherweight and featherweight divisions.
His only professional setback was a devastating one at the hands of Jhonny Gonzalez via first-round knockout in August 2013. Since then Mares has won all of his subsequent matches and now faces his most difficult foe since dropping the Gonzalez fight.
A victory over Santa Cruz puts Mares squarely in the mix of supremacy in the featherweight division with a shot at Gary Russell, Jr., Lee Selby or Carl Frampton all possible.
The fight will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles and the telecast kicks off at 10:00 pm, EST. Read on for Round By Round Boxing‘s staff predictions and let us know who you think will win Leo Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares.
Round By Round Boxing Staff Predictions - 2020
| Name | Win | Loss | Total Fights | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Burgos | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Hans Themistode | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.66666666666667 |
| R.L. Woodson | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Robert Contreras | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
