The Featherweight showdown that everyone has been waiting for is almost here. Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) takes on former three-division world champion Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs), live August 29 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Here’s the real kicker, it’s free. This bout will be another addition of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN, brought to you by everybody’s favorite promoter–excuse me manager–Al Haymon.
This bout has been one of the more anticipated fights for boxing fans for some time now. There were many discussions about this fight happening years back, but both fighters say that this is the perfect time to make it happen. Both men held a conference call for the media earlier today to discuss their upcoming matchup and what they feel they will bring into the ring that night.
“I just want to say that I can’t wait for August 29. I’m ready, I’m motivated and I can’t wait. Do not miss this fight. Fans, media, or whoever, please, you’re not going to want to miss this,” said an enthusiastic Mares.
Right from the get go, you could tell that Mares was pumped for the fight and why shouldn’t he be? He’s only been begging for it for years now, but a surprise knockout loss to Jhonny Gonzalez derailed the fight from happening.
When ESPN’s Dan Rafael asked how much had he been looking forward to this showdown, Mares did not hold back.
“Oh man, Dan. I’ve been looking forward for this fight for years. I’ve been calling out Leo any chance I get and finally I got it. I wish it was tomorrow. I’m that ready and focused,” said Mares.
Mares would continue on to describe how important this fight is to him, his friends and family, who should all be in attendance that night at the Staples Center.
“I’m not going to let anyone down that night. Not my family, not my friends and certainly not the boxing fans,” said a determined Mares.
Mares would later be asked about the rumors of bad blood between him and Santa Cruz, a point which has been brought up a lot lately.
“I just feel that he’s made comments of me like I’m not at his level and I didn’t deserve a shot at him and I personally took that as disrespect. He knows the kind of fighter that I am and what I can do. At the end of the day I just want to prove that I am the superior fighter,” said Mares.
“Thank you to everyone for being on the call today. Like I said, I’m ready for August 29 and I think it is going to be a great fight. You’re not going to want to miss this. Leo, I know you can hear this, I’m ready,” stated a confident Mares as he finished his portion of the media call.
The call then turned to Leo Santa Cruz for his thought on the fight. “Hello everyone and thanks for being on the call. I just want to say that I’m really excited about this fight and it’s the biggest fight of my career,” said Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz was immediately asked why he felt this was the biggest fight of his career as opposed to winning a title for the first time.
“Well, for one thing, this will be the first time that I am fighting as the main event and fighting in the main event against someone who is considered one of the top guys makes this so important too. Everyone wants this fight so I’m ready to give it to them,” said Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz also spoke about being considered the slight favorite going into the fight.
“Well, I think at first Mares was the favorite and now I’m hearing that I might be the favorite, but honestly I feel like this is a 50/50 fight,” said the humble Santa Cruz. It’s hard to disagree with Santa Cruz’s sentiments as this bout seems to be a true pick ‘em fight and it’s very difficult to give the outright edge to either guy.
Now, when you have two guys pretty evenly matched, you hope to see some fireworks. Both men have a crowd pleasing style that in most cases displays little defense in the ring. Dan Rafael of ESPN Santa Cruz if he has considered a possibility of a rematch or even a trilogy if the fights prove to be close.
“Of course I’ve considered it. I know if Mares loses, he’s going to want a rematch and if I lose I know I’ll want one also. Maybe if the fights are competitive, we can have a trilogy.”
While Mares claims that this fight is personal to him, Santa Cruz claims that this fight is just business to him.
“No, fights are never personal to me. To me it’s just business. As far as him thinking I’m disrespecting him, I don’t know what he means by it. I think this is a great fight for him and for myself. He’s a three-division champion and I’m a two-time champion. Even when he got dropped and lost, I thought if the fight would have went on that he would’ve won,” said Santa Cruz who was not shy in complimenting his opponent.
So while there may not be much blood boiling between both guys, there’s a good chance that there will be some blood spilt on the canvas at the Staples Center on August 29.
Both Mares and Santa Cruz will bring in an aggressive style that should please anyone watching in the stadium or at home. This matchup has all the makings to be a “Big Drama Show” as Gennady Golovkin would say.
Who do you have winning this Featherweight showdown?
Photo by Craig Bennett
