Leo Santa Cruz (24-0-1, 17 KOs) knocked out Jesus Ruiz (33-5-5, 22 KOs) in the eighth round of a schedule 12-round fight to successfully defend his WBC Super Bantamweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fight was the co-main event of a card televised by Showtime in the U.S. and promoted jointly by Don King Productions and Golden Boy Promotions.
Santa Cruz, 26, of Rosemead, California, fought at close range with Ruiz and did not seem bothered by Ruiz’s aggression.
Ruiz, 25, of Nogales, Mexico, was previously unranked in the Super Bantamweight division by any of the major boxing organizations.
Santa Cruz calmly picked his shots before landing a powerful right hand in Round 8 that began a fight-ending flurry.
Santa Cruz said that he is willing to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux or Carl Frampton, but his recent opposition and the fact that he is managed by Al Haymon makes this increasingly hard to believe.
