Leo Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) will finally take a step up in competition when he takes on Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs) on August 29 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA., according to an article by Lance Pugmire of the LA Times.
Pugmire reported that the two have verbally agreed to the bout, and that the site deal has already been signed.
Santa Cruz, 26, is a two-division world champion who has faced a lot of criticism for not fighting the best opposition.
Fights against Manuel Roman, Jesus Ruiz and Jose Cayetano were made with quick ease, while possible fights against Guillermo Rigondeaux, Carl Frampton and Mares were pretty much ignored.
Now it seems that he will finally fight a legitimate opponent in Mares as they have agreed to fight for Santa Cruz’s 122-pound belt.
Mares, 29, has fought his last five fights at 126 pounds, the first of which was a TKO win over Daniel Ponce De Leon to capture the WBC Featherweight crown.
Later that year, Mares was brutally knocked out by Jhonny Gonzalez in a stunning first-round knockout. Since then, Mares has scores three wins–all at Featherweight.
The fight is scheduled to take place in the 122-pound division, so we’ll see how Mares deals with moving back down a division.
Who do you give the edge to in this fight?
