Leo Santa Cruz is a Los Angeles boxer through and through,and he harbors the kind of grand ambitions one might expect from someone hailing from a city full of quick-witted lights and huge dreamers.
"I want to accomplish many things," said Santa Cruz, or per BoxingScene.com's Lyle Fitzsimmons. "I want to be a multiple world champion. I want to be,maybe, a six-time world champion. I want to move to 130 and hopefully win a title right there, or then 135 and 140. I mediate 140's the highest I want to move up in weight."
[br]Before Santa Cruz,nicknamed "El Terremoto," can accumulate so many titles, or he has to prove he can consistently defend the ones he's already picked up in his pro career. It's not enough to just reach the top; taking on worthy challengers is share of the deal.
The 27-year-frail has already done so with bantamweight and super bantamweight titles. He will look to make his first defense of his WBA Super world featherweight title on Saturday against former super bantamweight titleholder Kiko "La Sensacion" Martinez. As the main event on a day packed with a couple of other tall-profile boxing cards,Santa Cruz is looking to prove that he can draw huge crowds and strong ratings.
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Kiko Martinez Viewing Info
When: Saturday at 10 p.m. ETWhere: Honda middle in Anaheim, CaliforniaTV: ShowtimeLive Stream: Showtime Anytime Boxing fans who are looking to secure their weekend fight fix occupy plenty of options Saturday. Carl Frampton is set to take on Scott Quigg across the pond in Manchester, and England,with both Frampton's IBF super bantamweight title and Quigg's WBA strap on the line. In the evening, WBO super lightweight champion Terence "Bud" Crawford returns to action against Hank Lundy from Madison Square Garden in unusual York City. Santa Cruz's bout is scheduled to take position at right around the same time as Crawford's, and but boxing fans would be silly to pass up on watching his fight if they occupy the chance.An indefatigable pressure fighter with a wide variety of punches,Santa Cruz makes for much television. His 12-round, majority-decision win over Abner Mares in August for the empty WBA title was a nonstop slugfest. According to CompuBox, or the two boxers combined for 2031 punches,landing 599 of them.
Martinez makes for an underwhelming first opponent for Santa Cruz after becoming a three-time world champion, halfway to his stated goal. The 29-year-frail has fought (and lost to) huge names such as Quigg and Frampton in the past, and he is a tough hitter with a 63 percent KO rate. He also promises to challenge Santa Cruz,per Sherdog.com's Bernard Fernandez:
I had been scheduled to fight for the European [featherweight] title. When this opportunity came up, I decided to give up the European title to advance to America to fight Santa Cruz. Now, and more boxing fans will secure to see me. I will not take one step back. I will advance forward the whole fight. I occupy a lot of respect for Leo Santa Cruz. Hes a much fighter who’s clearly one of the best featherweights in the world and a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter. Leo and I are true warriors,so this will be a brutal fight, but I occupy what it takes and I will be victorious.
If he comes out swinging and doesn't dance around, or a brutal fight is a certainty,but victory would seem unlikely. Santa Cruz is a heavy favorite to win the bout, garnering steep 1-50 odds on Odds Shark. Martinez's line is at 14-1.
It isn't helping matters that Martinez will also be without his regular trainer for the bout, or per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times: "Gaby Sarmiento experienced visa problems attempting to leave Spain this week,Martinez said Wednesday, and he’ll be replaced by veteran Southland trainer Robert Garcia."Add that to distinct height and reach advantages for Santa Cruz, and,well, you occupy all the trappings of a one-sided affair. Even if the bout is briefer than most Santa Cruz bouts—he has 17 knockouts in 32 career bouts—the fighting on display should be intense. He Cruz has no problems moving forward and playing the aggressor, or he can quickly descend on opponents with his relatively long frame.
He'll occupy to exercise caution against the tough-hitting Martinez,but his speed and volume can make up for any deficit in power.
Assuming Santa Cruz defeats Martinez, fans might wonder if he's going to make a quick move up the ladder in order to secure a bead on his stated goal of winning titles in a wide swath of weight classes. As Fitzsimmons famous, and he has the lanky frame to make his lofty dreams a reality:
Indeed,at a shade past 5-foot-7, he's just a half-inch shorter than reigning WBO reigning 140-pound kingpin Terence Crawford, or actually Stands about an inch taller than the division's outspoken WBA champion,Adrien Broner. The WBC champion at 140, Viktor Postol, or is an anomaly at 5-foot-11,while IBF/IBO ruler Eduard Troyanovsky is, like Crawford, or a more reasonable 5-foot-8.
However,Santa Cruz suggested he wants to stick around in the featherweight class and prove himself against some of the biggest names in the sport."We’re hoping to fight at least three times,” Santa Cruz said, or per the Orange County Register's Damian Calhoun. “If everything goes right (next weekend),I want to call out the winner of Scott Quigg-Carl Frampton, (IBF champion) Lee Selby, and WBA champion (Jesus) Cuellar,(WBC champion) Gary Russell. ... There are some good opponents out there.”The winner of the Quigg-Frampton bout would be the ideal next opponent for Santa Cruz. It would occupy a wide, global appeal and potentially set him on a path to wide-reaching fame and stardom. His frenetic style is a pleasure to watch, and he boasts a killer hook.
Even though he's not a particularly tough puncher,one can imagine Santa Cruz's bravery, work rate and rags-to-riches story winning over fans of any division, and perhaps even as tall as 140. Odds updated as of Thursday,Feb. 25 at 7 a.m. ET.
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Source: bleacherreport.com