Leo “Teremoto” Santa Cruz is one of boxing youngest, most exciting talents out there. Outside the ring he is a gentle soul who is humble and a family man. Inside the ring he is a monster willing to go to hell and back if to secure a victory.
Santa Cruz last stepped into the ring in August when he took on Victor Terrazas in Carson, California for the WBC Super Bantamweight Title. Santa Cruz was impressive in stopping his opponent in the third round which led many to believe that a showdown with Abner Mares was soon to come.
All that changed when Mares defended his featherweight title against Jhonny Gonzalez that same night when Mares suffered a first round knockout at the hands of Gonzalez.
“I was surprised about that,” said Santa Cruz. “I barely got into the arena to watch the fight and when I heard someone fell to the ground I thought it was Jhonny. I looked and was Mares. I was like ‘Aw, there goes our fight maybe right there.’ He got up and got knocked down again and I thought no more fight between me and him.”
The fight was short and had Mares not of been caught then there could have been a different outcome. A fight between the two ring warriors may still happen and even though Mares lost his last fight it would still be huge.
“It was a good shot (that landed on Mares). He surprised him but we don’t know how the fight would of gone if it kept going. We can still fight if the fans want it in the future.”
Leo Santa Cruz will not face Mares this year as Mares has elected to give his body some well deserved rest and relaxation for the rest of the year. A fight with Gonzalez is possible but Santa Cruz may defend his 122 pound title if the right opponent is lined up for him.
“Right now I want to defend my title one more time, see how it goes. If there is a good opponent (at 122 pounds) I will be right there. If not, I will think about moving up and look for the good names.”
