Mares-Santa Cruz is going to be a war

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Leo Santa Cruz - Abner MaresAbner Mares is thrilled to finally have the fight set with Leo Santa Cruz, which will take place August 29th at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in the main event of a PBC card, live on ESPN.

Mares is thankful to fans for their interests, but he is also thankful for the pressure that was put on Santa Cruz to finalize the fight.

“I mean, you guys, the fans, the people that are watching made it possible because you guys bullied him a little bit and pressured him to take this fight because he had been taking nothing but easy fights. Let’s be quite frank,” Mares told Tha Boxing Voice’s Fernando Pimentel.

Mares admits that he, too, has received some criticism for taking soft touches lately. But Mares is quick to remind everyone that his record is much more accomplished than Santa Cruz and that he was merely strategic after suffering the first loss of his career against Jhonny Gonzalez in August of 2013.

We have to side with Mares because he has fought some tough customers while Santa Cruz has yet to face anyone worth note. However, neither can claim to be huge commercial successes as of yet, and this fight is their opportunity to cement a real following outside of the boxing circles.

Besides that point, Mares is intent on fighting the best regardless of politics and he intends to use a win over Santa Cruz as a launching pad to target other high-profile featherweights.

“I’ve been looking for this fight for many years, and, God willing, everything goes well here we’ll move on and look for another top rated featherweight.”

We are hoping for drama in the form of exciting, nonstop action, and Mares is all but guaranteeing such an outcome. “Expect fireworks, Fourth of July once again. That’s what you can expect; toe-to-toe action, bloody war, knockdowns, a little bit of everything and excitement for sure.”

If Mares is right and this fight is closely fought in a brutal nature, then a rematch is something to consider. Santa Cruz has already said that he believes this will be the start of a memorable trilogy, and Mares is on board.

“Honestly, right now I’m going to say it in front of you, I’m up for a rematch. If the fight turns out to be a close fight, I’m ready for it, but honestly you got to be smart about it, too. You can’t just go jump right away into another rematch because I don’t want to end my career that soon, that young. I got a long way to go so we’ll manage it, but I think it’s going to be a great fight where we both can get a rematch or possibly do a trilogy.”

A trilogy between Mexican fighters is one of Boxing’s biggest appeals, and the first fight is usually one of the best in a series between rivals. Mares says fans should show up prepared for a classic.

“You got to buy your ticket because this fight is going to be a classic. Abner Mares-Leo Santa Cruz is going to be a war.”