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Sports

A Fight Worth Watching: Leo Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares

This weekend featherweight fighters Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares face off on ESPN in a boxing match that even MMA fans should watch.
Photo via Abner Mares

For boxing fans not wanting to shell out the $49.95 to watch the Mosley-Mayorga rematch this weekend, there is another fight option available in the form of Leo Santa Cruz taking on Abner Mares in a featherweight bout to be aired free on ESPN. The bout is a continuation of the Premier Boxing Championship series sponsored by Al Haymon, which until now has produced lukewarm results. The bout this weekend, however, has promise to change that trend.

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Fans might remember Mares as the winner of the lesser-known Bantamweight tournament put on Showtime in 2011 where he bested the once feared Vic Darchinyan in the preliminaries and later defeated Ghana's Joseph Agbeko in the finals. Mares would pick up another title a weight class above before finally reaching the pinnacle of his career in a 9th round TKO over Daniel Ponce De Leon for the WBC featherweight title. His reign would be short, however, as he went on to lose the belt in a surprise KO loss to Jhonny Gonzalez 3 months later. Mares has since taken on soft touches and shown questionable performances in the ring.

The same night Mares lost his title to Gonzalez, Santa Cruz won his second, knocking out Victor Terrazas in the 3rd round to claim the WBC super bantamweight crown. Since then, the two have gone down similar paths of criticism. The four defenses made after Santa Cruz won the title were against uninspired opposition, and last May the former champ made his debut splash in the featherweight division when he appeared on the undercard of Mayweather-Pacquiao against the unheralded Jose Cayetano. The bout was an uneventful mismatch, and leaving the bantamweight division meant leaving potential matchups with names like Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg, and of course the recognized champion Guillermo Rigondeaux.

Spelling out the matchup this way doesn't inspire much interest for the fight, but there is also another way to look at it. Santa Cruz, at 27, is still at the top of his game, and Mares, at 29, isn't too far behind. Together they hold a combined record of 59-1-2 with 32 knockouts, and not only do they fit the profile of the Mexican fighter that never quits, but they also bring considerable skill to the table. Both guys come forward, trade when necessary, and have something to prove. Plus, they both have strengths and vulnerabilities that will play out interestingly in the ring. Mares may still be reeling from his KO loss to Gonzalez, but has more experience at the higher weight. Santa Cruz, while technically on a winning streak, is largely untested in the featherweight division. Best of all, predictions by experts are split down the middle.

If background stories are of any consequence, then both measure up to one another once again. Santa Cruz, the youngest of four brothers, is fighting to support the immigrant family that raised him. Stories of growing up in cramped apartments, little food, and long walks to the boxing gym litter his past. When he won his first belt, he bought his mother a house, his father a car, and much of his continued earnings—from his fights, his boxing gym, and promotional company—all go towards ensuring his siblings live well. Mares, who grew up in similar conditions, is also a family man. He too fought out of impoverished beginnings and has pieced together his furnishings from paycheck to paycheck (or fight to fight). And when not in the gym or on promotional tour, he spends most of his time raising his daughters. Now he's even reached a point to sponsor food giveaways for the community and give motivational speeches to troubled youth from his old neighborhood. Overall, you'd be hard-pressed to find two more decent guys fighting this weekend.

There isn't much bad blood between the two. Trash talk has been minimal and the little there has been seems almost like a promotional requisite to help push the fight. There also isn't the edgy appeal of the conventional bravado-filled "bad-boy"; if anything, both Santa Cruz and Mares have quiet demeanors. But these are two seasoned professionals still in their primes, understanding that their trade is to best an opponent in a hurting contest, and both sides have prepared adequately to complete that task. Come Saturday night, expect to see two highly trained pugilists perform at the top of their craft, and knowing their backstories will at least make you feel that they rightly deserve the earnings they fight for.