Leo Santa Cruz – very exciting fighter

By Bob Smith - 06/01/2013 - Comments

santacruz3By Bob Smith: I am much more of a casual fan than a boxing expert, but I can say that I was very impressed by Leo Santa Cruz on the undercard of Mayweather vs. Guerrero. He is known as “El Terremoto” or the earthquake, and there is a reason for this – he averaged over 100 punches per round in his five fights in 2012 – this is an almost unbelievable work rate.

He was the bantamweight world champion until deciding to move up to junior lightweight, for similar reasons that Mayweather, Broner, and Mares have moved up – bigger paydays, better competition, more exposure, and more chances for belts. In fact, he is currently the #4 fighter in the division as of 5/27 right behind Rigondeaux, Donaire, and Victor Terrazas, but he will fight Victor Terrazas some time in the next few months.

It should be a quite exciting fight and I can say that I am now a fan of Leo Santa Cruz. If he wins a belt, this could lead to a match with either Donaire or Rigondeaux, and whlie I think that either of them would be far too much for this young fighter, if he wins against Terrazas, he would be a two division world champion at only 24.

It is unfortunate that in a division dominated by 1 or 2 elite fighters very world class fighters who are #2 or #3 but still very special are completely ignored. For example both Froch and Kessler do not get nearly the recognition they deserve because they are overshadowed by Andre Ward. Let’s hope that this does not happen with Leo Santa Cruz also, because while there is a chasm between his skill level and that of Donaire or Rigondeaux, he does deserve acclaim, a bigger fan base, and a chance to defend his title against weaker junior featherweights and get a few paydays in before trying to take on Donaire or Rigondeaux.

He is a rising star and I really look forward to seeing his future matches.



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