#TeamSantaCruz, A post shared by Leo Santa Cruz (@elfamosoterremoto) on Feb 16, 2019 at 9:13pm PST. [16] The fight was one-sided as Santa Cruz went on to win a unanimous decision to retain his IBF title. “It feels great. In 2013, it was time to take a step up in weight. Commerce Casino, Commerce, California, USA, Leo Santa Cruz WINS against Julio Valadez by KO in [44][45] After the fight, Santa Cruz said, "I did my job. He is 32 years old and is a Leo. The pair have lost just once between them in … I'm going to get back in the gym and get a big fight in 2020.”, “I’m glad I got the victory,” said Santa Cruz. “I had to be smarter, that’s why it was not a bigger war—but it was a good one.”. Round 6 of 12, Nov Santa Cruz continued with a series of combinations until referee Raul Caiz Sr. jumped in at 2:09 as Martínez stopped throwing back. The 23-year-old Mexican native dominated his older opponent for 12 rounds, gaining a near shutout on the judges’ scorecards to take a unanimous decision. The bout was also televised on Spanish-only network ESPN Deportes and averaged 355,000 viewers, another record. [83] Mares was also victorious in his fight, setting up a rematch between himself and Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz’s aggressive style crossed paths with Gervonta’s technical style and the Mexican put him in trouble several times during the fight. I had to be ready. [57][58][59] The whole card averaged 1.217 million on ESPN and peaked towards the end at 1.641 million viewers. Gervonta Davis Delivers Highlight Reel KO of Leo Santa Cruz, Leo Santa Cruz Vows to Win By Any Means Necessary, Davis-Santa Cruz Final Press Conference Video & Quotes, A post shared by Leo Santa Cruz (@elfamosoterremoto). Staples Center, Los Angeles, Leo Santa Cruz WINS against Abner Mares by MD in Davis, who moved to 24-0 on Saturday, landed a brutal uppercut that knocked Leo Santa Cruz out cold in the sixth round, but Garcia claimed that he was left unfazed. Santa Cruz landed 277 punches to 120 by Ruiz, landing powerful head shots to force the stoppage 29 seconds into the 8th round. Santa Cruz went 10-0-1 in his first 11 fights, but registered just two knockouts as he began his ascent in the 118-pound division. This was also just days after the fighter had defeated Leo Santa Cruz to win the WBA (Super) super featherweight title and retain his WBA (Regular) lightweight strap. Fighting in a high-profile slot on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Marcos Maidana card in Las Vegas in September 2014, Santa Cruz again flashed his brilliance as he scored a second-round TKO of Manuel Roman with a vicious left jab-right hook combo. [99] The match was ultimately confirmed and placed on the main card of Wilder vs. Ortiz II on 23 November. The pride of Baltimore could be boxing's new king as he becomes the first man to stop Santa Cruz and does so in impressive fashion Saturday night on SHOWTIME PPV. Santa Cruz scored the first landmark victory of his career on August 29, 2015, when in a heated, passionate, 12-round war at the Staples Center, he out-gunned Mares en route to a Majority Decision victory. I know he was prepared. Making his PPV debut on October 31, 2020, Davis defended his lightweight title against Leo Santa Cruz at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The fight would take place on the PPV undercard of Canelo vs. Angulo. “Winning this title means the world to me,” Santa Cruz said. $trg_elem.before('