LOS ANGELES – Continuing in the longstanding tradition of watching Mexican boxers fight it out in the friendly confines of Los Angeles, undefeated Leo Santa Cruz outlasted fellow Mexican-American Abner Mares in a 12-round, non-title, featherweight fight at Staples Center on Saturday night.
The three judges scored the fight:
117-111 – First Judge
114-114 – Second Judge
117-111 – Third Judge
Both fighters came out swinging in the first round as each fighter who calls Los Angeles their home, did their best to win over the crowd early. Santa Cruz and Mares stood toe-to-toe as they electrified the crowd
Announcer, Teddy Atlas, called the first round, "More action in three minutes than 12 rounds of Pacquiao and Mayweather."
Mares (29-2-1, 15 KOs), the toughest test of Leo Santa Cruz's career, did not appear to have the stamina to stay with Santa Cruz, instead looking for the knockout early in the fight.
"I started out too hard," Mares said of the earlier rounds. "My corner told me to back off and box. It was a close fight, but I honestly thought I won the fight."
Santa Cruz (31-0-1, 17 KOs) was more tactical and strategic in the fight than he was against previous opponents. Ordinarily, Santa Cruz is known to throw punches with reckless abandon, on Saturday, he was calculated and patient.
Santa Cruz threw over 900 punches and landed twice as many punches against Mares, but many of those punches were ineffective, causing little to no damage to Mares.
Eventually however, it was Santa Cruz who began to wear down Mares in the later rounds, stealing the fight from his former sparring partner by unanimous decision.
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