Santa Cruz vs Flores
WBA Super Featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz is expected to collide with Miguel Flores in February of 2019.
Santa Cruz (35-1-1, 19 KOs) last saw action in June when he clashed with former champion Abner Mares. The two Mexican stars rocked the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California as they excitingly battled back-and-forth. Throughout the affair, Santa Cruz would prove to be better equipped to deal with the strategy of Mares. A mixture of boxing and brawling placed him ahead on the scorecard and solidified his unanimous decision victory.
He also gained respect among boxing fans for his back-to-back brawls with former WBA Super champion Carl Frampton. The Mexican-American would lose one of the bouts only to come back and beat the Irishman six-months later.
Nonetheless, the champion has seen his fair share of criticism throughout his career. Most were expecting a unification clash with WBC champion Gary Russell Jr December 2018. Fans clamored for the potential match-up between the two champions, but unfortunately it never came into fruition.
Beginning 2019 by fighting Miguel Flores (23-2, 11 KOs) isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Santa Cruz. The champion hasn’t fought in months and will need a tough tune-up opponent to get his competitive juices flowing.
By: Cessell Robinson
