WBA Orders Leo Santa Cruz v Leigh Wood; Rey Vargas Out?
It appears that WBA Super 126-pound champion Leo Santa Cruz (38-2-1, 19KOs) will have to make a mandatory defense against WBA Regular champion Leigh Wood (26-2, 16KOs). This comes after the WBA denied his request to pursue a unification bout with newly crowned WBC 126-pound champion Rey Vargas (36-0, 22KOs).
This is unfortunate for both men as they both expressed interest in fighting each other in an all-Mexican championship showdown. After defeating Mark Magsayo, Vargas made it clear he wanted to unify with Cruz next. However, with the WBA ruling Cruz must face Wood next, that leaves Vargas on the outside looking in.
GOOD NEWS FOR WOOD
For Wood, this decision is huge as he immediately called out Cruz in March after his devastating TKO victory over Michael Conlan. With Cruz likely accepting the fight with Wood, both sides must now come to terms to avoid a purse bid.
With Eddie Hearn known to place high bids in favor of his fighters, it’ll be interesting to see if Cruz takes the fight if his representatives are outbid. In that event, he fight will likely head over to the UK – something I’m sure team Cruz wants to keep from happening. 3kings Boxing will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
