UPDATED: Double Drama in the States Last Weekend

Mares v Santa Cruz & Charlo v Trout in LA – Crawford v Horn in Vegas

 

By Jon Sutton (Images & Quotes: Showtime/Top Rank/BoxRec)

 

 

Image: Showtime (click for full fight details – Mares v Santa Cruz & Charlo v Trout)

 

 

 

ABNER MARES v LEO SANTA CRUZ 2 (LA)

 

This Saturday night, eighteen years after the Staples Center mega-fight that was Oscar De La Hoya v Shane Mosley  (the two biggest faces of boxing in LA – and around the world – at that time) fellow Californians (by way of Mexico) Abner Mares & Leo Santa Cruz will look to emulate the fight’s success when they meet for their long awaited rematch in the same location.

Mares, who lost the first fight, has improved in the three years since and is now confident of winning the WBC  & WBO Featherweight belts that Santa Cruz snatched the first time around.

“I’m looking for redemption because he beat me. Simple as that.” Mares said, on Twitter.

But Santa Cruz, who has just one loss on his record (a majority decision against Carl Frampton that was avenged when they met for a second time) was a clear winner in the first fight because he figured out that using his reach on the outside was the key to Mares’ lock.

Unless Mares has grown a few inches, or developed another level of speed & power, it’s unlikely that his improvements will be enough to gain the redemption which he’s now hunting.

 

WBC Boss Mauricio Sulaiman had this to say…

“Santacruz v Mares is a fan’s dream fight. A rematch after a dramatic, all-action first fight. Both are such gentleman, role model champions, it was great to see them behaving with such respect in the press conference and their families sitting together. The winner has a direct line to fight gary russell a fight both have expressed interest in going next.”

UPDATE: Santa Cruz took the decision in a similar fashion to the first fight – spending the first six rounds in a fire-fight before moving outside to work the jab for the latter half.

 

 

JERMELL CHARLO v AUSTIN TROUT (LA)

 

 

On the headline (not the undercard) alongside this main event is a title fight worthy of it’s own show.

Nonetheless, Showtime are bringing the Los Angelos a double bill of battles this Saturday night at the Staples Center.

Jermell Charlo, one half of the destructive Charlo twins, takes on – and looks to take out – Austin Trout, the man who effectively stopped Miguel Cotto’s career in it’s tracks six years ago, before picking up losses at the top level more recently.

Trout told the media at the Showtime press conference:

“After I beat Miguel Cotto, everyone made excuses, saying he was over the hill etc. But Cotto went on to win a middleweight title. After I beat Jermell Charlo though, there will be no excuses. He’s in his prime, knocking people out.  I’m going to stop the Charlo show.”

 

WBC Boss Mauricio Sulaiman had this to say…

“Charlo vs Trout is a classic example of youth v maturity, power & excitement v experience. If Charlo wins he will be entering the elite ranks and he has tremendous potential to be a super star. If trout wins it would mark the pinnacle of his career, but a loss could end his era in the top level of the sport.”

UPDATE: Charlo took the decision, stealing shots in every round using his speed and cunning.

 

 

Image: TopRank (click for full fight info – Horn v Crawford)

 

    TERENCE CRAWFORD V JEFF HORN (Vegas)

(Images: BoxRec)

Meanwhile in Las Vegas…

Jeff Horn, the unbeaten Aussie who shocked the world when he beat Pacman early last year, fights for the first time outside of Australia against the also-unbeaten Terence Crawford.

Crawford has a slightly higher KO percentage, against a higher class of opposition, and fights in his own country. But Nebraska is a long way from Vegas, so don’t expect a home town advantage for Crawford.

Horn’s slight height advantage, and that win over Pacman, might just provide him the edge to do the business Saturday night, propelling himself into the US market and into contention for the megafights of the explosive Super Lightweight division.

 

UPDATE: As much as we love the Jeff Horn story, it was not his night. The uber-talented Crawford rocked him with a barrage of hurtful shots before stopping the Australian.