MASAM SPORTS 32: LEO SANTA CRUZ WANTS TO UNIFY FEATHERWEIGHT TITLES WITH MARK MAGSAYO
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 Feb 2022
WBA featherweight super champion Leo Santa Cruz said he wants to face Mark Magsayo in a unification once he gets rid of Keenan Carbajal tomorrow at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Magsayo’s upset victory over Gary Russell Jr. on January 22 diverted Sta. Cruz's attention to the Filipino after originally setting his target on the American who lost the WBC featherweight title to the Tagbilaran, Bohol native.
Santa Cruz was champion in four divisions - WBA (Super) super featherweight title, WBC super bantamweight title, IBF bantamweight title and currently WBA (Super) featherweight title holder.
“If everything goes good on Saturday night, I think it was Magsayo of the Philippines,” said Santa Cruz in the press conference for his fight against Carbajal.
“I wanted to fight Gary Russell, the fight never happened. But I think Magsayo is a good fighter, strong fighter and I think a fight against him would be really great,” added Santa Cruz.
The 26-year-old Magsayo, however is scheduled to make his first defense, a mandatory title fight, against former WBC super bantamweight champion Rey Vargas. Even so, Magsayo (24-0, 16 KOs) also aired his interest to face Santa Cruz in a unification during a press conference after his victory.
Santa Cruz revealed that it was Russell who has averted their long-drawn-out featherweight encounter. The Mexican champ believed that Russell demanded a large amount of purse to agree to face him.
“I think maybe it’s money,” Santa Cruz told BoxingScene.com. “I don’t know if maybe Gary Russell wants to get paid too much or something. But in my side, you know, I don’t care. I’ll fight him no matter what. But once I tell [Haymon] to make the fight, I don’t know, it doesn’t get made. I think maybe, like I said, maybe money-wise, he wants to get paid too much or something.”
Santa Cruz, age 33 years, from Huetamo, Michoacán, Mexico, now fighting out of Rosemead, California, USA, was also holder of the USBA super bantamweight title and WBC Youth interim bantamweight title.
Gervonta Davis defeated Santa Cruz by sixth round knockout on October 31, 2020 at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, losing his WBA (Super) super featherweight title and failed to win the WBA (Regular) lightweight title.
Davis vs. Santa Cruz was a rare title fight in boxing history in which world titles in two weight classes were at stake. Other similar known fights are the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Donny Lalonde match for the light heavyweight and super middleweight titles in 1988, and the Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana rematch for the super welterweight and welterweight championships in 2014.
Leo Santa Cruz will be fighting his third straight bout at superfeatherweight, but he clarifies he wants to campaign again at featherweight.
Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19 KOs) faces Keenan Carbajal (23-2-1, 15 KOs) tomorrow in a ten-round non-title bout on the undercard of the Keith Thurman-Mario Barrios main event. He says the planned next fight would be to go back down to featherweight, where he feels he fights best.
“This fight is gonna be at 130 and hopefully everything goes good and after this fight I’m gonna go down to 126. I think at 126 I’m at my strongest,” Santa Cruz was quoted by The Ring. "I think I can unify at 126, I can try to win more belts at 126, beat other champions and if the opportunity comes, move up to 135 and go for the fifth world title.”
Santa Cruz has observed Magsayo’s fighting style and he looks forward to a tough fight with him. "He’s a strong fighter, comes forward like a true warrior comes forward, throwing punches. I think a fight against him would be really good. It would be tough, entertaining and it’d be a war, back and forth,” said Santa Cruz.
Magsayo targets Santa Cruz as one of his priority opponents at the featherweight division. "Hopefully it happens, it is going to be a classic war. Let’s revive the Filipino-Mexican boxing rivalry. It is good for the fans and for boxing,” said Magsayo.
Both Magsayo and Santa Cruz are signed with Premier Boxing Champions and their fight could easily be negotiated, but may not be happening soon. Santa Cruz would likely face the winner between WBA (Regular) featherweight champion Leigh Wood and Mick Conlan, who will clash on March 12, 2022 at the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, England.
Santa Cruz is also aiming at a unification fight with WBO champ Emanuel Navarrete which many fans believe is a real exciting matchup.
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