Leo Santa Cruz

Born on August 10 1988 in Huetamo, Michoacan, Mexico, Leo Santa Cruz started boxing at a young age, like many of the great Mexican fighters. Although he didn’t win any major international tournaments, he did put together an impressive amateur record of 148-7.

Shortly after turning 20, Santa Cruz fought in his first professional boxing match. On October 13, 2006, he took on Pedro Silva, who he defeated by knockout in the second round. He wasn’t as successful in his subsequent bout, as he fought Rodrigo Hernandez to a majority draw after four rounds.

Despite that minor setback, he started putting together a winning streak over the next several years. Most his victories were by unanimous decision, but towards the end of 2009, he started learning how to put more pop into his punches. On November 3, 2009, he blasted Julio Valadez for a first-round KO. He followed that up with three TKO victories in a row. While none of those were against high-level fighters, his next fight was against the 20-2 Stephane Jamoye for the WBC Youth interim bantamweight title. Leo Santa Cruz took it to the veteran fighter, picking up a KO win in the sixth round.

He brought his record to 19-0-1, with nine consecutive stoppages, when he fought Vusi Malinga on June 2, 2012 for the IBF bantamweight title. In his first world title fight, Santa Cruz controlled the proceedings from beginning to end, earning a unanimous decision victory after 12 rounds. He would defend that belt three times before making the decision to go up in weight to the super bantamweight division.

Making his debut at his new weight class on May 4, 2013, he beat Alexander Munoz by way of fifth-round TKO, winning the USBA super bantamweight belt in the process. His next fight was even more impressive, as he beat Victor Terrazas by TKO in the third round to add the WBC super bantamweight belt to his collection. He made four title defenses before moving up in weight again, this time to the featherweight division.

Leo Santa Cruz announced him to the world in his featherweight debut, in no small part because it was occurring on the blockbuster Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight card, which shattered every pay-per-view record. He took full advantage, cruising to a 10-round unanimous decision victory. His next fight was for the WBA featherweight title on August 29, 2015 against Abner Mares. In a classic contest, both men fought hard, but Santa Cruz was able to edge out a majority decision win, staying on the outside just enough to keep himself out of danger.

He defended that belt once by beating Kiko Martinez in a slugfest, eventually picking up the fifth-round TKO. However, in his next attempted defense on July 30, 2016, he would lose his belt to Carl Frampton by majority decision in a very close fight. He got a shot at redemption on January 28, 2017 and took full advantage. Although he only won by majority decision, he landed far more punches and got the WBA belt back.

What is Leo Santa Cruz's Record?

Leo Santa Cruz's record currently stands at 38 wins, 2 loses and 1 draw. Of those 38 wins he has stopped 19 of his opponents, so his current knock-out ratio is 50%. Of his 2 loses, he's been stopped 1 time. He's boxed a total of 277 rounds, meaning his professional fights last 6.8 rounds on average.

What was Santa Cruz's last fight?

Leo Santa Cruz's last fight took place against Keenan Carbajal's on 5th Feb 2022, in Las Vegas, United States. He won by unanimous decision in the 10th round. That fight was 1 year and 7 months ago.

How active is Leo Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz's last 5 fights have come over a period of 4 years, 3 months and 22 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 10 months and 11 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 50 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 10 rounds on average.

Where is Leo Santa Cruz From?

Santa Cruz was born in Mexico.

How Old Is Leo Santa Cruz?

The super featherweight is currently 35 years old. He was born on 10th August 1988, so he will turn 36 in 10 months and 17 days.

How long has Santa Cruz been fighting?

Leo Santa Cruz made his professional debut in October 2006, so he has been a pro for 16 years and 11 months.

How good is Leo Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz is currently ranked 5th by the WBA at Super Featherweight.

How tall is Leo Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz is 5' 7" (5 Foot and 7 inches) which is 171cm (1 meter and 71 centimeters).

What is Santa Cruz's Reach?

His reach is 68.9 inches (68.9") which is 175 cm (1 meter and 75 centimeters).

What stance does Leo Santa Cruz use?

Santa Cruz fights from a traditional orthodox stance, which means he favours his right hand as his power hand when fighting.

What are some potential opponents for Leo Santa Cruz?

Some potential future fights for Santa Cruz include Gary Russell Jr, Oscar Valdez, Vasyl Lomachenko, Josh Warrington and Rey Vargas.

What will be Leo Santa Cruz's Next Fight?

Leo Santa Cruz doesn't currently have a fight scheduled.

Some potential future fights for Santa Cruz include Gary Russell Jr, Oscar Valdez, Vasyl Lomachenko, Josh Warrington and Rey Vargas.

How can I stream Leo Santa Cruz's Fights?

In the UK you can usually stream Santa Cruz's fights on Fite.TV – PPV.

In the US you can usually stream Leo Santa Cruz's fights via Fite.TV – PPV US.

What are some recent Leo Santa Cruz results?

Leo Santa Cruz has beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight, he beat Keenan Carbajal on 5th February 2022 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, United States.

Previous to that, he had been beaten by Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on 31st October 2020 by knockout in the 6th round in their WBA Super World Super Featherweight and WBA World Lightweight championship fight at Alamodome, San Antonio.

Going into that contest, he had beat Miguel Flores on 23rd November 2019 by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Super Featherweight championship fight at MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

Before that, he had won against Rafael Rivera on 16th February 2019 by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at Microsoft Theater, California.

He had beat Abner Mares on 9th June 2018 by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at Staples Center, LA.

Leo Santa Cruz Stats

Age	Date Of Birth	Nationality	Height	Reach	Stance	Weight Division
35	August 10, 1988	Mexico	171 cm	175 cm	orthodox	Super Featherweight (130 lb)

Leo Santa Cruz Record

Professional Record	Wins	Wins By KO	Knockout Percentage	Losses	Losses By Stoppage	Draws	Pro Rounds	Debut
38-2-1	38	19	50%	2	1	1	277	2006

Leo Santa Cruz Rankings

Weight	The Ring Magazine	WBC	IBF	WBA	WBO
Super Featherweight	-	-	-	5	-

Leo Santa Cruz Recent Contests

Date	Opponent	Result	Replay	Venue
2022-02-05	Keenan Carbajal	Won (UD 10)	watch replay	Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, NV, United States
2020-10-31	Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis	Lost (KO 6)	watch replay	Alamodome, San Antonio, United States
2019-11-23	Miguel Flores	Won (UD 12)		MGM Grand, Las Vegas, United States
2019-02-16	Rafael Rivera	Won (UD 12)	watch replay	Microsoft Theater, California, United States
2018-06-09	Abner Mares	Won (UD 12)	watch replay	Staples Center, LA, United States
2017-10-14	Chris Avalos	Won (TKO 8)	watch replay	StubHub Center, Carson, United States
2017-01-28	Carl Frampton	Won (MD 12)	watch replay	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, United States
2016-07-30	Carl Frampton	Lost (MD 12)	watch replay	Barclays Center, New York, United States
2016-02-27	Kiko Martinez	Won (TKO 5)	watch replay	Honda Center, Anaheim, United States
2015-08-29	Abner Mares	Won (MD 12)	watch replay	Staples Center, LA, United States
2015-05-02	Jose Cayetano	Won (UD 10)		MGM Grand, Las Vegas, United States
2015-01-17	Jesus Ruiz	Won (TKO 8)		MGM Grand, Las Vegas, United States