Santa Cruz vs Mares II

Who won Santa Cruz vs Mares II?

Leo Santa Cruz beat Abner Mares by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest on Saturday, June 9th, 2018, at Staples Center, LA.

The scorecards were announced as 117-111, 116-112, 115-113 in favor of winner Leo Santa Cruz.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Featherweight division, which meant the weight limit was 126 pounds (9 stone or 57.1 kg).

This contest was for the vacant WBA featherweight championship of the world.

The undercard featured the clash of Charlo vs Trout for the WBC World Super Welterweight championship.

Santa Cruz vs Mares II stats

Back in June 2018, Leo Santa Cruz stepped into the ring with a record of 34 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, 19 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Abner Mares made his way to the ring with a record of 31 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 15 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Santa Cruz had a slight advantage in power over Mares, with a 56% knockout percentage compared to Mares' 48%.

Leo Santa Cruz was the younger man by 3 years, at 29 years old.

Santa Cruz had a height advantage of 2 inches over Mares. That also extended to a 3-inch reach advantage.

Both Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares fought out of an orthodox stance.

Santa Cruz was arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 2 more fights, and made his debut in 2006, 1 year and 9 months later than Mares, whose first professional fight was in 2005. He had fought 7 fewer professional rounds, totaling 277 compared to Mares' 284.

Santa Cruz vs Mares II form

Santa Cruz had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance twice.

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Chris Avalos on October 14, 2017, by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at StubHub Center, Carson, United States.

Prior to that, he had won against Carl Frampton on January 28, 2017, by majority decision in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

Going into that contest, he had been beaten by Carl Frampton on July 30, 2016, by majority decision in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at Barclays Center, New York.

Before that, he had beaten Kiko Martinez on February 27, 2016, by technical knockout in the 5th round in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at Honda Center, Anaheim.

He had defeated Abner Mares on August 29, 2015, by majority decision in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at Staples Center, LA.

Mares had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 1 of them, going the distance 3 times.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had won against Andres Gutierrez on October 14, 2017, by technical decision in their WBA World Featherweight championship fight at StubHub Center, Carson, United States.

Prior to that, he had won against Jesus Andres Cuellar on December 10, 2016, by split decision in their WBA World Featherweight championship fight at USC Galen Center, Los Angeles.

Going into that contest, he had lost to Leo Santa Cruz on August 29, 2015, by majority decision in their WBA Super World Featherweight championship fight at Staples Center, LA.

Before that, he had defeated Arturo Santos Reyes on March 7, 2015, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

He had beaten Jose Ramirez on December 13, 2014, by technical knockout in the 5th round at MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Leo Santa Cruz had been fighting more than Abner Mares.

Going into this contest, Leo Santa Cruz had last fought 7 months and 26 days ago, while Abner Mares' last outing had been 7 months and 26 days ago.

Santa Cruz's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 9 months and 11 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 6 months and 22 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 49 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9.8 rounds on average.

Mares' last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 5 months and 27 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 8 months and 11 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 49 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9.8 rounds on average.

What time did Santa Cruz vs Mares II start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM PST at Staples Center, LA, United States, which was around 4:00 AM BST in the UK.

Who broadcast Santa Cruz vs Mares II?

Santa Cruz vs Mares II was broadcast on ShowTime in the US.

What were the odds on Santa Cruz vs Mares II?

Leo Santa Cruz was a 1/4 (-400) favorite going into the contest, while Abner Mares made his way into the ring at 3/1 (+300) with oddsmakers.