Mayweather-Maidana II card a showcase for Leo Santa Cruz
Leo Santa Cruz might not be taking the test that most want from him, but he is on the stage he’s longed for.
The Southland boxer, who is 27-0-1 with 15 knockouts, will defend his World Boxing Council super-bantamweight title for the third time Saturday night when he meets Paramount’s Manuel Roman (17-2-3, six KOs) at the MGM Grand.
The bout, on Showtime pay-per-view, is the co-main event to Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s WBC and World Boxing Assn. welterweight title rematch against Marcos Maidana.
“This is the biggest card I can be in, the biggest fight of my life because millions will be watching me,” Santa Cruz, 26, said Thursday at the undercard news conference.
While Mayweather-Maidana II is expected to generate around 1 million pay-per-view buys, Santa Cruz could’ve had a more competitive foe than Roman, who was scheduled to fight at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in late August before agreeing to the bout.
Roman, 26, has been knocked down by three opponents since 2009, including Coachella’s Randy Caballero.
“I’ve known Roman since the amateurs, know him really well,” Santa Cruz said. “Everyone deserves an opportunity. Every fighter is dangerous. No one is easy.
“A lot of people might not think I should be in this co-main event, but I’m going to give my best.”
The bout is a chance for Santa Cruz to display his vicious body punching and overall boxing skill that some veteran fight watchers believe make him the sport’s most disciplined young champion.
While Santa Cruz told The Times recently that he’s content in allowing manager Al Haymon to select the opposition, he said he ultimately wants to fight the biggest names within his weight class, including Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux and Ireland’s Carl Frampton.
On Saturday, Frampton (19-0, 13 KOs) won the International Boxing Federation version of the super-bantamweight title by defeating Kiko Martinez by unanimous decision in a venue in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that drew 16,000 people.
“Me and Frampton would be a great fight,” Santa Cruz said. “He has a lot of followers. So do I.”
Would Santa Cruz venture overseas for the bout?
“I would leave that up to my manager,” he said. “If they think it’s best, I would go there.”
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