Santa Cruz-Mares rematch and super-flyweight tripleheader poised to compete for L.A. fight fans Sept. 9
A possible massive night of boxing in Los Angeles is brewing with both HBO and Showtime eyeing Sept. 9 for major fight cards.
Though Southland-based featherweight world champions Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares have yet to sign for a Sept. 9 rematch at Staples Center, both fighters are in the gym, according to their promoter, Premier Boxing Champions.
HBO, though, believes it planted the Sept. 9 flag first for a tripleheader of compelling super-flyweight bouts at StubHub Center headlined by the rematch between Nicaragua’s Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and the World Boxing Council champion who dealt Gonzalez his first loss in March, Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.
Japan’s unbeaten World Boxing Organization champion Naoya Inoue (13-0, 11 knockouts) is expected to make his U.S. debut on the card against Puerto Rico’s McJoe Arroyo, and former super-flyweight champion Carlos Cuadras of Mexico could meet former flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada.
Staples Center President Lee Zeidman confirmed the competing Sept. 9 holds on the AEG venues, noting that Sept. 23 at Staples Center is booked for a WWE event and that the Kings play there Sept. 30. The Sept. 2 date is considered unappetizing because it falls on Labor Day weekend.
The Santa Cruz-Mares rematch carries the most main-event clout, after Santa Cruz took back his World Boxing Assn. belt from Northern Ireland’s Carl Frampton in January and Mares won the organization’s secondary belt a month earlier from Jesus Cuellar.
Santa Cruz and Mares met in August 2015 in a riveting main event at Staples Center that Santa Cruz claimed by decision.
The stacked HBO card, however, is a fight fan’s delight, and an ideal preview weekend for the next ahead of the Sept. 16 pay-per-view bout between unbeaten middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Mexico’s former two-division champion Canelo Alvarez at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Network officials remained mum on the positioning, but one official familiar with the situation but unauthorized to speak publicly on the matter because of the pending agreements said, “It seems silly to go head to head with such good fights.
“Maybe one can start early so fans can see both.”
Another, more independent official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of his position in the talks, said, “These guys are all over the board.”
Zeidman said there’s also a hold on the arena for an Aug. 5 boxing show that he didn’t identify.
Twitter: @latimespugmire
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