By: Sean Crose
“I want to prove to the fans that I am back,” Leo Santa Cruz recently posted on social media, “and I am ready to return to the top of the sport. They come out for great games and that’s what I’ll bring to them on Saturday. Undoubtedly, the 37-2-1 player of four teams will return to the ring this weekend to face 23-2-1 Keenan Carbajal. This will be Santa Cruz’s first fight since he was injured. Gervonta Davis takes down during a hurricane in the fall of 2020.
Even though he’s only 33 years old, it feels like Santa Cruz has had his age in the ring. Perhaps it is because the man found incredible success at a young age. After all, it’s been almost a decade, since the Mexican boxer won his first world championship in June 2012. Since that time, he’s had an illustrious career. When your only losses in 40 fights come to the likes of Davis and Irishman Carl Frampton, you know you did the right thing (on record, Santa Cruz came back and beat Frampton a second time) . However, the defeat to Davis was a worthy highlight of its brutality. The question is, do popular vets still have what it takes to perform at the sport’s highest levels?
“This is my moment,” Carbajal said at Thursday’s press conference. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.” The Phoenix native then claimed Saturday’s game against Santa Cruz would be “a fight to be talked about for years to come.” As for Santa Cruz, he was as polite as usual during Wednesday’s press conference. “I always try to go out on the pitch and give the fans great battles,” he said, “because that’s what the fans deserve.” There’s little doubt that Santa Cruz has actually given fans some great fights. He’s interesting, Santa Cruz, excited and courageous.
It’s strange to see Santa Cruz get so little attention when it comes to a fight. While Keith Thurman will be the headliner on Saturday in Las Vegas when he returns from a two-year hiatus, one would expect a boxer of Santa Cruz’s caliber to receive plenty of attention. more media attention. Boxing is changeable, however. However, a strong performance from Santa Cruz on Saturday night could clearly bring the still young man back into the spotlight.
