By: Hans Themistode
Leo Santa Cruz’s confidence was clearly fractured after the sixth round defeat at the hands of Gervonta Davis. Although Cruz knows full well that he will face a much bigger and stronger opponent on October 31, 2020, the Mexican star wants to prove that he can play against anyone in or around him. around your weight class.
After five rounds of intense competition with Davis, Cruz started the game in the sixth round. With everything going exactly the way he envisioned it, Cruz kept tagging his man. But, in a flash, Cruz found himself unconscious and unaware of what had happened, thanks to a perfectly timed upper-left cut from Davis.
The 33-year-old former player publicly admitted that his belief in himself disappeared shortly after. While it may take Cruz a considerable amount of time to regain his confidence, he’s finally dusted off and is back on his winning streak.
Acting as co-main event at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, last night Cruz faced off against competitor Keenan Carbajal. Despite playing throughout the match, Carbajal was still highly rated, losing each round on all three judges’ scorecards.
While their competition may have been in the ultralightweight category, Cruz intends to drop down to the much more comfortable 126-pound weight category. Despite not fighting in featherweight since 2019, Cruz still holds the WBA belt. With the intention of returning to her old stage, Cruz is eyeing the opportunity to wear more gold around her belt.
Most recently, Filipino-born Mark Magsayo ended the long reign of former WBC titleholder Gary Russell Jr. However, his championship glory is something Cruz wants to cut out at the end of the year. Having watched the newly crowned champion fraught with difficulty for several years now, Cruz fully believes a duel between them would be a violent one.
Cruz told a group of reporters recently: “I think Magsayo is a great fighter. “He moves forward, he throws a lot of punches, he doesn’t run, he comes to fight. Mexico and the Philippines have always been a great matchup, just like Pacquiao and Marquez. I think that would be the kind of fight with Magsayo. ”
