Fans may have read how Leo Santa Cruz, the reigning WBA “super” featherweight champion, has been ordered by the WBA to face Leigh Wood, the WBA “regular” champion at 126 pounds next, or else. Well, according to a tweet from the organisation, Mexican warrior Santa Cruz has “accepted the mandatory fight.”
“Leo Santa Cruz’ team contacted the WBA Championships Committee and indicated that he will accept the mandatory fight against Leigh Wood. More information coming soon,” the tweet reads.
What we fans can almost certainly look forward to is a great action fight. 33 year old Santa Cruz, 38-2-1(19) has been far from active, having had just one fight since his crushing KO loss to “Tank” Davis, this fight taking place up at 130 pounds. And Santa Cruz has not defended his WBA featherweight belt since back in February of 2019. Santa Cruz moved up and won the WBA 130 pound title, this by beating Miguel Flores in November of 2019, before he lost to Tank.
Since that head-swivelling KO defeat, Santa Cruz has won a decision over Keenan Carbajal. So, there are some questions going into a Santa Cruz-Wood fight – Can Santa Cruz still make 126 pounds okay? How much has the 33 year old got left in the tank? Where will the fight take place?
Wood, who claimed the “regular” belt with an upset win over Xu Can in July of last year, gave us a definite FOTY contender back in March, when he and Michael Conlan gave us something truly special. Wood, 26-2(16) was dropped very heavily early and he ate plenty of shots throughout the slugfest. But Wood, turning in the kind of performance that deserved to turn him into a real star, sensationally came back to drop Conlan in the 11th and then blast him out in the final round of a mesmerising battle.
If we get the kind of action Wood and Santa Cruz have both given us during their careers when they collide, we could get something that goes off the Richter-scale! It’s a cliché, but it seems that, with the styles these two men have, there is no way this one will not be anything but a great fight. Both men are the same age yet Wood has had a significantly lesser number of pro fights.
Bring it on (and bring it to the UK if you can, Eddie Hearn!)