Leo Santa Cruz is open about one of his concerns going into a pay-per-view showdown with Gervonta Davis on Oct. 31 at the Alamodome in San Antonio: Davis’ punching power.
Santa Cruz is a four-division titleholder but has had only one fight above 126 pounds, his unanimous-decision victory over Miguel Flores last Nov. 23 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Davis has fought at 130 or above most of his career. He’s the bigger guy.
And, as we all know, Davis can crack. He has 22 knockouts in his 23 fights, all victories.
“We’ve been sparring with bigger guys,” Santa Cruz said on a Zoom call. “They’re like 145, 147 pounds. I think that will prepare me able to take his punches. … I’m working on my neck, I’m eating a little better and feeling strong.
“I’m just going to go out there and hopefully I can take his punches.”
Someone on the call reminded Santa Cruz that he recently said Davis is particularly strong in the first four or five rounds and then his power diminishes. He was asked whether he stands by that assessment.
He does.
“Yeah, of course,” he said. “The first five rounds he’s dangerous. Every round, until the last round, he’s still dangerous but he’s most dangerous in one through six. That’s when he has the most power.
“… He can catch me at in any round but if he gasses out, I’ll be on top of him, pressuring him, trying to break him down, getting him tired.”
Davis, also on the call, had a quick response to Santa Cruz’s comments: “Most don’t last until the second part of the fight. They all go down in one to six.”
In fact, 18 of Davis’ 22 knockouts have come in the sixth round or earlier, although four of his last 10 opponents – his best opponents, in theory – survived into the seventh round or later. That includes Yuriorkis Gamboa, who was stopped in 12 when they fought for a vacant 135-pound title last December.
Of course, Santa Cruz’s theory will be tested on Oct. 31. Davis acknowledges that.
“I’ll have to prove it once I get in there,” Davis said.
The bottom line from Santa Cruz’s perspective: He’s taking a significant risk by tangling with Davis for titles at both 130 and 135 pounds, the quick-knockout issue aside.
The relentless volume puncher from the Los Angeles area was a dominating fighter at 126 and below, avenging his only loss by outpointing Carl Frampton in January 2017 and beating the likes of Eric Morel, Cristian Mijares, Abner Mares (twice) and Kiko Martinez.
But he looked so-so in his 130-pound debut against Flores even though he won a clear decision to claim a major title. That raised questions about his effectiveness at the higher weight.
And now, again, he’ll be face to face with a wrecking machine who holds a secondary 135-pound title. Santa Cruz’s decision to take the fight was courageous.
At the same time, he understands that the bigger the risk, the greater reward.
“I think I would deserve to be in the pound-for-pound Top 10 if I beat Tank Davis,” said Santa Cruz, who is No. 15 on Boxing Junkie’s list. “He’s a great fighter, one of the best out there. Nobody wants to fight him.
“I chose to fight him, I picked HIM. So if I beat him on Oct. 31, I deserve to be Top 10 pound-for-pound, one of the best.”
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