Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz moved to Oct. 31 at Alamodome

The pay-per-view fight between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz has been moved from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31 and will take place in San Antonio.

New date, new location.

The pay-per-view fight between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz has been moved from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31 and from Uncasville, Conn., to the Alamodome in San Antonio, according to multiple reports.

The move was made because Texas is allowing a limited number of spectators – up to 25% — to attend sporting events amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The date was pushed back because a college football game will take place at Alamodome on Oct. 24. Organizers will also have an extra week to market the event and sell tickets.

The move will allow San Antonio product Marios Barrios (25-0, 16 KOs) to fight at home. He is scheduled to face Ryan Karl (18-2, 12 KOs) on the card.

Davis and Santa Cruz are scheduled to fight for Davis’ secondary lightweight title – what the WBA calls its “regular” title — and Santa Cruz’s junior lightweight belt. Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize Davis’ title.

Davis (23-0, 22KOs) is coming off a 12th-round knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa in December. Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) last fought in November, when he defeated Miguel Flores by a unanimous decision to win his 130-pound title.

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Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz moved to Oct. 31 at Alamodome

The pay-per-view fight between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz has been moved from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31 and will take place in San Antonio.

New date, new location.

The pay-per-view fight between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz has been moved from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31 and from Uncasville, Conn., to the Alamodome in San Antonio, according to multiple reports.

The move was made because Texas is allowing a limited number of spectators – up to 25% — to attend sporting events amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The date was pushed back because a college football game will take place at Alamodome on Oct. 24. Organizers will also have an extra week to market the event and sell tickets.

The move will allow San Antonio product Marios Barrios (25-0, 16 KOs) to fight at home. He is scheduled to face Ryan Karl (18-2, 12 KOs) on the card.

Davis and Santa Cruz are scheduled to fight for Davis’ secondary lightweight title – what the WBA calls its “regular” title — and Santa Cruz’s junior lightweight belt. Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize Davis’ title.

Davis (23-0, 22KOs) is coming off a 12th-round knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa in December. Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) last fought in November, when he defeated Miguel Flores by a unanimous decision to win his 130-pound title.

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Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz: Intriguing matchup

Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz is one of the best — and interesting — matchups on the Showtime-PBC schedule.

One of the gems on the Showtime-Premier Boxing Champions schedule is set for Oct. 24.

That’s when Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz are scheduled to fight for titles in two weight divisions – one a secondary belt – in the new Showtime bubble at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.

We’ll see whether the matchup will generate big pay-per-view numbers but it’s difficult to find fault in the main event.

Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) is one of the most-gifted young fighters in the world and resonates with a wide swath of fans. Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) is a proven, volume-punching warhorse who doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 31.

It doesn’t get much better than this is an era when it seems elite fighters work as hard to avoid one another as they do in the ring.

Leo Santa Cruz (right) outpointed Miguel Flores to win a title in a fourth division. Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

And there are already good story lines directly related to the boxing side of the matchup.

The most compelling might be that Davis has agreed to a weight limit of 130 pounds, which will allow him to challenge for Santa Cruz’s WBA junior lightweight title. Davis’ WBA “regular” 135-pound belt also will be on the line but Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize that title. Vasiliy Lomachenko is the WBA lightweight champion.

Still, the fact the fight is scheduled to take place at 130 pounds is interesting. Davis made the move up to 135 pounds for his last fight, a 12th-round knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa in July of last year. Can he even make 130 pounds at this point?

Remember, Davis isn’t known for his discipline. He lost his junior lightweight title when he weighed 132 for his fight against Francisco Fonseca on the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor card in 2017. He made 130 for his next three bouts but needed two tries before succeeding against Hugo Ruiz in February of last year. And he initially weighed 136.2 the day before the lightweight fight against Gamboa. He made weight on his second attempt.

Thus, Stephen Espinoza, president of sports and event programming for Showtime, chuckled when he was asked on a conference call whether he was concerned about Davis’ ability to make weight.

“He’s motivated here. I don’t think there will be any problems making weight on this one,” Espinoza said.

Meanwhile, the fact the fight will take place at 130 – and not 135 – probably raises Santa Cruz’s chances of winning twofold. The three-division titleholder from the Los Angeles area was a 126-pounder only two fights ago. And while he outpointed Miguel Flores to win his 130-pound title in his debut at the weight in November, he didn’t look particularly sharp. That raised questions about his effectiveness at 130.

Can Davis make the junior lightweight limit? If he can’t, what will Santa Cruz do? Go through with the fight anyway? And can Santa Cruz be as effective at 130 as he was at lighter weights?

Davis vs. Santa Cruz provides a lot of fodder for discussion.

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Rocky Balboa, Manny Pacquiao featured in FS1’s Saturday lineup

Fox Sports 1 is showcasing two great champions on boxing classic lineup Saturday – Rocky Balboa and Manny Pacquiao.

Fox Sports 1 is showcasing two great champions on boxing classic lineup Saturday – Rocky Balboa and Manny Pacquiao.

The programming begins at 9 p.m. ET with the 1982 film “Rocky III,” in which Sylvester Stallone’s character loses the heavyweight title to the Mr. T character Clubber Lang but later – with old rival Apollo Creed in his corner – regains it.

That’s followed at 11 p.m. ET by Pacquiao’s victory over Adrien Broner from January 2019 and, at midnight, Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton II from January 2017, in which Santa Cruz regained the featherweight title he lost to Frampton in their first fight.

Pacquiao completed a remarkable 2019 by outpointing Keith Thurman sixth months after the Broner fight.

Santa Cruz successfully defended the title three times and then outpointed Miguel Flores to win a vacant junior lightweight title in November.

Gervonta Davis says he, Leo Santa Cruz in talks for June fight

Gervonta Davis told BoxingScene.com that he’s in talks to face Leo Santa Cruz in June in Los Angeles.

Leo Santa Cruz vs. Gervonta Davis is June? Could happen.

Davis, a junior lightweight titleholder who fought as a lightweight in his last bout, told BoxingScene.com that he’s in talks to face Santa Cruz around that time in Los Angeles. It would likely be televised on pay-per-view. And it could take place at Staples Center, although that remains in up in the air.

One question: At what weight would they fight?

Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) still holds a 130-pound title but weighed over the 135-pound limit (136¼) when he stopped Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 12th round in December.

Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) made his 130-pound debut in November, outpointing Miguel Flores to win a vacant title. He also still holds a 126-pound title.

Santa Cruz told BoxingScene.com that he would fight Davis at either 135 or 130 but would prefer the latter.

“If Gervonta and I fight, I will work really hard, a lot better than the Flores fight,” Santa Cruz said. “He will not like my pressure. If it gets passed four rounds with Davis, he’ll get tired and overwhelmed. That will be my plan to beat him.”

Leo Santa Cruz eyes showdown with Gervonta Davis in May

Junior lightweight champ Leo Santa Cruz expects to fight again in May and his first choice of opponents is Gervonta Davis.

Leo Santa Cruz said he was told by his handlers that they’re targeting May for his next fight. And although nothing has been settled, it’s clear who he wants to take on: Gervonta Davis.

“That’s what I asked for,” Santa Cruz said on a FightHubTV video. “I said I want to fight Gervonta Davis. They said, yeah. Now it’s just a matter of talking to their team to see if they want it, to see if they could make it.

“… I think, more than likely, they’ll take it. Gervonta has said he wants to fight me. Leonard Ellerbe (of Mayweather Promotions, which handles Davis) wants that fight too. It’s just a matter of when and at what weight.”

One reason Santa Cruz wants the fight, he said, is to prove wrong fans who doubt his courage.

“People are saying I’m scared to fight champions, I’m scared to fight big names. I want to prove that I’m not scared,” he said. “… Gervonta Davis. He’s the most dangerous fighter. They say I’m scared of Gary Russell. I’m not scared of Gary Russell. The fight just hasn’t been able to be made.

“I’ve been asking for him. I’ve been asking for the big names. Oscar Valdez, Gary Russell, the third fight against [Carl] Frampton. Josh Warrington. All the big names.”

Santa Cruz believes a fight with Davis would take place at 130 pounds, at which Santa Cruz outpointed Miguel Flores to win a vacant title in November. He’d also be willing to face Davis at 135.

Whatever the weight, Santa Cruz expects a tough fight against Davis.

“He’s really skillful,” he said. “He looks for one-punch knockouts. We have to be smart. We’ll try to find sparring partners who have his style, really skillful, fast, with power. We’ll work on those things to avoid those big punches.

“He’s never had a fighter being on top of him, pressuring him, throwing a lot of punches. I think that might throw him off and be a big influence in the fight.”

Santa Cruz also could use his length against Davis.

“My dad says to use our distance,” he said. “We’re taller than him, we have a longer reach than Gervonta Davis. So I think that’s what we’re going to do, try to use our distance, keep on the outside, not get caught with big punches.

“We’ll try a little of both, try to pressure him, try to stay on top of him, throw punches punches. But if that’s not working, we’ll use our distance. Whatever works, whatever makes the fight easier, that’s what we’re going to do.”

One possible snag: Davis was recently arrested for allegedly assaulting the mother of his child. Is Santa Cruz worried that Davis’ legal problems will ruin his plans?

“Yeah, I am,” he said. “He has to go to court. They might not let him fight. He has to go through all this stuff first. … If the fight falls through, there are other big names. Gary Russell is one. That’d be a great fight. Jo Jo Diaz has been calling me out. There’s other big fights that can be made.

“But I want the Gervonta [Davis] fight first.”

Leo Santa Cruz outpoints Miguel Flores to win title in fourth division

Leo Santa Cruz survived a cut to outpoint Miguel Flores and join an exclusive club of Mexicans to win titles in four divisions.

LAS VEGAS – Leo Santa Cruz has joined an exclusive fraternity.

Santa Cruz defeated Miguel Flores by a unanimous decision to win a vacant junior lightweight title on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz card Saturday at the MGM Grand.

That gives him major titles in four divisions, joining Erik Morales, Jorge Arce and Juan Manuel Marquez as the only Mexicans to do so.

Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 knockouts) didn’t have an easy time with his capable countryman, who was a 40-1 underdog at the MGM going into the fight. However, he pressed the action, outworked Flores (24-3, 12 KOs) and landed many more eye-catching punches than his opponent.

The pattern of the fight didn’t change much, as there were few ebbs and flows. And neither fighter was ever seriously hurt.

The scores were 117-110, 117-110 and 115-112. Flores was docked a point in the eighth round but it had no impact on the decision.

Santa Cruz suffered a cut above his left eye in the 10th round, the result of an accidental head butt. The cut bled into his eye, which clearly bothered him, but he was able to maintain his focus and work rate.

Santa Cruz had won titles at 118 pounds, 122 and 126. He said before he fought Flores that he might some day pursue a title in a fifth division – 135 – if things went well at 130.

Canelo Alvarez, another Mexican, claims to have won titles in four divisions but one of those titles is what the WBA calls its “regular” belt, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize.

Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz weigh-in: Wilder 219½, Ortiz 236½

Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz on Friday weighed 219½ and 236½, respectively, for Saturday’s fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Deontay Wilder was expected to be a little heavier in the rematch than he was in his first fight with Luis Ortiz, Ortiz a little lighter. And that’s how it played out.

Wilder on Friday weighed 219½ pounds, almost five pounds more than he weighed when they fought in Mach of last year. Ortiz, who reportedly trained like a mad man, weighed 236½. That’s almost five less than he weighed in the first fight.

They meet again Saturday at the MGM Grand on Fox Pay-Per-View.

Wilder, who stopped Ortiz in 10 rounds the first time around, doesn’t think the weight will make much of a difference.

“He knows what happened the first time. He knows what will happen the second time,” Wilder said on the stage moments after weighing in.

Wilder weighed 223 for his last fight, a first-round knockout of Dominic Breazeale in May. Ortiz weighed 238¾ against Christian Hammer in March, when Ortiz won by a wide decision.

 


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In other fights, Leo Santa Cruz and Miguel Flores weighed 129½ and the limit of 130, respectively, for their junior lightweight title fight. Santa Cruz is attempting to win a title in a fourth division.

In a scheduled junior featherweight bout, Julio Ceja weighed 126½, way over the 122-pound limit. His opponent, Brandon Figueroa, weighed 122. It wasn’t clear how officials intended to proceed.

And, in a bantamweight title eliminator, Luis Nery weighed 119, a pound over the limit. He had a few hours to lose the extra weight. His opponent, Emmanuel Rodriguez, weighed 118.

 

 

 

 

How to watch Deontay Wilder vs. Luis Ortiz II on pay-per-view

Deontay Wilder will put his heavyweight title on the line in a rematch with Luis Ortiz on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Here’s how to watch.

Undefeated heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will put his title on the line in a highly anticipated rematch with Luis Ortiz Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Wilder defeated Ortiz by a 10th-round TKO in their first fight 19 months ago, but Ortiz has won his last three fights and has the power to end the bout in a single punch.

Watch Wilder v. Ortiz II LIVE on Pay-Per-View

The Wilder vs. Ortiz II pay-per-view will begin at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 23. You can order the PPV online here for $74.99.

Wilder vs. Ortiz II can be streamed via the Fox Sports app on the App Store or Google Play, on your TV via Roku, Xbox One, Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV, or on your computer or smart devices via FoxSports.com.

There are three other fights on the undercard:

Leo Santa Cruz (36-1-1) vs. Miguel Flores (24-2) for a junior lightweight title; Luis Nery (30-0) vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-1) in a bantamweight fight; and Brandon Figueroa (20-0) vs. Julio Ceja (32-4) in a junior bantamweight bout.

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Leo Santa Cruz: Major titles in four divisions? How about five?

Leo Santa Cruz believes it might be possible for him to win a title in a fifth weight division.

LAS VEGAS – Leo Santa Cruz has stated his goal of joining fellow Mexican-born stars who have won major titles in four divisions, Erik Morales, Jorge Arce and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Santa Cruz might not stop there, though. How about five divisions?

“It’s possible,” said Santa Cruz, who makes his debut at 130 pounds against Miguel Flores on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz card Saturday at the MGM Grand.

Santa Cruz (36-1-1, 19 knockouts) has won belts at 118, 122 and 126. Next on the list is 130, assuming he can beat Flores (24-2, 12 KOs) and lure one of the junior lightweight titleholders into the ring.

So the resident of Los Angeles already knows what it’s like to move up in weight and face bigger men. He’s done it gradually – fighting at each weight multiple times – and successfully. His move to 130 is no different.

As in the past, he works on increasing his punching power through strength training and sparring with bigger men without forsaking his specialty – volume punching, which is a product of intense conditioning.

He said his sparring partners have told him that his punches are heavier than in the past.

“I know they’re bigger guys,” Santa Cruz told Boxing Junkie at the final news conference before his fight Saturday. “I’m a big guy, too. I go up to around 140, 140-something pounds. I’m getting used to this weight.

“I’m sparring bigger guys who fight at 135, 140, so I won’t see that much of a difference. I’m going try this weight now and see how it goes.”

And that title in a fifth division? Is that realistic?

“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “Like I said, I go up to 140-something. I work really hard on my body. I think I can go up to 135.”