Leo Santa Cruz - One To Look Out For?

There's currently a cacophony of sub-25 year old ''prospects'' ranging from super-fly to bantam, the likes of Daniel Rosas, Cesar Seda(alright, 25, but you get what I'm saying), AJ Banal, Hugo Ruiz and so forth(and don't give me all that Koki Kameda stuff, he's a champion, so was knowingly omitted).

Probably the most promising, most proven even is the Cameron Dunkin managed, Rob Palmer top 15 ranked Leo Santa Cruz. Having turned pro 5 years ago at eighteen, he's amassed a record of 17-0-1, and is coming off a trio of extremely impressive performances.

He burst onto the scene in March of this year, in the fight that initiated the aforementioned trio of wins, in a fight against Stephane Jamoye. Jamoye is well known amongst British fans for pushing Jamie McDonnell to a disputed majority decision win in an EBU title fight, and had also dropped another razor thin fight to Tomoki Kamdea, coming off the short end of a split decision in Japan, so he was expected to give the fan friendly 'Teremoto' a difficult fight in his first step up in class.

Jamoye brought his usual come forward style and refused to take a step back against the then 22 year old Mexican, which turned out to be a recipe for disaster as Santa Cruz had all the ingredients to make a painful night for the game Belgian. Much more physically imposing, Santa Cruz utilised his soon to be patentend body-orientated assault and pounded Jamoye round after round culminating in a sixth round stoppage off of a body shot. By all accounts Leo was surprisingly dominant, showing a varied arsenal and an impressive punching form/technique, which led to his handlers deciding he could be put in with more proven opposition sooner than anticipated.

So up next was former world title challenger Jose 'Carita' Lopez, who had been in with more than good company, holding wins against the likes of Omar Soto and Juan Alberto Rosas, while also having given a good account of himself against Fernando Montiel. Obviously past his best(coming off two losses to Marvin Sonsona[who he pushed close] and Cesar Seda) but by no means shot, he offered Santa Cruz a rather stern test that Teremoto passed brilliantly. In a mature display where he used his jab and right hand to great effect from range and his body attack on the inside, while maintaining his tight guard, he grinded Lopez down and finished him off with a flurry along the ropes in the fifth after Lopez had reacted oddly to a right hand-straight left combination, seemingly having taken a shot to the eye.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kloCfG7OEJU[/ame]


Santa Cruz has built on this form and in his last fight overcame another former Montiel victim in Everth Briceno, who had recently challenged for Omar Narvaez' WBO title.

The Nicaraguan enjoyed some success in the early going when he was able to hold his ground in centre ring, but as is becoming his custom, Cruz' body shots made Briceno's lack of constant movement a bad idea, as he found his rhythm after the first few rounds, pushing Everth around the ring and laying into him against the ropes. Briceno offered stern resistance though, despite losing by a wide margin, taking Santa Cruz further than he had ever been in his career, into the 11th. The punishment told though, and after taking a knee 31 minutes into the fight, the referee stepped in to save a brave Briceno after a follow up attack.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CFj0GmFMbc[/ame]


Anybody else impressed with this guy? It's hard to put a finger on what division he's going to campaign at, possibly the not as deep 115lbs is the way to grow into world level right now, but it's hard to imagine him being able to make the weight on a regular basis. He certainly has the frame to rise a few weights though, and has the quintessential Mexican style to make things exciting along the way.

 

Evidently not.

 

Appreciated.

Bantam should probably be his ceiling, not that he can't do well above it, but he won't be as effective physically, which would be to his detriment. He can box a bit though so maybe he could implement those skills a bit more, but I'd rather him stay at super-fly/bantam and be a force rather than a kind of Guerrero-type who only reaches contender status before rising.

 

Yep, he's a tough customer. European level is probably his ceiling, but I reckon he'd give most that aren't at the top of the division an at least somewhat difficult evening.

Only problem for him is that he's very young, very early 20's if I'm not mistaken, and with the amount of shots he ships I can't see him having an awful lot of longevity.

Cruz made a real statement in beating him in the manner he did IMO. As I said, pushing, and in the views of some people beating, both Kameda and McDonnell, he looked like he'd present a stern test, but he just got brutalised.