Santa Cruz vs Avalos Odds and More – Featherweight champions Abner Mares and Leo Santa Cruz both defend their titles this Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA.
It goes without saying that Mares and Santa Cruz have both gotten the same message. Do your jobs and win these showcase fights and a big money rematch between the two men can be set for 2018. Back in August of 2015 Mares and Santa Cruz met for the first time and that match saw Santa Cruz defeat Mares by a slim margin, with one judge seeing the fight a draw. The buzz for a rematch has been high ever since and wins on Saturday means we are one step closer to seeing it happen. Unless Avalos or Gutierrez scores the upset, you can count on seeing Santa Cruz vs Mares 2 fight in the March time frame next year.
Mares is fighting Mexico’s Andres Gutierrez (35-1-1) in defense of his WBA world featherweight title. Gutierrez brings a strong record and he is still just 24 years old so he is still a fresh body but there is nothing on his curriculum that says he will be prepared for what Mares brings. Mares has won world titles in multiple weight classes and he has been fighting at a higher level for nearly a decade.
Santa Cruz holds the WBA’s “Super World” title at 126 pounds and he is facing rugged Chris Avalos for his latest title defense. We last saw Avalos this past July when he got by prospect Miguel Flores via Technical Decision . That win scored him a second shot at a world title and Avalos would like to make the most of it. In February of 2015 he lost to Brit Carl Frampton with the IBF world title at 122 pounds on the line and he has gone just 2-2 since then.
Though Avalos has cleaned up his personal life and focused himself on his boxing career, it is unlikely to make a difference against the hyper-skilled Santa Cruz. The two have a long history together, as Avalos has been a Santa Cruz sparring partner in the past. The two even fought when they were 15 in the amateur ranks, as Santa Cruz edged Avalos in that one.
Both Gutierrez and Avalos need to enter their fights with the mindset that they have nothing to lose, because they don’t. Avalos is a crowd-pleaser who will get other fights with anything resembling a reasonable showing against Santa Cruz. As for Gutierrez, he is in the same bout and at 24 he will always have fights at the regional level. Things could really get interesting for Gutierrez and Avalos with a win on Saturday night.
Below are the odds for the main events set to air on FOX. Check back closer to fight time to see if any other lines from the PBC’s big eleven fight card at the StubHub Center. The Premier Boxing Champions has eleven fights in all planned for the live event.
Check out the GETMORESPORTS blog for odds for the first Abner Mares vs Leo Santa Cruz fight from August of 2015 right here.
Santa Cruz vs Avalos Odds and More / See more boxing news and features at The Sweet Science, where the best boxingwriters write.
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