WBA Confirms Santa Cruz Will Keep At Featherweight, Commits To Coping with Wooden-Conlan Winner

TAMPA – Leo Santa Cruz is ready to take pleasure in by the principles to maintain his current title place.

BoxingScene.com has verified that the 4-division and reigning WBA “Tremendous” featherweight beltholder has complied with a mandate to advise the sanctioning total physique of his choices on the body weight. A previous ruling recognized as for Santa Cruz to tell by December 13 of regardless of if he deliberate to proceed to be at featherweight and completely defend his belt or if he had been to remain at junior light-weight wherein state of affairs he would have been pressured to vacate.

The latter switch would have supposed that England’s Leigh Wood (25-2, 15KOs) would have obtained an up grade from his present WBA “World” secondary featherweight title standing upfront of his necessary title protection in comparison with Belfast’s Michael Conlan (16-, 8KOs). That bout—which nevertheless awaits a battle date—will handle its present stakes, with the assure of the winner acquiring a crack at an important title.

“Leo Santa Cruz honored our request to clarify his current placement,” Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, longtime WBA president instructed BoxingScene.com though ringside for a Showtime Pay back-For each-Have a look at occasion at AMALIE Enviornment in Tampa. “We are able to be sure that Leo will enter a voluntary title safety and has expressed his curiosity and dedication to experiencing the winner of Conlan and Wooden.”

Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19KOs) has not fought at featherweight as a result of a twelve-round win in extra of Ricardo Rivera in February 2019. Two fights have since adopted, each equally at junior lightweight the place he obtained a WBA title in a conclusion victory above Miguel Flores simply earlier than dropping that belt in a sixth-round knockout on the important palms of Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (26-, 24KOs) earlier Halloween in San Antonio.

The knockout discount is as a result of adopted by a prolonged inactive lengthen and—previous to this earlier Saturday—uncertainty in extra of his subsequent shift. Santa Cruz will now return to the ring February 5, as facet of a just lately declared Fox Sports activities Pay back-For each-Have a look at celebration. The present is headlined by earlier welterweight champ Keith Thurman who finishes a 2 ½ 12 months ring absence to facial space former secondary junior welterweight titlist Mario Barrios who strikes up in extra weight.

Santa Cruz serves because the night’s important help, as he faces Phoenix’s Keenan Carbajal (23-2-1, 15KOs). The circumstances of the bout weren’t unveiled, though Carbajal—who has obtained his last 18 fights—is a profession featherweight however not presently rated within the WBA Prime rated 15.

Within the celebration that Santa Cruz fails to honor any facet of his motivation to the WBA order, the title shall be declared vacant with the winner of Wood-Conlan acknowledged because the sanctioning physique’s lone titlist. The an ideal deal-wanted change in firm follow is element of the the WBA’s aggressive title discount plan rolled out earlier than this summer season months.  

Jake Donovan is a senior creator for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox