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Back in 2015, Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares put on a hell of a show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with Santa Cruz winning a decision to claim the WBA featherweight title.
On June 9, they do it again, at the same venue, live on Showtime.
Santa Cruz (34-1-1, 19 KO) has gone 3-1 since their first fight, including his first pro loss to Carl Frampton in July 2016, which he avenged in January 2017. Last time out, he defeated Chris Avalos in October.
That same October card featured Mares (31-2-1, 15 KO) returning, where he won a technical decision over Andres Gutierrez in the co-feature.
Santa Cruz, 29, and Mares, 32, were all but guaranteed to meet again had they both won on that show, which frankly was a doubleheader nobody really asked to see, as people just wanted the rematch then. But we’re getting it now, and at least you can say nobody shied away from it when the chips were really on the table.
The show will also feature the return of WBC junior middleweight titleholder Jermell Charlo (30-0, 15 KO), who does not yet have an opponent for his title defense.