Santa Cruz Too Strong and Fresh For Vet Mijares

Leo Santa Cruz brought his WBC super bantam belt to the ring and met challenger Cristian Mijares in the chief support bout to the Canelo-Angulo main event at the MGM Grand in Vegas, and on Showtime PPV Saturday evening.

This all Mexican rumble started out in the first with the lefty Mijares circling, staying smart and focused. But the sixteen-year vet was out of his league, from a strength and freshness POV, from rounds one to twelve.

LSC had a high guard, and stepped forward with authority, looking to close the gap and unload. He did so all night long, and won a UD12 in a pretty easy outing, via scores of 119-109, 120-108, 120-108.

Mijares cooperated and edged closer to start the second. He ate lefts and rights, and tasted and didn’t dig the power, it looked like. In close, LSC dug to the body, and he saw that Mijares’ right eye looked a bit swollen by this point. Mijares went back to movement to start the third but he could run, but not escape. A butt cut LSC in the fourth. He kept chugging. Mijares went on the attack a bit in the fourth, to try and switch of tactics. Didn’t work…And what could Mijares do to turn that tide? Short of turning back the clock five years? Hard to see or say.

LSC kept on winning rounds, into the seventh. Mijares’ legs weren’t able to launch him in movement mode, so he had to stand and bang more. Mijares was landing clean some in the eighth, serving notice that LSC would have some more digging to do to put him in a hole. LSC stayed balanced, never over-threw, never went too errant with a shot, really, leaving himself open for easy counter and his right uppercut was nasty in the ninth. LSC kept on winging but was pretty sure by this point that Mijares’ chin would stay solid for the duration.

We went to the cards.

LSC said he’d like to fight Carl Frampton next.

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