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Leo Santa Cruz vs. Rafael Rivera viewing guide and live stream

By Jeremy Herriges

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 09: Leo Santa Cruz (gold shorts) as he defeats Abner Mares (not pictured) in their WBA Featherweight Title & WBC Diamond Title fight at Staples Center on June 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Santa Cruz won by decision. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 09: Leo Santa Cruz (gold shorts) as he defeats Abner Mares (not pictured) in their WBA Featherweight Title & WBC Diamond Title fight at Staples Center on June 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Santa Cruz won by decision. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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WBA super featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz kicks off his 2019 campaign with a bout against unheralded but battle-tested Rafael Rivera.

There’s a consensus that WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz is the division’s best boxer. He headlines Premier Boxing Champion’s Saturday, Feb. 16 fight card on FOX. His opponent is Rafael Rivera who’s not a major threat, but sometimes those fighters are the most dangerous.

Santa Cruz is rated as the best featherweight in the world by Boxrec.com. The lone defeat on his record came against Carl Frampton, but he avenged that loss in 2017 by majority decision. He has fought twice since, but only once in 2018.

He defeated Abner Mares in 2018 in a competitive, but decisive victory. Compared to Mares and Frampton, Rivera shouldn’t be a challenge. He presents Santa Cruz a penultimate to a larger fight. However, Andrew Cancio proved in the second weekend of February that underdogs are a dangerous quantity when he knocked out Alberto Machado to earn the WBA “regular” super featherweight title. He was a 10-1 underdog entering the fight.

The problem for Rivera is that Santa Cruz isn’t Alberto Machado. He’s an established champion that has wins over some of the best boxers in the world. Rivera has fought several formidable opponents like Jojo Diaz and Joet Gonzalez, but his lone notable victory came against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. who’s a B-level fighter at best.

Regardless of his chances, Rivera has never been knocked out and possesses a quality chin. He should give Santa Cruz some good rounds in a physical contest.

Santa Cruz vs. Rivera is the PBC’s main event, but there are numerous notable names on the undercard. Omar Figueroa Jr. returns after more than a year and a half of inactivity against hard-punching John Molina Jr. They are fighting at the super lightweight limit of 140 pounds in what should be an action-packed fight. With the way that both men fight, it will be a miracle if this bout goes the distance.

Also featured on the card is former middleweight title challenger Hugo Centeno Jr. This is Centeno’s first fight since being knocked out by Jermall Charlo in April. Super lightweight Ivan Redkach is also fighting. He showed a lot of promise in 2015 but was knocked out by Dejan Zlaticanin. He has struggled since but hopes to right his career on this night.

Next. Andrew Cancio annihilates Alberto Machado in 4. dark

Overall, PBC’s production should be entertaining from top to bottom. Tune in to FOX on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8 PM ET to see Santa Cruz defend his title. You can also stream the fight on mobile devices using FOX’s “FOX Sports GO” app. If you want to see the fight live, it will be taking place at the Microsoft Theater in L.A.

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