Leo Santa Cruz victorious, but Rafael Rivera surprisingly held his own

Leo Santa Cruz successfully defended his WBA featherweight title against little known Rafael Rivera who showed a lot of heart against long odds.

Leo Santa Cruz (36-1-1, 19 KOs) defended his WBA featherweight title by unanimous decision on Premier Boxing Champions’ Feb.16 main event on FOX. That’s not surprising since his opponent was Rafael Rivera (26-3-2, 17 KOs) who was a substitute and rated the 78th best super featherweight by Boxrec.com. However, Rivera’s strong performance muted Santa Cruz’s title defense.

Before his fight with Rivera, Santa Cruz defeated Abner Mares for a second time. After battling a boxer of Mares’ caliber, he was owed a showcase bout where he could stay active without facing a threat. Rivera had different ideas.

Rivera was lightly regarded and for a good reason. He lacked wins against notable opponents and was at a physical mismatch against the taller, longer-armed Santa Cruz. The Sportsbook Review had Rivera as a 30-1 underdog according to some betting services, but he surprised many with his spirited performance against Santa Cruz.

To be clear, Santa Cruz soundly beat Rivera in all categories, but he couldn’t hurt or discourage the longshot fighter. Santa Cruz won the fight by unanimous decision with three scores of 119-109. It’s hard to criticize a boxer who only lost one round in a 12-round fight, but Santa Cruz didn’t wow people with his display on this night.

Rivera showed he had fast hands, a strong chin, and lots of heart. He tried to engage Santa Cruz throughout the fight, but he was out-maneuvered by a boxer with superior skills and ring intelligence. Still, there wasn’t a single point when he stopped trying.

Santa Cruz knew how to time and counter the 24-year-old Rivera, and he was the busier fighter. According to CompuBox, he threw 1,273 punches which is the second highest punch count of his career. He landed 334 of those punches compared to Rivera’s 151.

It was a statistical landslide in Santa Cruz’s favor, but Rivera continued to come forward and let his hands go. His punches were wide and wild, but he never looked overwhelmed. He upped his stock in the process.

Rivera will probably never be a world champion, but his phone will be ringing with offers. His durability and penchant for taking punishment while trying to produce offense will make him a promoters dream.

Santa Cruz has incredible endurance and he’s a boxing tactician, but there are some holes in his defense. He has taken punches from great fighters like Mares and Carl Frampton, but he ate too many from a boxer at Rivera’s level. This might be a sign that Santa Cruz’s abilities are declining ever so slightly.

Santa Cruz should still be considered the world’s best featherweight, but other boxers in the division like Josh Warrington and Oscar Valdes appear even more dangerous after his performance against Rivera.