PBC on ESPN Weigh-in Results: Mares, Santa Cruz Both on Point

The Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles should be rocking Saturday night when two of the most exciting fighters finally get it on inside the squared circle. Immensely popular Mexican slugger Leo Santa Cruz will put his unblemished professional record on the line against former world champion Abner Mares in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions’ next show on sports giant ESPN.

The PBC on ESPN lineup is solid from top to bottom, but the fight that is garnering all of the attention -- and rightfully so -- is Santa Cruz vs. Mares. The battle has been predicted by many within the sport to be the fight of the year but none of the fireworks could happen unless they made weight.

Santa Cruz, a former world champion at bantamweight and super bantamweight, was dominant in his featherweight debut in May. He’s looking to add the WBA 126-pound title to his mantle against Mares and he inched one step closer by nailing the contracted weight. Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) tipped the scale at 124.8 pounds.

Mares, a former Mexican Olympian who captured world titles at bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight, couldn’t be outdone by his counterpart. After strolling up to the scale, Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs) clocked in at 125.4, making the fight official.

Hugo Ruiz (35-2, 31 KOs) is slated to face Julio Ceja (29-1, 26 KOs) in a bantamweight showdown and both fighters made the limit. Ruiz, who came up short in his bid for the WBA’s version of the bantamweight strap three years ago, came in officially at (121.4) pounds. Ceja, who lost his bid for the IBF version of the same title two years back, followed suit; he weighed in at (121) pounds.

PBC on ESPN Weigh-in Results:

Leo Santa Cruz (124.8) vs. Abner Mares (125.4)
Hugo Ruiz (121.4) vs. Julio Ceja (121)
Alejandro Luna (135) vs. Sergio Lopez (134.2)
Alfredo Angulo (163) vs. Hector Munoz (159.8)
Jessie Roman (144.2) vs. Hector Serrano (143.8)
Brian Carlos Castano (158.4) vs. Jonathan Batista (158.2)