Rafeal Rivera promises to dethrone Leo Santa Cruz

Tijuana native Rafael Rivera has promised to dethrone Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday night when Santa Cruz makes another defense of his WBA title at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California.

“As I always tell my fans, they must be ready for a big fight. I want this fight to be exciting and interesting. The belt is going back with me to Tijuana,” said Rivera (26-2-2, 17 knockouts). “I love fighting with the best. Leo is a fighter who punches a lot, we have seen and studied him. But I do not think he is faster than me and I’m going to take advantage of it, I have to counterattack,” said Rivera.

Santa Cruz comes into the fight with a record of 35-1-1 and 19 knockouts and is looking for his fourth win in a row after having recovered the WBA featherweight championship that the Irishman Carl Frampton snatched from him. After regaining the title, Santa Cruz defeated Chris Avalos and Abner Mares in grudge match, and now hopes to beat a tough challenge in Rivera.

On the undercard, former world champion Omar ‘Panterita’ Figueroa will face John Molina, a fighter who always comes to fight, in what promises to be a duel of flying fists in an evening that is expected to have a lot of thrills at the Microsoft Theater.