Leo Santa Cruz is willing to defend his World Boxing Association featherweight title against Jesus Cuellar.
Santa Cruz claimed the vacant WBA featherweight title on Saturday after scoring a 12-round majority decision win against Abner Mares at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
According to BoxingScene, the title showdown between Santa Cruz and Cuellar, the interim champion, is easy to arrange because both fighters are under influential adviser Al Haymon.
Cuellar, who has a 27-1 record with 21 knockout wins, is coming off an eight-round knockout win against Vic Darchinyan during their showdown in June in Carson, California.
Santa Cruz, who improved his record to 31-0-1 with 17 knockout victories, said that he will face Cuellar or even give Mares a rematch depending on the decision of his team.
"I'll do whatever and go with whatever my team wants," Santa Cruz said. "If a fight with Cuellar is out there, then a fight with Cuellar is out there. If there is a rematch with Mares, I'll go with that. First and foremost I have to sit down with my time and go forward from there."
On the other hand, Mares wants an immediate rematch against Santa Cruz. The 29-year-old Mexican feels he deserves a rematch based on how exciting the fight was. Two judges scored the bout 117-111 in favor of Santa Cruz, while the other one had it 114-114.
"I'm more than willing to have a rematch," said Mares, who now has a 29-2-1 record after losing to Santa Cruz. "It was a close fight. I knew he had never faced a fighter like me and he proved today he's a great fighter. The fans were the winners tonight. It was a great fight for the fans. I think I deserve a rematch."
Mares also felt that he won the fight, which is the main reason why he and his camp will lobby for an immediate rematch despite talks about a possible showdown between Santa Cruz and Cuellar.
"It was a close fight, but I thought I won the fight," Mares said. "I thought I pulled it off. My plan was to box him, but I started out really fast. I felt good but my corner told me to box more, so I did that. It was a good fight. Leo is good. He's a great fighter. I knew it was going to be a tough fight."
