WBC super bantamweight world champion Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KOs) of Lincoln Heights by way of Huetamo, Michoacan, Mexico, scored a second round knock out over his former sparring partner Manuel “Suavecito” Roman (17-2-3, 6 KOs) of Paramount, California, on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Santa Cruz began working the body early in the opening round as Roman boxed and circled. However an overhand right dropped Roman in round two and he struggled to get up, forcing referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight at 55 seconds. Santa Cruz remains undefeated as he improves to 28-0-1, 16 KOs. Roman drops to 17-3-3, 6 KOs.
“I trained really hard and I did what I had to do to give the fans a great fight,” Santa Cruz said. “If I had to finish fast that’s what I had to do. I just came to do my job. We train hard in the gym to make it easy in the ring…I want Guillermo Rigondeaux. I’m not scared of him. I want my manager to make the fight so I can prove I’m the best.”