Leo Santa Cruz beats Abner Mares by majority decision (The Associated Press)

Leo Santa Cruz beat Abner Mares by majority decision Saturday night, remaining unbeaten with a superior technical performance in a thrilling featherweight bout between two hometown fighters. Santa Cruz (31-0-1) survived a night of furious exchanges and eventually controlled several rounds with his superior jab and reach, overcoming Mares’ heavy pressure. Mares (29-2-1) did admirable work inside and survived numerous big shots, but ultimately couldn’t land a decisive blow.