As Two Mexican boxing icons stepped back into the ring for perhaps the last time Saturday night at Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino in Mescalero, New Mexico Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera and former two-time world champion Daniel Ponce de Leon fought to the distance in an entertaining, six-round exhibition live on FITE & Golden Boy Fight Night on Facebook. In the co-main event was the young unbeaten upstart from west Texas, Abel Mendoza. The unbeaten youngster entered the ring with a sparkling 30-0 (23) and his game plan was clear attack the body of his rugged by again opponent, former world title challenger, Victor Zaleta. Mendoza pressed forward buckled Zaleta with a left hook just moments into the fight. Late in the first round, Mendoza scored with a barrage of body shots then dropped the former world title challenger just before the bell rang to end the opening stanza.
The Texan stayed patient and stayed down stares in the second and third rounds battering his man against the ropes. Hurting his opponent again with a three-piece combination that landed upstairs with just about 40 seconds remaining in the second. Mendoza followed up the success he had in the first two rounds with another thudding body shot that staggered Zaleta again right as the bell rang to end the third. At this point, the writing was on the wall and Zaleta was on the way out. Mendoza finished the job with a final right hand to the body that did the job for good 2:23 into round number four. The west Texan moved his record to 31-0 (24). In a post-fight interview, he called out former four-division world titleholder Leo Santa Cruz “We’re hoping to get the fight with Leo Santa Cruz. We’re ready for him,” a victorious Mendoza declared. Mendoza disposed of Santa Cruz in just four rounds Santa Cruz took nine rounds to stop Zelata in a much more competitive fight. A fact that the victorious Texan was well aware of " It just goes to show, Santa Cruz, I'm not sure if it was seven or nine and We finished him in the fourth so we're ready for him"
In regards to his performance Mendoza went on to say " I made a few mistakes I think I could I have done better, but we are going to work on those mistakes and I am glad we got the knockout"