The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championship Committee has ordered a rematch between Mexican featherweight rivals Leo Santa Cruz (33-1-1, 18 KOs) and Abner Mares (30-2-1, 15 KOs).

Santa Cruz holds the "super" title at 126-pounds, while Mares is the "regular" champion. The fight will establish a single WBA world champion at featherweight.

They were given a 30 day period to reach an agreement. And should they not reach an agreement, the WBA will summon them to take part in a purse bid.

The Mexican gladiators met before in 2015 in one of the better fights of that year. After years of building up their West Coast rivalry in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz won a twelve round majority decision.

Santa Cruz went forward and defended his belt against Kiko Martinez, defeating the former world champion by TKO, and then traveled last year to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he suffered his first career defeat with a close points decision to Carl Frampton.

The score was evened up in January at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, when Santa Cruz won a close twelve round decision over Frampton to reclaim the WBA title.

Mares won the regular WBA featherweight title on December 2016, in what was his first fight after losing to Santa Cruz, and with new trainer Robert Garcia in his corner he secured a twelve round decision over Jesus Cuellar, who was favored by a lot of experts to win that contest.

The WBA is firm in their goal of pushing forward their policy of reducing titles in every weight division.