By Scott Gilfoid: #2 WBC Carl Frampton (17-0, 12 KO’s) has an important WBC 122lb eliminator bout tonight against #1 WBC Hugo Fidel Cazares (40-7-2, 27 KO’s) at the Odyssey Arena, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Frampton, 27, needs to win this fight to become the mandatory challenger to WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz. Frampton has a decent chance of beating the 35-year-old Cazares, because this is an older fighter who is fighting a two divisions above his best weight class.
Cazares is also someone who has been given a very, very generous No.1 ranking by the World Boxing Council. While I think Cazares is a halfway decent super bantamweight, I don’t for a second see him as a top 15 contender, and certainly not a No.1 contender like the WBC has him ranked. By putting Cazares at No.1, the WBC basically is giving Frampton the mandatory position to face Santa Cruz, because I don’t see Cazares as being as good as many of the top contenders at 122.
Right off the top of my head, I can pick out 15 better super bantamweights than him. Heck, even Frampton’s last opponent Jeremy Parodi, who I don’t rate highly, would likely beat Cazares. That’s how mixed up the WBC’s rankings are at 122.
“Santa Cruz has been talking about me as much as I’ve been talking about him,” Frampton said via Sky Sports. “I think Golden Boy sees the potential in a massive showdown with Santa Cruz. But, in saying that Cazares is the man to take care of first. If I don’t, then there is no Santa Cruz fight.”
I don’t know about Santa Cruz vs. Frampton being a massive fight like Frampton is saying. But I do think a fight between them would be a decent undercard fight on one of the major cares in the United States.
No way could Golden Boy have a Santa Cruz vs. Frampton fight as a headliner on any of their cards, because the interest just wouldn’t be there. I don’t think even a fight between Santa Cruz and Guillermo Rigondeaux would be a fight that would work as a headliner, and I see Rigondeaux as being worlds better than Frampton. Rigondeaux is so much better than Frampton that it’s not even funny. But it’s just not a fight that would really work in terms of having it as a headliner.
Frampton is taking a huge risk in going after Santa Cruz, because he’s way better than anyone he’s faced before, and he’s a fighter that would walk him down and either knock him out or pound out a decision. Frampton wouldn’t a decision running for 12 rounds against Santa Cruz in the U.S. That wouldn’t work. He would have to actually stop and try and beat Santa Cruz in a one on one fight otherwise the judges would give the decision to Santa Cruz.
I expect Cazares to give Frampton some problems tonight with his power and his skills, but if Frampton runs for 12 rounds, he’ll get the decision. The fight is taking place in Belfast, so Frampton will likely get the benefit of the doubt in each round. I’m still wondering why the WBC ranked Cazares at No.1 when there are arguably so many better fighters in the division than him.
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