By Scott Gilfoid: Leo Santa Cruz (33-1-1, 18 KOs) showed superb talent in outworking WBA Super World featherweight champion Carl Frampton (23-1, 14 KOs) by a 12 round majority decision on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight was televised by Showtime Championship Boxing in the States.
The judges scored the fight 114-114, 115-113, and 115-113. Boxing News 24 scored the fight 10 rounds to 2 in favor of Santa Cruz. Frampton came up short big time in this fight, as Santa Cruz hung on the outside and waited for the shorter-armed Frampton to come forward rather than vice versa. When Frampton did attack Santa Cruz, he was quite often walking into jabs that snapped his head back violently each time.
I knew Santa Cruz was going to win. I predicted it. I knew he was going to win the first time, and he did. He just didn’t get the decision.
In the last four rounds, Frampton made some adjustments and took the fight to the inside to smother Santa Cruz’s superior reach and outside game. This worked somewhat in that it kept Santa Cruz from dominating as much as he had in the earlier portion of the fight, but Frampton smothered his own work. By staying close, Frampton wasn’t able to get leverage on his shots. Truth be told, Frampton isn’t a very good inside fighter. He’s average at best. That’s why Santa Cruz was able to dominate the fight even when it was in close.
The two fighters spoke afterwards about facing each other a third time, which would be good for boxing. However, Frampton wants the fight to take place in his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland. I’m not sure if that’s doable. Santa Cruz already gave Frampton the home advantage by fighting him in New York the last time they fought each other.
That fight took place in front of a pro-Frampton crowd. If they fight each other in Belfast, it would be like fighting in New York. I think that’s bad news for Santa Cruz. I hate to say it, but I think Frampton would have won the fight tonight if it had taken place in New York or Belfast. I mean, look at the scores: 114-114, 115-113, 115-113. If this fight had taken place in front of a pro-Frampton crowd, no way do I think Santa Cruz would win. That’s why if he makes the mistake of fighting Frampton in Belfast, he’s pretty much putting himself in a situation where he MIGHT wind up on the receiving end up another controversial decision like we saw in the first fight in New York. I’m just saying.
“Let’s make it a third fight. I’ll be happy to give him a third fight,” said Santa Cruz after the fight.
Here’s where Frampton says the bit about Santa Cruz needing to come to Belfast for the Trilogy fight:
“I thought it was very close fight,” said Frampton. “He probably won the fight. The better man won the fight. I hope we can do it again. We have to do it again. It was very close. He used his reach. He deserves it. I feel like I could have fought better. Let’s do it again. I hope Leo is a man of his word. He said he’d come to Belfast. I hope he does,” said Frampton.
There is it. Frampton is going to try and get the trilogy fight with Santa Cruz in Belfast. If Santa Cruz agrees to that and loses the fight, Frampton will almost surely walk away and look to fight a big money unification fight against IBF strap holder Lee Selby in the UK. Santa Cruz would be out of luck.
