By Scott Gilfoid: Eddie Hearn, the promoter for WBA super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (28-0-1, 21 KO’s), says he’s working on setting up a unification match between Quigg and WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KO’s) for a fight that he wants to take place next for the 25-year-old Quigg. Hearn is cutting in line to make this fight, as #1 WBC Carl Frampton was thought to be the next opponent for Santa Cruz. Frampton’s manager Barry McGuigan wants the fight, and Santa Cruz has already said he’d come to the UK to face Frampton for the right amount of money.
Quigg destroyed replacement opponent Tshifhiwa Munyai by a 2nd round TKO last Saturday night at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, UK. Munyai had been pulled in to take the fight at the last minute after Quigg’s originally scheduled opponent Nehomar Cermeno couldn’t make it due to visa problems.
“The plan is to unify the division,” Hearn said to Sky after the fight. “I spoke to Golden Boy. We want Leo Santa Cruz or Kiko Martinez. Of course, the Frampton fight is the one that anyone wants, but they’re not forth coming. It takes two to tango, but for now the plan is Leo Santa Cruz, and Kiko Martinez if he overcomes Hozumi [Hasegawa]. Scott Quigg is razor sharp, and I believe he will unify the division. Well, it’s a unification fight [for Santa Cruz]. He’s not due a mandatory. Carl is the mandatory, but it’s nothing against him. We have plans to unify the division, and the Santa Cruz fight is a massive fight. Like I’ve said, we started talks this week [with Santa Cruz’s promoters at Golden Boy]. We’ll continue those talks next week, and the plan is to unify the division. We can have some massive fights in Manchester with Scott Quigg.”
The question is why is why isn’t Hearn working up a lather trying to set up a fight between Quigg and the legitimate WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux? It seems to me that Hearn should be looking at that fight first because Quigg is the lower champion to Rigondeaux, who is the WBA Super World super bantamweight champ. I guess Rigondeaux is too dangerous for Quigg, though, and it would end badly for him.
Hearn has the money to get the fight for Quigg against Santa Cruz, and that’s what I see happening.
If Frampton’s management had the big cash to get the Santa Cruz fight first, they’d be next in line, but Hearn has deep pockets, especially with the Sky contract that he has. He’ll get the fight for Quigg against Santa Cruz, but I think he’ll be sorry for making the fight after he realizes how talented Santa Cruz is. He’s not another Munyai fodder opponent for Quigg. Santa Cruz can actually fight, and he’s going to walk Quigg down and likely beat him at his own game by breaking him down on the inside and punishing him en route to scoring a knockout.
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