Several end-of-year praises, including two Fighter of the Year honors for featherweight world champion Carl Frampton, will add prestige and excitement for the highly anticipated rematch between the Northern Ireland-native and former three-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz, which will take place Saturday, January 28 at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas live on SHOWTIME.
Carl Frampton
ESB Best of 2016! Frampton, Thurman, Álvarez, More!
By Paul “Paparazzi” Jones & Justin Jones – As the world celebrates the New Year, we reflect on the sweet science in 2016 by unveiling our yearly boxing awards:
Fighter of the Year
Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton
Honorable Mention
- Vasyl ‘Hi-Tech’ Lomachenko
- Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford
- Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez
Who makes it into the top 10 pound-for-pound boxers of 2016?
Much disputed, debated and demeaned too, boxing’s pound-for-pound list remains the definitive way to single out the best boxers in the world.
Making the selection for 2016 requires serious deliberation, as changes must be made. 2016 is only the second year in approximately 11 years of boxing that Floyd Mayweather is not at the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound list.
So, who was 2016’s Fighter of The Year?
It’s that time again, and the various publications and boxing websites are listing their respective picks for Fighter of The Year. Far from an easy choice to make this year, there are a few great fighters who enjoyed a stellar 12 months and are arguably deserving of the honour.
Let’s break it down:
Best of 2016 | SHOWTIME Boxing
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton, Featherweight World Championship, July 30, 2016, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
There was not a fight that combined high stakes with the all-out action that Santa Cruz vs. Frampton did. Two undefeated champions putting it on the line against the highest level of opposition. Frampton and Santa Cruz delivered 160 punches in Round 2 and the pace never let up. They combined for 1,700 punches overall in an epic, highly competitive affair that featured classic toe-to-toe exchanges throughout.
Frampton: Conor McGregor … You Can’t Beat Mayweather!
Good news and bad news for Conor McGregor …
GOOD NEWS: Northern Irish boxing superstar Carl Frampton — the reigning WBA featherweight champ — says he loves Conor and would be down to train with the guy if he’s serious about boxing.
BAD NEWS: Frampton doesn’t think Conor’s got a shot in hell at taking down Floyd Mayweather.
Frampton-Santa Cruz & Zlaticanin – Mikey Garcia quotes
Featherweight world champion Carl Frampton and former three-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz went face-to-face in Los Angeles Thursday along with lightweight world champion Dejan Zlaticanin and undefeated former two-division world champion Mikey Garcia in advance of their respective showdowns Saturday, January 28 in a Premier Boxing Champions event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and live on SHOWTIME.
(Photo credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME)
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with Zlaticanin vs. Garcia. For Frampton and Santa Cruz, Thursday’s event was the second press conference promoting their highly anticipated rematch as the featherweights spoke to media in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Tuesday at the Europa Hotel.
Carl Frampton says Leo Santa Cruz rematch a “done deal”
Irish warrior Carl Frampton has Tweeted how his anticipated return fight with Mexican warrior Leo Santa Cruz is a “done deal.” Frampton won the WBA featherweight crown with a thrilling performance in a Fight of The Year candidate in New York in July. Santa Cruz, who, in dropping a majority verdict, lost for the very first time as a pro. A rematch clause was in place, Santa Cruz and his team enforced it, and now the rematch is set to go.
Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz II “close,” Santa Cruz back in the gym
When they met at the end of July, featherweights Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz gave us a truly great fight, one that is sure to figure prominently when the plaudits go out for the 2016 Fight of The Year. Now, after trading leather for 12 thrilling rounds in New York, the two are close to doing it all again. Frampton took the WBC 126-pound crown from Mexican warrior Santa Cruz, becoming the first man to beat him. In the process, Frampton became a two-weight king and an absolute legend in Ireland.
Santa Cruz has activated the rematch clause that was in place ahead of the first fight and now, Jose Santa Cruz says the return could happen before the end of the year.
Carl Frampton receives massive homecoming in Belfast, vows to become a three-weight world champ
Irish hero and recently crowned WBA featherweight champion Carl Frampton returned home to, well, a hero’s welcome yesterday evening in his native Belfast. Greeted by thousands of fans, who lined up on the lawn of the Belfast City Hall, two-weight ruler Frampton looked to be genuinely moved by the affection his fans gave him. Already being called the greatest Irish fighter in history, Frampton, 29-years-old and currently 23-0(14) wants to put a seal on this by becoming a three-weight king.