Doubts are creeping in with regards to former featherweight champ Carl Frampton getting his third and deciding fight with Leo Santa Cruz in his beloved Belfast. As fight fans are aware, Frampton and Mexico’s Santa Cruz are currently 1-1 in their terrific rivalry, and Frampton is adamant that having traveled to the US for the first two battles he is entitled to have the rubber-match at home in Ireland.
Sounds fair enough. But, as Santa Cruz explained when speaking with Villainfy Media, his father and trainer Jose Santa Cruz is fearful things would not be fair and square if the third fight were fought in Belfast.
“If he says no, I wouldn’t go there. I do what he tells me,” Santa Cruz said of his father and his influence. “My dad is scared that if I go over there, and even if I beat Carl Frampton, the people and the judges are going to be an influence. He thinks that even if I beat him I’ll have the victory taken away from me. My dad says not to go over there, because it would be a really bad decision and, you know, he is right and everything. I always listen to my dad.”
Santa Cruz has not fully ruled out going to Belfast for the rubber-match we are all desperate to see, but it sure looks quite doubtful that he will. But Frampton made things clear shortly after dropping that close rematch decision to his rival: his next fight will be in Belfast regardless of who the opponent is. It seems there is a very good chance these two great featherweights will box against opposition other than each other in their next fight.
This is all well and good; as long as the two rivals do eventually fight their deciding bout. We fans can wait for it, and whenever these two clash the action will be great. But if Frampton and Santa Cruz do meet other opponents next, just who could they be?
And as far as Santa Cruz Snr worrying about a robbery in Belfast goes – okay, there have been bad decisions there, as there have been everywhere else in the boxing world. But does Belfast really have such a bad rep?