It didn’t take very long at all, just after their first great fight had ended in fact, for fight fans to begin talking about the possibility of featherweight warriors Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton engaging in the sport’s next great trilogy. But before this could actually happen Mexico’s Santa Cruz would have to avenge the close points loss he suffered at the hands of Ireland’s Frampton in July of 2016.
This Santa Cruz did last night inside a rocking MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Switching tactics, from high-volume punching pressure fighter to smart and patient boxer, Santa Cruz avenged his sole pro defeat and regained his 126-pound belt. It is perhaps fitting that, like Frampton in fight-one, Santa Cruz emerged victorious with a majority verdict.
It was another very close fight last night, although an extremely classy Frampton refused to make any excuses, saying Santa Cruz fully deserved his win. We’ve come to expect this kind of class from both men; and we are now fully expecting the third and final fight between two fighters whose styles compliment each other so well. The rubber-match simply has to happen and it almost certainly will in a few month’s time.
Before last night’s tactical battle, Santa Cruz promised he’d come to Belfast to give Frampton a third fight if he won. Frampton said last night that he hopes Santa Cruz is a man of his word. There is absolutely no reason to believe he isn’t. But who wins the third fight and with it the trilogy?
Can Frampton come up with another game-plan, the way Santa Cruz did, or will the the third fight be a duplicate of the first one: a classic slugfest that either man may edge on the cards? Could we even see a draw in fight-three? Maybe, and perhaps this would be the most fitting result possible. Both fighters are nip-and-tuck, they are both full of respect for one another, and they both enjoy giving the fans great fights. If they did end up all even at 1-1-1, there would probably be no complaints from either fighter; or from their millions of fans.
Santa Cruz and Frampton will be ready to rumble again soon, but right now they’re probably having that beer together!