BELFAST, IRL — Showtime is providing a free stream of the April 21 interim WBO featherweight title match between Carl Frampton and Nonito Donaire. Frampton is looking for a statement win after losing to Leo Santa Cruz in early 2017 and getting dropped in his comeback fight against Horacio Garcia last November. Donaire is seeking his first featherweight strap since losing to Nicholas Walters in 2014. The stream opens at 5:15 p.m. ET.
LAS VEGAS — Leo Santa Cruz knew he couldn’t beat Carl Frampton by brawling, so he did what all great fighters do by adjusting his game plan. The pressure fighter morphed to a boxer-puncher to take a majority decision and regain the WBA featherweight title.
From round one, the feel of the fight had a pronounced difference from their first encounter last July. The taller Santa Cruz worked behind his jab and forced Frampton to become the aggressor and takes risks to get inside. When Frampton succeeded, the challenger took a step back and scored with short flurries inside, forcing Frampton back outside to reset.
This pattern continued until the sixth round when Frampton began to wear down Santa Cruz with hard body shots and mauling. The punishment and pace slowed Santa Cruz’s jab, giving Frampton more opportunities to close the scoring gap in the seventh and eighth stanzas.
In the ninth, Santa Cruz’s jab and high activity returned. Frampton couldn’t equal the challenger’s punch output, and found himself being out-landed 3-1 in exchanges.
Despite the masterful game plan, Frampton’s success in the mid rounds and desperation push in the 12th made for close scorecards. Judge Burt Clements had it a draw, 114-114. He was overruled by Dave Moretti and Glenn Feldman, who both had it 115-113 for Santa Cruz.
The most impressive moment came afterward from Santa Cruz, who stated in his post-fight interview that he wants another fight to make a trilogy. You heard that right. No mention of needing to talk with his manager or promoter. Santa Cruz lauded Frampton for giving him a rematch, and feel he’s obligated to return the favor.
I’m sure not a single boxing fan will have an objection.
.@RealCFrampton humble and gracious in defeat. Asks Leo to run it back a third time in Belfast. #FramptonSantaCruz2 #Boxing pic.twitter.com/llC7BJhar0
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) January 29, 2017
Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Showtime
LAS VEGAS — WBA featherweight champion Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz had no issues making weight this afternoon for their much-anticipated rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand.
Both fighters weighed in below the featherweight limit at 125.
PREDICTION: At the lower weights, Santa Cruz was able to wear guys down and eventually overwhelm them with his size, punch output and pressure. But at 126, the size advantage isn’t as pronounced, allowing a skilled pugilist like Frampton to keep Santa Cruz at bay with sharp counters. Santa Cruz doesn’t have the technique to outbox Frampton nor can he bulldoze him without getting rocked (like early in the first bout).
In other words, there isn’t much room for improvement I can see from Santa Cruz. Unless Frampton has regressed (not likely), I expect him to get another clear decision.
GARCIA: 134.5
ZLATICANIN: 134.5
PREDICTION: A lot of people are worried for Garcia and with good reason. Zlaticanin is a southpaw pressure fighter that excels in punishing inside work. His right hand has serious pop but it’s usually the looping left hook that puts guys down. In an interview I’ll be posting tomorrow, Garcia explained he’s worked extensively on his right-hand counters. Short, compact punches (particularly the uppercut), will do the most damage. However, it remains to be seen how effective Garcia’s power will be against a full-fledged lightweight. After getting rocked and put in some trouble early on, I see Garcia adjusting to Zlaticanin’s rhythm and outboxing him to a tough unanimous decision.
BENAVIDEZ: 166
MAMADJANOV: 167
Opening the card is the undefeated David Benavidez taking on Sherali Mamadjanov in a super middleweight bout.
MANCHESTER — A big early lead proved crucial in allowing Carl Frampton to edge Scott Quigg by split decision to unify the WBA and IBF super bantamweight titles. What was billed as an all-action fight turned out to be a slow burn with the exciting moments come too late on Quigg’s end.
A GAME OF FEINTS: Through the first half of the bout, both men were wary to take any risks. The normally aggressive Quigg went with a counter-punching strategy from outside while Frampton opted to tentatively come forward behind the jab. It made for tense but ultimately boring viewing. By sheer activity, Frampton took most of these rounds. The clean punching was in single digits every round. The most significant shot came in the fourth when a Quigg right backed Frampton to the ropes. Outside of some brief Frampton showboating, the fifth and sixth stanzas proved equally uneventful.
SLOW WAKE-UP: Gradually, Quigg woke up to the fact he was in the most important fight of his life. He caught Frampton with a pair of decent hooks in the seventh, and had glimpses of solid body work in the eighth. He clipped Frampton on the ropes with an eye-catching clubbing right in round nine. Suddenly, Quigg was facing an opponent who was tiring and more stationary headed into the championship rounds.
MANO A MANO: The fans finally got what they wanted in both fighters going toe to toe in the championship rounds. This was Quigg’s wheelhouse, and he scored well to the body and forced clinches. However, Frampton was never in any true danger of being stopped. Despite Frampton firing heavy leather, Quigg held the scoring edge due to the power and clean landing of his work.
CORRECT WINNER: Quigg waited entirely too long to get going, so Frampton winning was fair. The split decision? That is where we have a problem. Levi Martinez scored it 115-113, and there is no conceivable way I can fathom that based how lifeless Quigg was over the first six rounds. The other two scores of 116-112 were in line with my observations.
NEW BUSINESS: Frampton is now the unified IBF and WBA super bantamweight champion. However, this fight made plain two realities for each fighter. First, the division’s true champion, Guillermo Rigondeaux, would make both Frampton and Quigg look silly. Leo Santa Cruz, who competes tonight against Kiko Martinez, would bulldoze both with his size and high workrate. And considering Frampton’s team has a business arrangement with Premier Boxing Champions, we may just see Santa Cruz-Frampton contested at featherweight before’s year’s end.
Boxing – Scott Quigg v Kiko Martinez WBA Super-Bantamweight Title – Manchester Arena – 18/7/15
Scott Quigg celebrates after winning his fight
Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl Recine
Livepic
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MANCHESTER, England — Scott Quigg earned his best career victory last night in knocking out feared veteran Kiko Martinez in two rounds at the MEN Arena.
Martinez brought his trademark pressure and power-punching in a dominant first round that saw him land hard right hooks. Quigg bided his time until early in the second where he stunned Martinez with a right uppercut followed by a series of hook for the first knockdown.
Martinez rose on unsteady legs and was met with another flurry of hooks for a second knockdown. Martinez again beat the count but was too hurt to continue.
The win is Quigg’s fifth defense of the WBA World bantamweight title.
BELFAST, IRELAND — Carl Frampton got the last laugh in the war of words with Chris Avalos by scoring an emphatic fifth round TKO to retain the IBF super bantamweight title.
Frampton begun going to work by nailing Avalos with clean right hands in the second. His best success came from keeping the bout at mid-range, where his better technique nullfied a 5.5-inch reach advantage for Avalos.
A flush right hand buckled Avalos in the fifth. Although he didn’t go down, Frampton never allowed Avalos time to recover and secured a referee stoppage with no complaints from the challenger.
QUIGG AND THEN UNIFICATION?: Frampton affirmed his desire to face Scott Quigg next in a big money UK showdown. If he wins, Frampton then will look towards a unification withthe division’s true champion, Guillermo Rigondeaux, or WBC title-holder Leo Santa Cruz. Because of Frampton’s drawing power in Ireland, he’ll likely hold the negotiation advantage of getting either of thsoe fights in his home country.
Between these unification options, Rigondeaux is the much tougher bout, but the Cuban is also the fighter who’s proven recently that he’ll travel. Frampton’s power gives him a puncher’s chance in that one. With Santa Cruz, who let his Golden Boy contract get brought out to avoid Rigondeaux, is unlikely to head to Belfast when his adviser Al Haymon can get him seven-figure paydays against sub-par competition.
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