by David P. Greisman

Ask Barry McGuigan about what he wants if his fighter, Carl Frampton, tops featherweight titleholder Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday night in Brooklyn, and McGuigan will correct you:

“When he wins,” McGuigan will say.

And then McGuigan will tell you what doors open up for Frampton.

“There’s loads. There’s Lee Selby. There’s Gary Russell. Both of them work with [adviser] Al Haymon. We’re working with Al. So those are two major fights. There’s a host of opportunities. The fights are easier to make.”

It’s no surprise, then, that Selby and Russell will be ringside in Barclays Center. Both are titleholders. So is another Haymon signee, Jesus Cuellar, though Cuellar’s WBA “regular” title is secondary to the one Santa Cruz holds and Frampton is fighting for. Cuellar and Mares were supposed to fight in June, but Mares had to drop out due to eye issues.

“Cuellar is aggressive and comes forward. We don’t know enough about him. I’ll go back and study him,” McGuigan said.

But there also are opponents McGuigan has less interest in Frampton facing — a rematch with Scott Quigg or a bout with 122-pound champ Guillermo Rigondeaux.

“Scott Quigg is now bitching and moaning about wanting a rematch. He had his opportunity,” McGuigan said. “He wouldn’t take it to Carl. Carl boxed the ears off him, and we knew it was going to be a tactical fight. We couldn’t say as far as the pay-per-view potential; customers were going to be concerned. We said it was going to be a great fight. We knew in our hearts it was going to be a tactical fight. He’s just not in the same league as Carl as far as skillset is concerned.”

McGuigan wants Frampton to be in bouts that excite fans.

“That’s why we weren’t interested in Rigo,” he said. “Rigo’s a beautiful talent and a phenomenal fighter defensively, but he’s in negative, negative, negative, negative fights. And the American public, the channels are disinterested in him because he boxes on the back foot. That’s great for the amateurs, not for the pro game. People were disappointed with the Quigg fight. I don’t want Carl to be in fights that aren’t exciting. I want them to remember, ‘Oh, Carl Frampton? Great fighter.’”

Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com