By Lyle Fitzsimmons

Leo Santa Cruz has his eyes on bigger prizes.

But before he gets to them, he’s got at least one more small objective.

A former two-division title-holder before rising to featherweight, Santa Cruz will risk his latest crown against another rising commodity – 122-pound claimant Carl Frampton – in a WBA championship match at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn later this month.

“We are both really confident,” he said. “He’s fighting like he’s going to win and that is motivation for me. I don’t want to lose. I want to go out there and do my best in the ring. My confidence is right here in the gym. What we do here is train hard.

“We want to keep on growing and keep on being a superstar and I think with a win against him I am going to move to the next level and continue being great. I am confident in my training, we hope everything goes great and we get a win.”

And unlike fighters who claim no interest in outside perception, Santa Cruz said he’s keenly aware of where he’s ranked by media and fans.

The Independent World Boxing Rankings place him first at 126 pounds ahead of fellow champions Gary Russell Jr., Lee Selby and Jesus Cuellar, though he’s ranked just 18th in the pound-for-pound race by Boxrec.com – eight spots below Frampton at No. 10.

“It is important to be considered by the media and the fans because they are the ones who, without them, we wouldn’t be where we are at,” he said. “If they put us right there it is big. Even after you retire they’ll be talking about you and that is what I want.

“That is what I am going for. For my kids to hear that I did something big and they could be proud of me and that would make them happy.”

We sat down with Santa Cruz to discuss the Frampton fight’s significance, what he thinks will serve him well come July 30 and what sort of career objectives are still on his agenda.

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Q: You talk about moving to the next level. People kind of perceived you as moving to the next level when you beat Abner, that was kind of a SoCal thing. How much bigger is that or does this graduate you to an even bigger stage?

A: (Frampton is) a great fighter and everything. Getting a win against him will hopefully include me in the pound for pound to be the best and that is what we want. Little by little we want to get this win and move up in weight to 130 and look for another title right there.

Q: When you see Frampton on camera or see him live or whatever you do to look at him, what jumps out at you as an opponent? What challenge does he bring to the table that is unique from what you’ve seen before?

A: He’s a good fighter. He is really confident and knows what he is doing and comes with a good vitality. It is the fight we want, it is the fighter we want to beat and I am really confident that we will show the world on July 30 that we are 100 percent for those kind of fighters and any other kind of fighters.

Q: I know one of the perceptions of you is that you are one of these rugged guys that the longer the fight goes that your toughness is going to wear guys down. Do you think he is particularly susceptible to that? Is he a guy you could take in the back half of a fight?

A: I am sure he is a fighter who wears down. He will be strong and look good the first few rounds or first half of the fight. After that the punches are going to get him tired, wear him down, break him down. Little by little I think I might be able to stop him in the later rounds. 

Q: Career-wise, you mentioned it was important to be perceived as an all-time great and you want your kids to hear that about you. What more do you think you need to accomplish in order to make sure that is how they talk about you when you are done?

A: Hopefully I want to unify and maybe move up to 130 and then do the same thing. Defend the title, unify it and then 135 and then hopefully even 140. 

Q: From 118 to 140, you think your body can carry all that weight up there?

A: We have already talked to my dad and my training conditioning coach. I hide it really good and everything so with working the body right I think I’ll be able to move up to that weight good and healthy.

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This week’s title fight schedule:

WEDNESDAY

Vacant IBF junior featherweight title – Osaka, Japan

Shingo Wake (No. 1 IBF/No. 8 IWBR) vs. Jonathan Guzman (No. 2 IBF/No. 10 IWBR)

Wake (20-4-2, 12 KO): First title fight; Third fight outside of Tokyo (2-0, 2 KO)

Guzman (21-0, 21 KO): First title fight; Second fight scheduled for 12 rounds (1-0, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Tricky southpaws are often a big issue for KO artists accustomed to quick victories, but it says here that the slugging Dominican will continue the stoppage run. Guzman in 6

SATURDAY

WBC/WBO super lightweight/junior welterweight titles -- Las Vegas, Nevada

Viktor Postol (WBC champ/No. 2 IWBR) vs. Terence Crawford (WBO champ/No. 1 IWBR)

Postol (28-0, 12 KO): First title defense; Fifth fight in the United States (4-0, 3 KO)

Crawford (28-0, 20 KO): Third title defense; Four KOs in six previous title fights

Fitzbitz says: Each will be the best the other has met, so each will likely to be pushed to levels they’ve never reached. The guess here is that Crawford’s got more ceiling. Crawford by decision

Vacant WBO featherweight title -- Las Vegas, Nevada

Oscar Valdez (No. 1 WBO/No. 6 IWBR) vs. Matias Rueda (No. 2 WBO/No. 39 IWBR)

Valdez (19-0, 17 KO): First title fight; Fifth fight in Las Vegas (5-0, 5 KO)

Rueda (26-0, 23 KO): First title fight; Second fight outside of Argentina (1-0, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: There’s a reason that Valdez has long been considered a high-end prospect, and he began showing it in his last bout. The guess here is that it continues. Valdez in 8

Last week’s picks: 3-0 (WIN: Rigondeaux, Wilder, Flanagan)

2016 picks record: 53-11 (82.8 percent)

Overall picks record: 785-259 (75.1 percent)

NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.

Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.