Carl Frampton: I'll Beat Leo Santa Cruz Even More Convincingly!

As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Carl Frampton will defend his WBA world featherweight title against Leo Santa Cruz at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the 28th of January next year.

The two-weight world champion had announced the rematch for his WBA world featherweight strap with Santa Cruz last week, but did not reveal the details of the fight in terms of date or venue.

But Frampton confirmed the news on his verified Twitter account, saying: "It's official! The rematch vs @leosantacruz2 is set for @MGMGrand Las Vegas, January 28th. WE'RE BRINGING AN ARMY #AndStill,"

Frampton followed the post with a video of him singing a rendition of Elvis Presley's 'Viva Las Vegas'. The 29-year-old defeated Santa Cruz on a majority decision at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in July.

The fight was Frampton's first at featherweight, where he became Northern Ireland's first world champion at two weight divisions.

Frampton initially wanted the rematch to take place in his hometown of Belfast, but acknowledged that it may have been a struggle to secure a venue big enough for the event before announcing the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Frampton took his first world title when he beat Spain's Kiko Martinez on a points decision in their super bantamweight IBF title clash in September 2014.

Frampton said: "This is one of the biggest fights in world boxing. Our first fight in July was a war and I believe that January 28th will be exactly the same.

"It’s a dream come true for me to be headlining in Las Vegas, where some of the biggest fights of all time have taken place. I’ve learnt a lot from our first fight, Leo is a warrior but I’m going to win even more convincingly the second time around."

Frampton’s manager Barry McGuigan said: "This is an unbelievably big fight. We saw a great battle between Carl and Leo in their first fight, these two were destined to square off against each other.

"Their styles complement one another’s so well that the public demand for this rematch meant it had to be made again immediately."