Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santa Cruz: Post-Fight Report Card

by Cliff Rold

Irish eyes are surely smiling.

Showing poise, versatility, and durability, Northern Ireland’s Carl Frampton proved that risk has its rewards. Just months after winning an anticipated, if ultimately less than scintillating, unification battle with undefeated Scott Quigg, he moved up in weight to take on another undefeated tiger.

When the once unified 122 lb. titlist Frampton returns homes to Belfast, he will do so with his third major title belt, a title in his second division, and the second consecutive undefeated notch on his gun belt. There are a ton of guys out there winning fights on social media.

Frampton is winning them in the ring.

That’s where it counts.

Make the fights, when they matter, and good things can happen.

Let’s go to the report card.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Santa Cruz B+; Frampton B+/Post: B; B+

Pre-Fight: Power – Santa Cruz B; Frampton B/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Defense – Santa Cruz B; Frampton B/Post: B; B+

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Santa Cruz A; Frampton B+/Post: A; A

It might not have been the best fight this year (that’s still Salido-Vargas) but it was plenty fantastic. For twelve rounds, Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz pushed each other and brought out testaments to their ring character and skill level.

This was not just a brawl, though there was enough of that to please anyone. We saw both guys show each other multiple looks, the expected late surge from Santa Cruz, and a blazing final three minutes.

The multiple looks played to Frampton’s advantage. Santa Cruz was best, is always best, when he can come forward. He can box well enough to set up some good counters but it’s not where he is at his best. When Santa Cruz bit down and pressured, he had his best-sustained moments.

Frampton is capable off the front and back foot. It didn’t slow the Santa Cruz output by much, but it was enough to set traps and counter. Frampton more than held his own inside, sitting down and exchanging in spots and beating the defending featherweight titlist to the punch often enough to control most of the first eight rounds.

To his credit, Frampton appeared to get the better of the bodywork and that was a little surprising. Santa Cruz needed to get to the body to make the late rounds work for him and he didn’t get enough done there. Frampton was clearly tired late. He wasn’t worn down though and got enough leather in to keep Santa Cruz honest.

Frampton also showed he could take it. He took some big shots in the final three rounds but the most obviously wobbled either man was came in the second when Frampton almost knocked Santa Cruz down. There were surely some Stateside skeptics after Alejandro Gonzalez had Frampton down twice in the first last year.

Skeptics often overrate a single bad round. 

While Santa Cruz lost a WBA belt at 126, he shouldn’t lose anything in public esteem. He lost to the better man on the night. He did enough well Saturday to make a rematch worthy sooner than later. Even if he can’t reverse the outcome, he earned the right to try.

Frampton earned the right to enjoy the spoils of victory. The scores in his favor weren’t wrong either. 116-112 was fine. So was 114-114. 117-111, in a fight with plenty of swing rounds, is reasonable. It just means one judge liked the work of one guy a little more. Scorecards are just a paper tally. It doesn’t mean the judges weren’t thinking hard. It doesn’t measure the nuance of the fight.

This wasn’t a badly scored fight and while some may quibble about scores, the right man won.

Where does the right man in this case go from here? Gary Russell, in a pre-fight interview talked about having the money belt (WBC) at 126 lbs. That money belt will sit on his mantle while Frampton likely gets paid for a big domestic encounter with IBF titlist Lee Selby of Wales.

There’s no such thing as a money belt.

The money is in the fights and fighters. Carl Frampton, the clear leader for Fighter of the Year right now, is in the money in a big way.

 Report Card and Staff Picks 2016: 31-10

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com