By Victor Salazar
New York - Although Mexican slugger Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KO's) resides California and his fight with UK's Carl Frampton (22-0, 14 KO's) is on US soil, the trip to Brooklyn where the fight will take place in the Barclays Center is about equal in distance in terms of travel between California and the United Kingdom.
Santa Cruz arrived in New York less than a week ago while Frampton has been in New York for about 1 month already. Santa Cruz is happy Frampton arrived early
"Its better because there will be no excuses," Santa Cruz told BoxingScene.com. "The time difference. the jet lag, I want him at his best so there's no excuses when I win. Same as me, I come well prepared, training hard. I don't make no excuses, that night the better guy will win."
Santa Cruz fought on the same day Frampton won his all UK showdown with Scott Quigg so he was not able to watch the fight, but saw some weaknesses in the clips he saw.
"I didn't watch the fight," stated Santa Cruz. "I saw a few clips. I thought it be a war but they both were defensive, I saw a few defects. Frampton drops his hands too much and I think I can catch him with my right hand. I am also bigger and longer. I'm going to box him, keep him on the outside with my jab and not let him come in with the big shots."
Santa Cruz acknowledges that his fight with Frampton will be the hardest of his career. He passed his last test versus Abner Mares but this is different. He's going against a fighter who has never lost. Though Frampton is moving up a weight class, Santa Cruz feels 126 may be the right division for his opponent.
"Frampton is shorter but I think he's stocky and he's going to be stronger at this weight. I think he was struggling to make the weight and I think we are a 50-50 fight and certainly the two best in the division. "
