by David P. Greisman
Carl Frampton’s promoter believes Leo Santa Cruz avoided Frampton when both were competing in the junior featherweight division. Now Santa Cruz is a featherweight titleholder, and he will be defending against Frampton on Saturday night at Barclays Center.
The promoter, Barry McGuigan, believes Santa Cruz was willing to take the fight this time because of one of Frampton’s performances last year.
“Alejandro Gonzalez,” McGuigan told BoxingScene.com on Friday. “That’s exactly why Scott Quigg took it. That’s why they took the fight.”
Frampton fought Gonzalez in July 2015 and was put on the canvas twice in the first round.
“He was dropped. He walked into a stupid punch. He was irresponsible,” McGuigan said. “I told him not to do it. He was so keyed up. He was thinking, ‘I’m going to knock this guy out’ and walked into a tremendous shot. But he did what all champions do. He got off his arse and dominated the remainder of the fight.”
But if Santa Cruz is basing his appraisal of Frampton off the Gonzalez fight — and that’s just McGuigan’s speculation — then he’ll be underestimating his opponent, the promoter said.
“That mistake won’t happen. He knows he can’t walk into Santa Cruz,” McGuigan said. “He’s going to have a lot more respect for him, but he has the fighting plan, the boxing intelligence to beat Santa Cruz, and he can match him in every single department.”
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