CARL Frampton can set his mind to a potential showdown with Leo Santa Cruz after he scratched his final European itch by beating Scott Quigg in Manchester on Saturday night.
In a slow-burner that failed to live up to expectations until its thrilling climax, Belfast’s ‘Jackal’ boxed well within himself to win seven of the first eight rounds at a raucous Manchester Arena.
His huge travelling support turned the cavernous amphitheatre into a home from home and Frampton (now 22-0) was able to control the distance from early on and broke Quigg’s jaw with a spiteful uppercut in the fourth round.
By the eighth he was in total control and though Quigg mustered a game late rally and had ‘the Jackal’ in some trouble in the 11th, Frampton finished strongly to win by a distance.
How USA judge Levi Martinez saw fit to award the decision to Quigg (113-115) remains a mystery, but the two other officials at ringside had Frampton winning 116-112 and afterwards Belfast’s WBA and IBF super-bantamweight champ said Californian Santa Cruz is the fight he wants next.
Santa Cruz knocked out Kiko Martinez to retain his WBA Super World Featherweight belt just hours after Frampton’s split decision win and it looks like the pair are now on a collision course.
“I’m up for anyone,” said former WBC super-bantam champ Santa Cruz after his fifth round knockout of Martinez.
“I want the rematch with Abner Mares. Since Frampton won, if he’s ready to go up in weight, I’m ready for him. I challenge him to a fight whenever he’s ready.”
It appears that Frampton is ready now.
“It’s very appealing to me,” he said.
“I think Santa Cruz could do super-bantam, but if have to go to featherweight (I would). I wouldn’t go to featherweight for a no-mark, it would need to be a big fight for a world title.
“He obviously is a big name and there’s other big names at featherweight, but I promise this is the easiest I’ve made super-bantamweight. There’s options at this weight and there’s options above.”
Frampton said he “would be happy” to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux and also mulled over the possibility of taking on Nonito Donaire.
Cyclone Promotions boss Barry McGuigan agreed that “Santa Cruz is a real possibility” and dropped in the names of Lee Selby and Gary Russell.
“There’s a number of possibilities,” said McGuigan.
“We are going to look at the money fights and the money fight is Santa Cruz, that’s a great fight.
“He’s a volume puncher, non-stop, he walks you down and it would be a breathtaking fight. The difference between Santa Cruz and Scott Quigg is that Scott didn’t want to throw punches.
“He was so apprehensive because he was being hit hard and he didn’t want to let them go. Santa Cruz does let them go and it would be a fabulous fight.”
Quigg found himself trapped in survival mode for too long on Saturday night and only made a fight of it when he threw off the shackles and took risks from the ninth round onwards.
In the build-up Frampton had predicted that he would have too much ability for him and that’s exactly how it turned out.
“I knew it was going to be a boring fight,” he admitted.
“I knew that was how it was going to play out, but you can’t really say that when it’s a pay-per-view event because no-one would buy it.
“I knew it was going to be very tactical for the first six or seven rounds. It opened up a bit at the end and I don’t think it was close. I think I won the first seven rounds doing very little, I felt I won the fight quite comfortably.
“I’m happy to have a rematch if the public demand it and if it’s a fight that’s viable but I would rather move on to bigger and better things. You’ll read about it and it says ‘split decision’ but it wasn’t a split decision.
“The world’s our oyster now and I think we just move on.”
Meanwhile, Scott Quigg’s world has, temporarily at least, come crashing in around him but the Bury fighter bravely faced the media after the first loss of his career. For him Saturday night will be about ifs, buts and maybes.
“At the end of the fourth round he caught me with a peach of an uppercut that done my jaw,” he said.
“I had to re-evaluate what I was doing and be a bit more careful for a bit longer. Maybe I left it a bit late. I probably didn’t get my shots off quick enough in the early rounds, maybe carried it a bit more.”
It’s no surprise that Quigg would like another crack at Frampton – in Belfast – and he said: “If there’s another one I think it would take off from where we just left.
“In the last five rounds when we started really going at it I felt in control and you could hear the crowd and it sounded like they were enjoying it.
“I really pinged him with a right hand in that 11th round and I thought his tank was empty. I came out for the 12th but I came out too aggressive, it’s like trying to drive a car with handbrake on – it works against you if you don’t relax.”
He was choking back tears when he added: “I’m putting on a brave face here.
“This is killing me inside, but I’ll be back and as soon as I can get back in the gym, I’ll be putting the work in and I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
Quigg is a warrior through and through but if there is a rematch it’s unlikely the result would be any different because Frampton is superior in too many areas.
The Englishman should pursue success down other avenues while the Irishman’s path looks certain to lead him back to the USA now and this time he’ll go there with real purpose and intent.
Frampton v Quigg: Round by round
1: Sizing each other up, throwing out a few range-finders, both returned to their corners with barely a punch landed in anger; 10-10
2: Much of the same, as neither fighter appears prepared to commit. Quigg didn’t come flying out of the traps as many expected, opting instead to try and box the better boxer. Strange, but nothing between them again; 10-10
3: Frampton doubles up the jab, taking control of the centre of the ring as confidence levels creep up. Quigg looks tight, nervous. With a couple of nice combinations, Frampton just nicked the third; Frampton 10-9
4. The round that changed everything as a beautiful right uppercut from Frampton breaks Quigg’s jaw and forces a tactical re-think in the corner; Frampton 10-9
5. Another Frampton round as Quigg gets to grips with the damage to his jaw. A bit of showboating brings the Belfast crowd to their feet. Frampton dominating with the jab; Frampton 10-9
6. The Manchester Arena crowd was starting to get restless by the stage. Frampton was putting on a technical master-class, but it wasn’t the war some had expected. That was not Frampton’s concern though as he banked another round; Frampton 10-9
7. Quigg finally comes out of his shell, attempting to pin Frampton on the ropes. Still looking fresh, the Tigers Bay fighter uses his feet to good effect, picking off his onrushing opponent to shade a close round; Frampton 10-9
8. Quigg is warming to the task as he lands a big right, followed moments later by a solid left on the temple. Frampton finishes well but it’s a first round of the night for the home fighter; Quigg 10-9
9. Finally we have a fight - this was the best round so far. A big right from Quigg appeared to dip the legs of Frampton near the ropes, yet the Belfast man still produced the better work over the three minutes, boxing beautifully off the back foot; Frampton 10-9
10. Both whip in vicious body shots as they bring the crowd to their feet, trading leather in the centre of the ring. Frampton starting to look tired; 10-10
11. A massive right hand shakes Frampton to his boots as Quigg piles on the pressure. ‘The Jackal’ manages to hold on and weather the storm but he is standing in front of the Bury fighter too often now. Frampton looks to be on shaky legs on the way back to the corner; Quigg 10-9
12. Frampton needed to get on his bike and stay out of trouble, and he did just that, boxing superbly and rocking Quigg’s head back with superb jabs and one-two combinations. Quigg knows a knockout was required and almost spins 360 degrees attempting to take his opponent’s head off. A strong finish to the fight for Frampton as he adds the WBA to his IBF super-bantamweight title; Frampton 10-9
Scorecard: 118-113
UNDERCARD
Middleweight: Conrad Cummings bt Victor Garcia (59-54)
COALISLAND middleweight Conrad Cummings got the show on the road for the Irish fighters in Manchester on Saturday night with a straightforward decision win over Victor Garcia.
‘Dynamite’ rocked the tough Frenchman to his boots in the dying seconds of the sixth and final round, and admitted afterwards that he was disappointed not to get the knockout.
“Five more seconds and it was over. He was completely gone at the end,” said Cummings, whose record is now 8-0-1 since turning pro in 2013.
“I’m disappointed not to get the KO but there were some personal issues to take care of. But it’s a good win. Onwards and upwards.”
WBC International bantamweight title:
Ryan Burnett bt Anthony Settoul (100-90, 100-89, 100-89)
THREE titles in his last three fights – European, British and now WBC International – it has been a decent six months for Ryan Burnett, and the Belfast bantam served notice of his awesome potential again with a comprehensive display against Anthony Settoul.
Burnett started on the front foot, racking up the early rounds with some beautiful combinations, moving in and out of range and leaving his experienced opponent bamboozled at times.
A huge right hand straight down the pipe in the fifth scrambled Settoul momentarily, but the Frenchman somehow managed to regain his senses after taking an eight count.
Burnett didn’t let up down the back strait, temporarily opting to stand and trade instead of sticking and moving. It didn’t matter – the game Settoul had no answer to whatever Burnett threw at him as the 2010 Olympic Youth gold medallist took a wide decision on the cards to move to 13-0.
Another solid 10 rounds, and another mightily impressive performance.
WBC International ‘Silver’ Flyweight title:
Luke Wilton lost to Charlie Edwards pts 100-90
LUKE Wilton could hang up his gloves after losing to Charlie Edwards.
Wilton, who was returning to the ring after more than 18 months out of action and described the comeback as “win or bust”, admitted afterwards that he was unable to get to grips with the impressive Edwards who won the WBC International Silver Flyweight title with his shut-out win.
The Londoner had fast hands and quick feet and out-boxed Wilton in the early rounds. The Belfast fighter fought back gamely in the middle rounds but was well beaten at the finish.
“I just could not get out of first gear at any time in the fight,” he admitted.
“He is a good boxer and a good mover and he just gave me a lesson there to be brutally honest. The inactivity hurt me, I was far too long out and it’ll probably be bust.”
Commonwealth Featherweight title:
Marc McCullough lost to Isaac Lowe TKO R8
FEATHERWEIGHT McCullough was cut, running out of steam and on the receiving end of a one-sided eighth round barrage from Isaac Lowe when his corner threw the towel in on Saturday night.
Afterwards his trainer John Breen lamented an off-colour performance from his fighter.
“I said to him in the round before ‘Marc I’m going to throw this towel in’. He said: ‘Don’t you dare John’.
“Halfway through the round he looked exhausted and after the fifth round he said he didn’t feel right. He started a new water diet and a good conditioner but it’s not my way of training and that’s the worst performance Marc McCullough ever did.
“He was a mile behind. I thought he won the first one, Lowe won the second one and the third was even but after that Marc wasn’t able to get the punches off.”
Breen said McCullough’s decision to change his training schedule hadn’t paid off.
“My gameplan is spar every day Monday to Friday but this time he only did Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” said Breen.
“He said the conditioning was too hard and he do two in the day so I worked with him but that was the worst performance I ever seen from him and it’s breaking my heart because I know Marc is a 100 times better fighter than Lowe.”
Breen admits that he and McCullough have lots to discuss as they look to the future. But Breen is not in favour of him moving up to super-feather or lightweight.
“Boxers get something in their head and you can’t say ‘this is what you’ve got to do’ because they’re not going to do it,” he said.
“I’m not going to force anybody and I said I would work with him and see what happens and then that happened.
“Isaac Lowe was able to hit him with a wee jab and then run out of the road, he was stealing points and Marc was getting them off at all.
“Somebody said to me that he needs to move up a weight, but I don’t think so. We’ll have to sit down and talk but I don’t think that (new diet and training schedule) worked out for him. Whether he’ll blame it on that I don’t know.”
