CARL FRAMPTON'S Odyssey nights were massive, but the Titanic showdown was bigger. Then, there was Scott Quigg in Manchester, but Leo Santa Cruz in New York topped that and, now, we’ve got Las Vegas.
‘The Jackal’ predicts Sin City, scene of his January 28 WBA featherweight title rematch with Los Angeles-based Mexican Santa Cruz, will be “huge” and, of course, he’s right.
Frampton won the rematch convincingly by shading several rounds that were close and he intends to widen that gap, while Santa Cruz is determined to close it and edge ahead at the MGM Grand.
“It's huge,” said Frampton on Tuesday amid the giddy mayhem of a press conference that drew hundreds of supporters and well wishers and evoked memories of Ricky Hatton’s glory days.
'There’s only one Caaaaaarl Fraaaaaaampton, one Caaaaaarl Fraaaaaaampton…' they sang as he attempted to speak at the Europa Hotel. Meanwhile, Santa Cruz flashed his trademark warm smile, but received a chilly welcome: ‘Who are ya? Who are ya?” they cheered.
“The Barclays Centre was huge,” said Frampton.
“Vegas is another one I want to tick off. Obviously, I've a couple of things I want to do, I'd love Windsor as well, I'll tick that box during the summer.
“This is huge, it's the Mecca of boxing and I’m hoping it's not the last time that I'm there. I think that the people of Vegas, the fight fans of America, will take to me and they'll want me back out.”
He is supremely confident and on the evidence of the first fight he has a right to be. Both of his wins this year came on the road - first in Manchester, then New York.
He had the support of the majority of the crowd at both venues and expects that trend to continue in Las Vegas: “I will have more people than I did in New York, that's for sure,” he said.
“It’s going to be a great support and obviously I'm very, very proud of that. I think he'll have more than he had because it's so close to LA, but 3-4,000 I think I'm expecting to bring and that'll sound like 10,000, they'll make a lot of noise. I'm honoured and proud and I'm looking forward to it. I think the support will be alright out there, it will be better than what he has.”
Meanwhile, Santa Cruz, AKA ‘El Terremoto’ (the earthquake) claims he didn’t produce his best in New York because during training camp he was preoccupied with his father Jose, who was battling cancer.
Thankfully, Jose is now recovering and will play a full part in the training camp for the rematch: “It’s a great comfort because for the first fight we’d only just been told that he had cancer and he had to get surgery, he had to go to chemo and everything so every time I went to the gym my head wasn’t really in the training,” said Santa Cruz.
“It was more with him, like how he was doing, if he was going to be able to surpass cancer, be able to beat it. All that was in my head, I was thinking ‘maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and he won’t be here with us’ or stuff like that.
“I remember all those things when we were barely starting - when he took me to the gym, we’d go to the gym on the bus and he took my hand and everything and all those memories came into my head.
“Just thinking about, not having him there with me got me really depressed and really sad. Not for this time, nothing like that is happening. He’s going to be there with me.
“The cancer is almost in remission, he’s doing a lot better and I’m just very happy and excited to go out there and give the fans another great fight.”
Santa Cruz first ducked through the ropes in 2006 and went 10 years and 33 fights - including three world title wins - unbeaten before he ran into Frampton. He admits he struggled to come to terms with that first defeat.
“At the beginning it was very tough,” he said.
“It was the first loss on my record, it was tough, I couldn’t believe it. I was disappointed in myself and everything, but then people started sending comments [of support].
“I got great support from Ireland, they said it was a great fight and I have new fans here in Ireland and all those comments and everything made me feel a lot better.
“A defeat don’t mean nothing. Of course on the record it does, but if you can continue to be the same fighter and be in great fights, people will continue to support you and be there for you. I’m very happy and excited and I’ll continue to be in great fights.
“I didn’t lose faith in my ability because I didn’t lose to just anybody, I lost against Carl Frampton - a great fighter, undefeated and I don’t think I lost nothing.”
With two months to go until he faces Frampton for the second time, the task facing Santa Cruz is simple - he has to produce more than he has ever done to win his title back.
“Carl Frampton is a great fighter, a great champion and I know he’s not going to lose that belt easily,” he said.
“He’s going to come in with everything, even better than the first fight so, me, I’ve got to give my best performance and I’ve got to go out there and do everything almost perfectly to get the win.
“We’re going to work on a different approach. This time we’re going to have different tactics than we had in the first fight. We’re going to be a lot smarter and do different little things that will go towards our favour and we’ll practice in the gym and on fight day you’ll see.”
'Mister. Mister. Can I get selfie?' asked anxious fight fans as he got up to leave and boxing gloves and fight posters were thrust in his face by autograph-hunters.
They’ll be valuable keepsakes if he wins his title back.
