After suffering the first loss of his career last July, former featherweight boxing champion Leo Santa Cruz fought Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with his back against the ropes — both literally and figuratively.
Back-to-back losses to Carl Frampton would have sent Santa Cruz tumbling down the ladder in the 125-pound division and made it difficult to earn another shot at the title.
Frampton (23-1, 14 KOs) was able to impose his game plan, getting inside on Santa Cruz and forcing him against the ropes and into corners. But Santa Cruz used superior accuracy and timing to out-box the Irishman to a majority decision, reclaiming his crown as World Boxing Association featherweight champion.
“I put retirement in my head (before the fight) and told myself I had no choice but to win,” Santa Cruz said. “This is a big relief. I gave it my all and did a great job.”
Two judges scored the fight 115-113 in the favor of Santa Cruz (33-1-1, 18 KOs). A third judge, Burt Clements, scored it as a draw.
Early in the fight, Santa Cruz used his 4-inch reach advantage to keep Frampton at bay, and outpunched him considerably. Santa Cruz landed 230 punches to Frampton’s 133, according to CompuBox.
But as the fight wore on, Frampton found ways to corner Santa Cruz, and fight him on the inside where his quickness took over. Frampton won the second, seventh and eighth rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.
Santa Cruz stood his ground and traded huge shots with Frampton down the stretch of the fight.
“(Santa Cruz) was the general tonight and he won the battle,” said Richard Schaefer, the fight’s promoter. “He showed discipline but sometimes he got carried away. The Mexican in him got the better of him at some points.”
An announced attendance of 10,085 brought energy to the arena from beginning to end, with Mexican and Irish flags dotting the stands. As the fighters battled in the ring, their fans simultaneously dueled with chants back and forth.
“It was a very tough fight,” Frampton said. “There were a lot of close rounds and Leo deserved it. I apologize to the fans that came to support me. The (United Kingdom) has the best fans in the world.”
After the fight, Santa Cruz said that he would gladly grant Frampton a rubber match. They've already fought twice in the past six months.
In the co-main event, Mikey Garcia knocked Dejan Zlaticanin out cold in the third round to claim the World Boxing Council lightweight belt. Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs) staggered Zlaticanin with an uppercut, and finished him off with a right hook that nearly knocked the champion out of the ring.
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