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Miguel Rivera
Santa Cruz: I'm Coming To Hurt Frampton, I Want To Avoid Judges
By Miguel Rivera
Leo Santa Cruz (32-1-1, 18KOs) admits that he wasn't fully focused when he entered the ring with Carl Frampton (23-0, 14KOs) back in July at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Frampton walked away with a twelve round majority decision and Santa Cruz's WBA featherweight world title. It was the first career defeat of Santa Cruz's career.
After the fight, Santa Cruz exercised his contractual clause for an immediate rematch. The second fight is scheduled for January 28 the MGM Grand Garden Arena of Las Vegas.
Leading up to the first fight, Santa Cruz's father and trainer, Jose Santa Cruz, was battling cancer and as a result he wasn't fully present during the training camp.
"The difference now is that I'm more motivated, with no worries, no obstacles. For the first one I was thinking about my dad having cancer. I was not very focused, I was focused on my dad's recovery," said Santa Cruz to ESPN Deportes.
"Frampton is going to face the real Leo Santa Cruz. In that fight, I didn't come in as ready as I've been for past fights. I will have the opportunity to prepare very well, it will be my victory now. Frampton thinks that I came into that fight at hundred percent, that I showed him the best that I have."
Santa Cruz is not looking for another decision this time. He wants to close out the fight with a knockout.
"We do not want to leave the responsibility of the outcome to the judges. We are going to try to prepare very well. I will try to hurt him, I will work more to the body as I should, we will go to the body and look for that blow that hurts. If I catch him well with a punch he will go down," Santa Cruz predicted.
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Santa Cruz: I'm Coming To Hurt Frampton, I Want To Avoid Judges - Boxing News