Twenty-four rounds into this Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santa Cruz boxing rivalry and there is still no clear winner.
After Frampton shocked the world by defeating Santa Cruz last summer in Brooklyn o win the WBA "Super" Featherweight Championship, Santa Cruz returned the favor on January 28 when he defeated Frampton via majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 115-113). Fightful also had Santa Cruz winning 115-113.
Below is an excerpt from the live viewing party of the Frampton vs. Santa Cruz bout.
Round 12: Frampton attacks the body as the crowd in Las Vegas is electric. Santa Cruz is on the ropes and is eating several hard punches from Frampton. The challenger eventually fights back with a few body shots. Frampton. Santa Cruz is hitting a couple of solid jabs. Frampton misses a right hook and the two boxers clinch. The two men hit several short hooks to each other's heads. Santa Cruz hits a short uppercut to Frampton's body. Both en clinch again. Final 10 seconds sees both men going all out. What a fight.
Fightful scored round 12 for Santa Cruz 10-9, making it 115-113 for Santa Cruz
Official Result: Leo Santa Cruz defeated Carl Frampton via majority decision (114-114, 115-113, 115-113) to win the WBA "Super" Featherweight Championship
Both men had their chances throughout the fight to pull away, but each boxer's defense held strong. Santa Cruz was the far more active fighter in this fight, throwing nearly 300 more punches than Frampton.
When asked about the possibilities of a trilogy between the two, both men said they would definitely make a third fight happen.
