Carl Frampton expects to beat Leo Santa Cruz more convincingly this time around

WBA featherweight champion Carl Frampton will make the first defense of his title against the same man he won it against over the summer. Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz will meet at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand on January 28th in what is expected to be a hot sequel of their first battle - only this time Frampton is expecting things to go much smoother for him.

“I enjoyed our first fight in New York. The atmosphere was fantastic and the fight lived up to the hype. On January 28th, I will be better and I will win more convincingly.

“I know the way Leo fights, he throws a lot of punches and he is brave, but his style suits me.”

In their first fight Frampton got off to a strong start but appeared to fade a little down the stretch. He won enough rounds to take the fight but I’m fairly certain Santa Cruz will try to get his momentum going earlier in the fight.

Do you think this rematch will play out any differently than the first fight? Will Frampton win more comfortably, or will Santa Cruz correct his mistakes to recapture his world title?