War with Frampton is priority not just possibility says Santa Cruz ahead of tonights defence

World champion Leo Santa Cruz is planning to go to war with Carl Frampton in Belfast if he emerges unscathed from his WBC super bantamweight defence on the massive Canelo Alvarez v Alfredo Angulo in Vegas tonight card tonight.

The Mexican/American puts a title ‘The Jackal’ has targeted his sites on, on the line against Christian Mijares in the MGM Grand and claims if he wins a Frampton bout isn’t just a possibility it’s a preference.

Speaking in the build up to his second defence the Golden Boy puncher revealed he would like to fight Frampton, then Scott Quigg before having a unification clash with WBA champion Gulleriomo Rignondeaux.

“Hopefully I do well in this fight and win, and then do a defence of my title for two or three more fights against Frampton – and hopefully beat him – and then Martinez or Scott Quigg. And then in 2015 I will fight Guillermo Rigondeaux,” said Cruz before elaborating on Frampton, who fights a WBC eliminator with Hugo Cazares in Belfast on April 4.

“Carl’s been saying he wants to fight me and I’ve seen him in a couple of fights. He’s a great fighter, undefeated, he comes forward like me and throws parallel punches and pressures a lot, so I think it would make a really great fight for the fans.

“If I win my next fight and he wins his it could be the next fight which happens. He’s in an eliminator to fight me in his fight, so if our managers can work out something I think it can definitely happen next if we both win.”

Although some have suggested Golden Boy won’t allow their World champion to travel to Belfast to fight in front of the most partisan crowd in Irish sport, the fighter himself has expressed a willingness to come to ’The Jackal’s’ home town.

“It doesn’t matter to me where I fight him. It’s up to wherever my manager and promoter think the best place is. I’ll fight him wherever. If they want me to fight him in Ireland, I’ll come over and fight him in Ireland. If they want me to fight him here [United States], I’ll fight him here. Wherever they make the fight I’m willing to battle him.”

Regardless of where the fight plays out Cruz is sure of one thing it will be an all action, entertaining war.

“I come forward; he comes forward, so there will be no running. I think it will be a fight where we are both in the middle of the ring, giving a war and I think neither of us is going to want to go back. It could be ‘Fight of the Year’. I don’t think the fight would go the distance; it could finish before the twelve rounds the way that we will fight.”

Santa Cruz vs. Mijares is live on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546) this Sunday at 2am. Visit www.boxnation.com to subscribe.