Many fight fans are just that: fans of a fight, not so much fans of a showcase of subtle skill. For all the respect many fans have for practitioners of The Sweet Science, there is nothing more enjoyable than a two-way slugfest, or as Britain’s Nigel Benn would put it, a tear-up. This past Saturday’s classy and dominant points win Terence Crawford scored over Viktor Postol is a classic example – boxing fans certainly appreciated the boxing mastery of Crawford, but they were not thrilled or left buzzing by it.
The dreaded “boring” tag has already been attached to the 140-pound king, with the comparisons between Crawford and Floyd Mayweather Junior being made. Many a fighter would hugely appreciate being compared to the great defensive master, but some fans have made the comparison by way of a negative thing. Crawford, while highly skilled, didn’t give these fans the kind of raw action they hope to see when they part with their cash (not against Postol he didn‘t, but Crawford has thrilled us before – see his battle with Yuriorkis Gamboa). These same fans will almost certainly get what they want this Saturday, when featherweights Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton rumble in New York.
For though both Santa Cruz and Frampton have fine boxing skills, they often engage in fun fights, or slugfests. On Saturday, the styles of the two unbeaten 126-pounders will make it inevitable the action proves pleasing. Santa Cruz throws a high volume of punches in every round of every fight while Frampton can more than play his part in a high paced battle. These two are expected to meet head-on in ring centre and just battle it out, to find out which guy is tougher and, as the saying goes, “who wants it more.”
Who will win? This fight could go either way (a draw would not be a massive shock) and we could even witness the start of a fierce lower weight trilogy. Santa Cruz has predicted a KO win, Frampton feels the defending champ is underestimating him. We will soon find out who has done their homework. And whoever wins on Saturday, it sure won’t be boring.
