Carl Frampton headed to Las Vegas for Santa Cruz rematch

25 October 2016 09:23

Carl Frampton will defend his WBA world featherweight title against Leo Santa Cruz at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on January 28 next year.

The two-weight world champion had announced the rematch for his WBA world featherweight strap with Santa Cruz last week, but did not reveal the details of the fight in terms of date or venue.

But Frampton confirmed the news on his verified Twitter account, saying: "It's official! The rematch vs @leosantacruz2 is set for @MGMGrand Las Vegas, January 28th. WE'RE BRINGING AN ARMY #AndStill,"

Frampton followed the post with a video of him singing a rendition of Elvis Presley's 'Viva Las Vegas'.

The 29-year-old defeated Santa Cruz on a majority decision at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in July.

The fight was Frampton's first at featherweight, where he became Northern Ireland's first world champion at two weight divisions.

Frampton initially wanted the rematch to take place in his hometown of Belfast, but acknowledged that it may have been a struggle to secure a venue big enough for the event before announcing the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Frampton took his first world title when he beat Spain's Kiko Martinez on a points decision in their super bantamweight IBF title clash in September 2014.

Source: PA