Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton gearing up to cross paths:
Over the space of two weeks in early April, super bantamweight rivals Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton will square off against tough opponents as they gear up to meet each other in the ring down the line.
Quigg, the WBA titleholder, fights awkward Nehomar Cermeno in the second defense of his title, while Frampton takes on gritty Mexican Hugo Cazares in a final eliminator for the WBC title currently held by Leo Santa Cruz. Here I discuss each of their fights and assess the chances of them meeting afterwards.
Breaking down Scott Quigg vs. Nehomar Cermeno
In Cermeno, Quigg faces a hard night’s work simply trying to figure out this difficult Venezuelan. Cermeno has a ton of experience at the top of the sport, having fought the likes of Cristian Mijares, Anselmo Moreno, Fernando Montiel and Yoandris Salinas with varying levels of success.
He also carries with him an awkward style. He fights without rhythm and hence is not always easy on the eye, but it’s a style that works for him. With little serious punch power, Cermeno holds a high guard, but is happy to trade where necessary to ward off an opponent and is a tough nut to crack.
Quigg’s methodical forward advances can be brutally efficient, but he showed vulnerability against technical boxers in his draw with the aforementioned Salinas. Fortunately Cermeno is not particularly refined, and so Quigg will attempt to walk his man down, using his size advantages and effective punch-picking.
It is likely Cermeno will cause problems throughout the fight with his unorthodox manner, but the pick is for Quigg to out-work him over twelve rounds for a comfortable points decision that should go some way to confirming his legitimacy as a titleholder.
Breaking down Carl Frampton vs. Hugo Cazares
Cazares has held titles at both light and super flyweight, making him the most accomplished foe Frampton has yet faced in his professional career. In spite of this, Cazares is undoubtedly the underdog in this particular contest. Perhaps that is because at 35 and fighting several weight divisions above where he made his name.
He utilizes a nice jab with an upright style and, like Frampton, has often switched between orthodox and southpaw stances during fights. Despite a solid chin, Cazares is open and can be wild when throwing punches, something that will offer Frampton encouragement.
With his ebullient attacks, Frampton can thresh away on the inside and box smartly on the outside. Both men are similar in size, but as a career super bantamweight Frampton is likely to be the naturally stronger. Given Cazares’ defensive vulnerabilities it is within reason to suggest that Frampton may be the first man to stop the Mexican since the turn of the millennium to force his world title tilt at Leo Santa Cruz.
Will Quigg vs. Frampton happen next?
In predicting wins for both Quigg and Frampton some would suggest that a bout between the pair may become closer than ever, though there are complications. Ignoring the media-fueled bating the two have become involved in over recent years, there are obstacles still to be hurdled before a Quigg-Frampton matchup becomes feasible.
First, recent promotional changes could hold the pair at bay temporarily. Quigg signed with Matchroom Sport last year and has performed on Sky Sports ever since. Around the same time Frampton left Hearn to join Frank Warren’s stable. Frampton’s switch in allegiances may not be that big an issue — the Hearn vs. Warren rivalry is not comparable to that of Top Rank and Golden Boy in the US — but it certainly doesn’t help matters.
Second, Frampton has gone a separate route in order to attain his own world title honors. Quigg may hold the WBA title, but Frampton is gunning for Leo Santa Cruz’ WBC belt and victory over Cazares could provide him with a guaranteed shot at that title. Given Santa Cruz has publicly accepted Frampton’s challenge, a fight between these two looks a given in the near future, putting off Quigg vs. Frampton until at least the end of this year.
From there, the outcome of Frampton vs. Santa Cruz must also be taken into account. Were Frampton to win, the bureaucracy of the sanctioning bodies should be considered as a potential roadblock, as Frampton would have mandatory obligations to fulfill. Should Frampton lose though, he becomes an obvious choice for a Quigg title defense, but would likely need to bounce back with a win or two in the interim.
Either way, the road to Quigg vs. Frampton is complex, and that is unlikely to change over the course of April. It may take until 2015 before these two super bantamweight supremos face each other.
