LEO SANTA CRUZ REVEALS HIS MOTIVATION FOR JAN. 28 REMATCH IN INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS WITH MARK KRIEGEL
The Reveal with Mark Kriegel
Leo Santa Cruz sat down with SHOWTIME Sports® reporter Mark Kriegel as he prepares for his eagerly anticipated rematch against Carl Frampton next Saturday, Jan. 28, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) from MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The interview is the latest in a recurring SHOWTIME Sports digital series, THE REVEAL with Mark Kriegel, featuring exclusive and in-depth interviews with boxing’s emerging stars.
A three-division world champion, Santa Cruz discusses the pain of his first defeat, the affect his father’s battle with cancer had on his training, his plans for the rematch and hope for a legendary rivalry.
Below are bites from the Santa Cruz interview:
KRIEGEL: “You make good on your father’s dream, and now you’re scared of him dying. The cancer – how did you train?”
SANTA CRUZ: “It was hard, it was hard to train, to concentrate. I still went to the gym and trained, (but) I didn’t train as hard. I didn’t train as the other fights because my dad wasn’t there. My dad was going to chemo, he was going to radiation…I thought to myself, maybe tomorrow he won’t wake up.”
KRIEGEL: “What did you tell your father after you lost?”
SANTA CRUZ: “I told my dad, sorry. I’m sorry we didn’t get the win and that I disappointed you. My dad told me, ‘that’s alright. You didn’t disappoint anybody. We’re going to get him in the rematch.’”
