By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com has been advised that the highly anticipated showdown between WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz and Belfast superstar Carl Frampton could land on July 30th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Showtime will televise.The date and venue is expected to be officially announced next week. 

Frampton (22-0, 14KOs), and his manager Barry McGuigan, announced on Friday that a deal had been reached for a fight with Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18KOs). McGuigan said the contest would take place on a late summer date in New York City. Both boxers are advised by Al Haymon.

Frampton, who holds the IBF bantamweight title, will move up to 126-pounds.  

Both boxers were in action on the same day, February 27th. Showtime televised both contests as an obvious build to a summer showdown. Santa Cruz retained his WBA title for the first time with a fifth round TKO of former world champion Kiko Martinez at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Across the ocean, at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, Frampton won a twelve round split decision over domestic rival Scott Quigg to unify the WBA/IBF bantamweight titles.

Santa Cruz has a big advantage in size and reach, but Frampton holds the edge in speed, overall skill and ability.

There is also some discussion of having Daniel Jacobs potentially defend his WBA 'regular' middleweight title on the Santa Cruz-Frampton card. Jacobs (31-1, 28KOs) picked up his career-best win last December at the very same venue, when he stopped former WBO champion Peter Quillin in the first round. Three of Jacobs' last four fights have taken place at the Barclays Center.