Irish fighters are getting used to Las Vegas.
It's practically been a second home for Conor McGregor in the last two years, Andy Lee won his middleweight world title there in 2015, and now it's the turn of Carl Frampton to make his Sin City bow.
The Jackal puts his WBA Super-featherweight title, and his 23-0 record on the line against Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday, whom he beat by majority decision in New York in July to become a two-weight world champion.
And the Irish are starting to invade Vegas, with one in particular looking forward to standing up for the Ulsterman.
And the journey begins to watch @RealCFrampton in Vegas. @Heineken_IE being served at the airport, off to a good start. #framptonsantacruz2 pic.twitter.com/11MtQ07QKu
— Stephen Ferris (@StephenFerris6) January 26, 2017
In July's first fight between the pair, Frampton took a comfortable decision on two of the judges' cards, winning 116-112 and 117-111, with the third calling it a 114-114 draw.
Most impartial observers felt Frampton was a deserved winner, and as a testament to that he was named Fighter of the Year by both ESPN and The Ring magazine (aka The Bible of Boxing).
The Mexican fighter had his own theory on why two judges had seen the fight so differently to the other, saying the boisterous Irish crowd were making every Frampton punch seem better than it was.
There were around 1,200 Irish fans in the Barclays Centre in New York that night, so with up to 5,000 expected to make the trip to Vegas this time around, we can expect an even greater vocal backing for the Jackal.
Aside from that small excuse, Santa Cruz has shown remarkable grace and respect for Frampton since losing his unbeaten record, with the pre-fight press conferences a welcome and civil affair, with the pair trading compliments rather than insults.
Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz have had nothing but respect for each other in the build up to both there fights. #Respect #Boxing pic.twitter.com/o5ZC0AiCia
— Gary William® (@_GaryWilliam_) January 25, 2017
That friendliness will be put on hold for 12 rounds on Saturday night at the MGM Grand, and if the sequel is anything like the original, it might just be unmissable.
