Leo Santa Cruz inspired by father ahead of Carl Frampton title defence
Wednesday 27 July 2016 10:01, UK
Leo Santa Cruz admits he was in tears at the prospect of his father being absent from his world title fight against Carl Frampton.
Santa Cruz and Frampton go head-to-head for the WBA world featherweight title at the Barclays Center in New York, on Saturday.
It will be Santa Cruz's third defence of his crown following a majority-decision victory over Abner Mares and a fifth-round stoppage win over Kiko Martinez.
The 27-year-old had feared his father would not be in attendance as he is undergoing treatment for cancer, but is delighted he will be able to call upon his support.
"I am so happy my father is here with us,'' Santa Cruz said. "We thought he might not be able to make it, but thank God he is here with us.
"Not having my dad here in New York with me would have been hard. It actually brought tears to my eyes.
"But I am very happy that he is here and will be in my corner for my fight.
"Thank you to all of the people who are here and all of the people that support me. I am so happy to be here and hopefully I can make you all proud and put on a great show this Saturday night."
