Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz rematch set for Jan. 28 in Las Vegas

The rematch between WBA super featherweight champion Carl Frampton and the fighter he defeated last July, Leo Santa Cruz, is set for Jan. 28 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Frampton (23-0, 14 KOs), won a majority decision against Santa Cruz on July 30 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, handing the Mexican-born Californian (32-1-1, 18 KOs) his first career loss in a fight worthy of consideration for fight of the year.

Frampton, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has said he has always wanted to fight in Las Vegas, and will get his chance early next year. It will be his third fight in the U.S.

Frampton's trainer, Shane McGuigan, said he believes this time his fighter, nicknamed "The Jackal," can knock Santa Cruz out.

"I thought he'd have gone, to be honest. I thought Carl would be able to knock him out," McGuigan told The Boxing News. "I'm confident Carl can knock him out. Carl hit him clean a few times but a lot of the time they were diffused by Santa Cruz's arms. He's got a very tight defense. He hit Frampton flush, 15, 20 times, clean on the chin. Never budged Carl once. So Carl can go into the next fight with a lot of confidence."

The co-feature on the card is a showdown of unbeaten fighters - WBO lightweight champion Dejan Zlaticanin (22-0, 15 KOs) from Montenegro, facing former two-division world champion Mikey Garcia (35-0, 29 KOs).

Garcia ended more than two years of inactivity due to a contract dispute with Top Rank Promotions on July 30 with a stoppage of Elio Rojas on the same card as Frampton-Santa Cruz I at Barclays Center.

Zlaticanin won the vacant WBC title with a TKO victory against Franklin Mamani at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona N.Y. on June 11.

(Photo of Frampton, right and Santa Cruz from their first fight in July by Anthony Geathers, Getty Images)