By Edward Chaykovsky

According to the World Boxing Association, they are potentially going to order a mandatory trilogy fight between WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (33-1-1, 18 KOs) and former beltholder Carl Frampton (23-1, 14 KOs).

The two fighters are already discussing te idea of a trilogy fight, but the the biggest hurdle is Frampton insistent that the trilogy fight takes place in Belfast.

Frampton has traveled overseas for both of his encounters with Santa Cruz, and believes the Mexican boxer should return the favor by at least crossing the ocean for a third encounter.

Last July at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Frampton captured the WBA belt with a twelve round majority decision over Santa Cruz - who got revenge last month in Las Vegas, when he reclaimed his title with a twelve round majority decision over Frampton at the MGM Grand.

World Boxing Association President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza held a press conference in Panama on Wednesday, where he revealed that his organization is considering a mandatory order to get set down by next week - for Frampton and Santa Cruz to collide for a third time.

If the order comes down, and the two teams continue to battle over the fight location, the big issue could be settled with a purse bid.

Santa Cruz explained that his father and trainer, Jose Santa Cruz, is not in favor of a Belfast encounter. He wants his son to fight Frampton on neutral ground.

"My dad is scared that if I go over there, and even if I beat Carl Frampton, the people and the judges are going to be an influence. It's very important, he's my father, he's been there my whole life, my whole career. I always listen to my dad. If he says no, I wouldn't go there. I do whatever he tells me to do," Santa Cruz told Villainfy Media. 

"My dad says not to go over there, because going over there would be a really bad decision and, you know, he is right and everything. No matter if I beat him, he thinks that even if I beat him I'll have the victory taken away from me."

However, Barry McGuigan - who manages and promotes Frampton - believes he can still persuade Santa Cruz to travel over to Belfast in the summer.

Santa Cruz and Frampton are both advised by boxing powerbroker Al Haymon, who at the moment is caught in the middle as both boxers are requesting conflicting locations to face each other.

McGuigan plans to continue his negotiations with Haymon for a Belfast trilogy.

"I've seen what Santa Cruz has had to say about not wanting to fight in Belfast, nothing surprises me in boxing. Those thoughts are clearly influenced by his father but nothing is deterring us from continuing to negotiate a deal for Santa Cruz to face Carl in the summer in Belfast," said McGuigan to the Belfast Telegraph.

“Any negotiations that we have had so far with Santa Cruz’s adviser Al Haymon have been positive and we don’t see any reason why that shouldn’t still be the case, despite what Santa Cruz has said. We are working very hard to make coming to Belfast at an outdoor venue on pay-per-view the most lucrative deal for Santa Cruz in a third fight with Carl.

“That may well be the case which is something that Santa Cruz will have to weigh up and of course he had said all along that he would happily come to Carl’s home town to fight him so I hope he honours those comments.”