Jackal inspired by support for Windsor battle
CARL FRAMPTON is aiming to follow in the footsteps of Northern Ireland’s footballing greats when he takes on Australia’s Luke Jackson at Windsor Park on Saturday evening.
Spurred on by the reputations of George Best, David Healy and Gerry Armstrong, Carl is ready to put in a display worthy of such an iconic headline attraction against his interim WBO title challenger.
“I believe I’m one of the best supported fighters on the planet and that’s down to the passionate Northern Ireland sports fans,” said Frampton (below), who will have 25,000 fervent voices cheering him on.
The fight will be broadcast Stateside by TV giants Showtime who previously showed ‘The Jackal’s’ two battles with Leo Santa Cruz. That link is important for Frampton as all of the key players in the 126-pound division are signed up to Al Haymon’s conjoined PBC outfit.
With more huge nights in the pipeline for the Belfast hero, against the likes of full WBO king Oscar Valdez or IBF champ Josh Warrington, lesser fighters could be distracted by the lure of future contests. Frampton, however, is an experienced professional who will not allow his focus to be distracted.
“I’m certainly not taking Luke Jackson for granted in the slightest,” he insisted. “I’ve done that before against Alejandro Gonzalez and I ended up on my backside twice in the first round. I’ve learned from that fight.”
Luke Jackson’s relatively low key reputation has prompted some observers to write off the Tasmanian native’s chances. Promoter Frank Warren, who oversaw a bumper outdoor event in May when domestic featherweight rivals Josh Warrington and Lee Selby clashed in Leeds, has cautioned against any complacency.
Compared to Frampton, who has headlined in New York and Las Vegas as well as at home in Belfast, Jackson has quietly built himself up into a world-ranked competitor. Jackson, 33, was inspired to box by Kostya Tszyu and like the legendary Russian — who won the respect and admiration of his adopted Australia — Luke will leave nothing to chance on his career-defining night.
“There’ll be no excuses, I’m not going to be the guy who says, ‘If only I had done a little bit more’, I can’t wait for the fight,” said Jackson who won’t go down without a fight, but will have to confound all the odds if he is to upset Frampton’s chance of entering Windsor sporting folklore.