Carl Frampton: it will be a very special moment when I walk out at Windsor
FIGHT fans are promised an explosive night of action at Windsor Park if the weigh-in at the Europa Hotel is any indication.
Hundreds cheered Belfast champ Carl Frampton to the scales yesterday ahead of his dream bout at the national stadium when he fights Australian Luke Jackson.
There were plenty of cheers too for Paddy Barnes, who faces Nicaraguan WBC flyweight champion Cristofer Rosales in what is the biggest night of boxing the city has seen.
Some 24,000 are expected to descend on Windsor Park, with the majority backing the local boys, though Manchester’s former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury will attempt to steal the show.
Controversial showman Fury takes on Italian Franceso Pianeta and is lined up for a crack at current WBC champion American Deontay Wilder, in Las Vegas later this year, should he triumph.
Wilder has flown into Belfast to sit ringside tonight and the pair traded insults at the weighin and in the foyer of the Europa Hotel afterwards to add extra spice to the occasion.
But all eyes will be on Frampton and fans have travelled from across the UK for the event, with Cardiff ’s Andrew Thomas delighted his Northern Irish inlaws secured him a ticket.
“I’ve been to a good few fights,” he said. “I expect this one will be easy enough for Frampton. I certainly hope so.
“It’ll be a bit disappointing for everyone after the big build up if it all goes wrong, but I don’t think it will.”
Also travelling from Wales were friends Craig Murdock, Simon Ambridge and Matthew Troath.
“Frampton in six”, said Craig. “He looks in great shape.”
“Fury in four,” said Tyson fan Simon.
“The best fight of the night will be Paddy Barnes,” added Matthew. “That’s the contest I’m really looking forward to.”
East Belfast lads Kyle Walker and Graham Davidson also have Frampton down for the win.
“It’s going to be a mental night. I can’t wait for it. I was at his last fight in the SSE Arena and that was great, but the atmosphere at Windsor will be something else,” said Kyle.
“It’ll be some night,” added Graham. And James Burns from Newcastle said: “You always fear the unpredictable but I think he’ll win okay.”
Top boxing pundit Steve Bunce watched from the sidelines at the weigh-in and told the Belfast Telegraph: “I’d take Frampton to win in five or six rounds. I saw him in the gym a while ago and he looked nasty, in great shape.
“Luke Jackson will come at him from the start and I expect it to be fast and furious, but it’s Frampton for me.
“The real explosion will come from Tyson Fury. He’ll come out throwing and if it’s not done inside the first round, he’ll have more than enough to take it in six or seven. Anyone with a ticket is in for a great night’s entertainment. It’ll be the biggest boxing night Belfast has ever seen.”
Frampton himself said: “I’ll show people I’m still here and everyone should be fearful of me. I’m going to win. I don’t predict anything else.”
PADDY Barnes can’t help but enjoy some craic at the expense of others and himself — even when it is on the cusp of the biggest night of his professional career.
History beckons Barnes just as it has throughout his boxing career, having become the first Northern Ireland boxer to win back-to-back Commonwealth gold medals as well as breaking new ground with two Olympic medals and European gold.
Now he can become the quickest to a world title, in only his sixth professional fight.
Close friend Carl Frampton has drawn comparisons between such a feat and that of the great Vasyl Lomachenko who picked up his first world title in only his third bout having ruled supreme in the amateur ranks.
“I think me and Lomachenko are the same only different — he’s better looking and a better boxer,” quips Barnes.
It is the undoubted quality he showed as an amateur, gaining a wealth of experience along the way that has many believing he could pull off an upset and dethrone WBC World flyweight champion Cristofer Rosales — eight years his junior.
Barnes did not have the most promising of starts to his amateur career, losing his first 12 fights and he admits that it was not until he was picked to represent Ireland at the 2007 World championships in Chicago that a genuine belief in his ability to mix with the elite was instilled.
“I was the last one to get picked for the World championships and then ended up being the first to qualify for the Olympics,” said Barnes.
“The big moment for me came in the training camps leading up to the World championships. One was in France and I was sparring Jerome Thomas who was world champion and an Olympic silver medallist.
“I didn’t know who he was but we had this great spar and afterwards when my coach told me who he was it made me realise what I could do in this sport.
“The spars we had were so good that I remember the rest of the lads would stop and watch and there would be a round of applause at the end.