Frampton edges closer to Belfast world title fight
CARL FRAMPTON is not invincible in Belfast, according to the ‘Cincinnati Kid’.
Jamel Herring, the WBO superfeather champion boxing out of Cincinnati, Ohio, is expected to defend his title against Frampton in Windsor Park in the New Year, although he’s demanding a million-dollar purse to cross the Atlantic.
Frampton, despite fracturing his left hand in his training camp, routed the previously unbeaten Tyler McCreary in a shut-out points win in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The Belfast-born former Irish Elite champion, paraphrasing Tyson Fury, said that “no man born from his mother will beat me at Windsor Park”.
But Herring, who congratulated the former two-weight champion in the ring after his landslide win over McCreary, has a different point of view.
“Carl did great, and I hope we can fight. There’s a first time for everything (losing at Windsor Park).
He looked good, he’s a two-divisional champion for a reason,” said the 34-year-old Herring.
If Frampton meets and beats Herring, he’ll become the first Irish boxer to win world titles at three different weights. Saturday’s outing was his first since last December.
But he still managed to floor Ohio-born McCreary in the sixth and eighth rounds en route to an emphatic 100-88 points decision from all three judges.
Frampton remarked before the weekend’s action that Herring’s million-dollar-plus purse demands seemed reasonable given that they could fill Windsor Park, but the fight could also go ahead in New York.
Improved
Saturday’s victory improved the Tiger Bay puncher to 27 wins from 29 outings after 205 rounds of prizefighting since his paid debut in 2009.
He would have preferred a stoppage, but headhunting was out of the question because of the injury.
“It’s always a bit softer hitting
a body than a head. That’s why it wasn’t the most exciting fight in the world. I just wanted to be safe with my hands, he said.
“I refractured it twice in the camp, but I knew a lot of people were coming here to support me. There was absolutely no way I wasn’t fighting.
I did 26 or 28 rounds of sparring because of the hand, but I had to fight.
“I would love the opportunity to fight Jamel. If it happens in Belfast, happy days. If it doesn’t, if it goes to New York, I’m keen for that,” added Frampton.
Meanwhile, an impatient lady lies in waiting for Katie Taylor.
Norway’s Cecilia ‘First Lady’ Braekhus wants to fight Taylor sooner rather than later after beating Victoria Bustos to retain her welterweight titles in Monte Carlo on Saturday.
“I don’t have a long time left in the sport,” admitted 38-year-old Braekhus. “The main goal is to fight Katie Taylor. I feel like I can challenge myself if I fight her.”
Braekhus is signed with English promoter Eddie Hearn, who also promotes Taylor.
“The future is Katie Taylor against Cecilia Braekhus. Those two are on a collision course,” said Hearn on Saturday. However, the bout will be at a catchweight, with Taylor moving up and Braekhus dropping down.