Frampton wins but agony for Barnes
Frampton’s steely focus & iron fists are a warning to rivals
CARL Frampton turned his Windsor Park dream into a one sided reality against gritty Aussie Luke Jackson last night.
The heavens may have opened - soaking the sellout 25,000 strong crowd below - but it was The Jackal who reigned at the South Belfast arena.
What a memorable spectacle for the fans as Frampton worked the ring like a man on a mission.
The 31-year-old had always dreamed of fighting - and winning - at Northern Ireland’s national football stadium and nobody was going to mar the script.
Not the weather, or the resilient Jackson who was unbeaten in 16 but fighting outside his homeland for the first time as a pro.
“The fans were unbelievable - the noise from start to finish was incredible,” said Frampton, who described his opponent as a “real credit”.
After Friday’s weigh-in, Frampton had said he wanted to lay down a marker and remind the featherweight division he was a fighter to be feared. And the two-weight former world champion was rarely troubled as he delivered a first stoppage win in three years in the ninth round.
If this was indeed his last ever fight in Belfast, it was a special way to bid farewell to his home support.
Frampton was fast and accurate in the early rounds and had Jackson bloodied above his right eye at the midway point.
The end was in sight as the rain cascaded across the arena and Jackson was caught with a raking uppercut at the end of the sixth. A stinging body shot had the Aussie down for a count at the end of the eighth and while he survived, the inevitable arrived in the next round when his corner threw in the towel after another Frampton onslaught.
Next up for The Jackal is an expected clash with IBF champion Josh Warrington who was at ringside, possibly at the Manchester Arena before Christmas.
Afterwards Frampton said: “Hopefully we can make the fight.
“Josh is a world champion and I’d love to be a world champion again.”
WBO champion Oscar Valdez, currently recovering from a jaw injury, is also on the Belfast fighter’s radar, along with WBA super featherweight champ Leo Santa Cruz.
Cruz made it a win apiece against Frampton in Las Vegas 19 months ago and the third showdown of an enthralling trilogy would appeal to TV execs.
That’s for the future, though.
This morning, The Jackal can revel in a night to remember at Windsor.