Frampton’s not past his Selby date yet

CARL FRAMPTON is happy to go across the Irish Sea for a duel with IBF champion Lee Selby.

Frampton wants to face the Welshman before the end of the year if he cannot get a third fight with Mexican Leo Santa Cruz.

Selby wants the clash and Frampton’s manager Barry McGuigan is ready to open talks with the IBF title holder’s team if his man beats Andres Gutierrez tonight.

The fight would have to be in a top venue, possibly Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, to make it financially viable.

Frampton is happy to travel as Belfast does not have a big enough indoor venue. The SSE Arena, which stages his clash with Gutierrez, holds just 9,000.

McGuigan said: “We can’t have Santa Cruz in Belfast until next summer, when we can go outdoors to a bigger venue. “We do need a fight in the meantime and so we are going to have to travel. But

we won’t be travelling across the Atlantic. We can fight Selby in Glasgow, we can fight him in Cardiff, in Manchester, London, Birmingham.

“They all have arenas big enough to hold a crowd that makes it financially viable.

“I know that is the fight they want but it’s a whole different ball game when you sit down and negotiate with them.

“Frampton is the draw, so they have got to understand who the main attraction is.

“We are happy to negotiate with them but we have to get the right terms for Carl.”