Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FRAMPTON’S SET TO PECK UP THE PACE
CARL FRAMPTON claims his clash with Horacio Garcia in Belfast next month will top the best bill Ireland has ever seen.
Former WBA (Super) featherweight world champion Frampton has had a tumultuous year.
In January, he lost that world crown to Leo Santa Cruz in the USA, and with it his unbeaten record as a professional.
And recently he confirmed his split with trainer Shane McGuigan and promoter Barry McGuigan.
Since then he has joined up with Frank Warren and is hoping that his first fight with his new stable will put him on course for a much better 2018.
Frampton said: “This is a fight that really excites me – Garcia will definitely come and have a go.
“He’s a typical Mexican warrior, he’s tough, he’s game and he’ll try to put it on me in front of my home crowd.
“He has never been stopped in his career and has only lost to worldclass opposition, excluding the loss against Diuhl Olguin [Garcia won the return].
“It will be good to get a fight in against a live opponent before I get one of the big boys in the New Year.
“It’s a great bill, probably the best bill that Ireland has ever seen, and I don’t think people will criticise me too much for saying that.
“It’s a quality bill and to be topping it is a huge honour.
“This fight has been a long time coming and it’s good to be back out in Belfast topping a double world-title bill that also features my good friend Paddy Barnes defending his WBO European title.”
Frampton’s clash with Garcia will not be championship length.
He added: “I asked for a 10-round fight. I would have been happy to be doing 12 rounds but, speaking to my team after the bad year I’ve had, and the long lay-off, they thought it was only fair to come back with a 10-rounder before we target the big names.” Irish bantamweight Ryan Burnett, the IBF champion, faces WBA champion Zhanat Zhakiyanov in Belfast on Saturday.
And the Kazakh fighter is adamant that Burnett will be beaten in front of his home crowd.
Zhakiyanov said: “I travelled to the US to beat Rau’shee Warren in his home town where I went down early and pulled myself off the canvas.
“I don’t know if Ryan has that experience and heart that I have.
“In comparison to my previous opponents, Burnett ranks high, but I don’t believe that he’s the best that I have faced so far.”
He’s a typical Mexican warrior ...he’ll try to put it on me