FRAMPTON BACK TO HIS BEST AS HE EYES TITLE FIGHT
CARL FRAMPTON said a brilliant goodbye to Belfast and a big hello to his bid for a third world title as he realised his dream of boxing at Windsor Park.
The Belfast stadium was packed with around 25,000 followers of ‘The Jackal’ as he destroyed tough Australian Luke Jackson. His merciless performance has teed up a battle for Josh Warrington’s IBF world featherweight title.
‘Given our styles, this could be the fight of the year,’ said Frampton after confounding suspicions that he may be past his prime.
The 31-year-old was back to his clinical, merciless best in knocking out Jackson at the end of the ninth round on Saturday night.
Frampton (right) broke down Jackson by adding sustained body attacks to his head-snapping combinations. Jackson winced with pain several times as his opponent pounded his torso through the winning of every round. The Belfast fighter praised him for battling on but the final, crushing right-hander to the abdomen was too much to bear. Jackson struggled back to his feet but, as the barrage increased, his corner threw in the towel. With Frampton hoping that victory over Warrington would lead to world title unification fights in the US, he hinted that this could be his last ring appearance in his home city. If so, it was a memorable farewell.
Meanwhile, Tyson Fury has dismissed suggestions money is motivating him to fight Deontay Wilder, even though he ideally would box again before challenging the dangerous American.
In what will be only the third fight of his comeback, and despite having fought just 14 rounds in the previous three years, Fury will travel to Las Vegas in November to meet the WBC heavyweight champion.
He eased to victory against Francesco Pianeta on Saturday’s Windsor Park undercard amid clear signs of ring rust, and will only be fighting under new trainer Ben Davison for the third time.
In Vegas he will be paid the biggest purse of his career — significantly more than that earned as the mandatory challenger to Wladimir Klitschko — and one that, at 30, will mean he never needs to fight again, but he insisted: ‘I’m not going into this for a pay cheque.
‘I wouldn’t lose for £100million; you can’t pay any amount of money for me to go to Vegas to get sparked out. If I didn’t believe I could win I’d pack up and retire. I don’t box to be second best or to make the numbers up, I box to be the best I can be.
‘If I’m not good enough so be it; I’m taking this fight because I know I can win. In an ideal world I could have done with another 10-round or 12-round fight, we know the world isn’t ideal.
‘At least this time I’m going in with two fights. I’m happy with the performance. I’ll bring some great guys over [to spar in preparation for Wilder]. I’ve got enough time to prepare for anybody.’
He described America’s Wilder — who has won 39 of his 40 fights inside the distance — as his ‘hardest fight’, and will have a short break before beginning his preparations for the American, with the aim of shedding a further six pounds by Vegas.
‘We are going to America to win. If I can come back from the brink of defeat, I can do anything. I know what life’s like on the other side, of having no hope.
‘I’ll put my best foot forward and rise up to the occasion. Going into Wlad [Klitschko] I only had two fights: Dereck Chisora and Christian Hammer, then I had 10 months out before beating Wlad.’