Frampton the house husband plots his home run
CARL Frampton embarks early tomorrow morning on a four-year campaign to establish himself as one of the greatest fighters on the planet and to set himself up financially for a very different life after boxing.
To commence his projected journey from heroic fighting Ulsterman to happy house husband, the Belfast Jackal must wrest the world featherweight title away from the toughest opponent of his career by far.
Mexican whirlwind Leo Santa Cruz is expected to throw over 100 punches a round in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in his determination to hold on to the third world championship he has won in different weight divisions.
Frampton will focus on ambushing the bookmakers’ favourite with the deadly accuracy and discouraging power of his counter-punching.
Only one of these two warriors will be left standing with his cherished unbeaten record intact.
If it is Frampton, his stock will rise sharply on both sides of the Atlantic, possibly among the top 10 pound-forpound boxers in the world.
That will pave his path with the big-money fights he hopes will secure a serene future for his family.
The 29-year- old from Tiger’s Bay explains: ‘ After I beat Leo I want another fight this year. Then I’m looking at another eight to 10 major fights. I’ve got those in me because I look after myself these days. I’m not teetotal. I like a beer or two. But I’m not a dipso either. I was a bit wild when I was young but I’m very serious about my boxing now.
‘I see myself retiring when I’m 33. Not only for me but for my wife. Christine is a clever lady. She holds a degree in criminology but she has put her career on hold while I’m boxing.
‘Once I hang up the gloves she can go back to fulfilling her ambitions. She deserves that. I will be very happy to be the house husband, happy staying home to do the chores and look after our two kids. They will be a bit older. Less work and more fun to be around. Happy to do that? I’ll love it.’
Frampton knows that for this idyll to become reality he needs to bankroll them all for life. Victory over Santa Cruz would make him the first Ulsterman to become a world champion in two divisions. He wants that prestige for himself and his fans.
But he speaks with disarming frankness about the financial imperative of a fighter’s life. ‘We all have ambitions to win a world title but boxing is a business,’ he says. ‘I want to make myself, everyone I love, my supporters and our country proud. But the money is the bottom line. This is a short career and I need the last three or four years of mine to be full of big fights with big pay-days.’
That requires upsetting the odds in his first fight in New York. Santa Cruz has personal motivations of his own for preventing that upset. His father Jose — ‘the most important influence’ in his life — has travelledt ll dt to beb ringsidei id even th thoughh he is being treated for cancer.
‘I am so happy he is here,’ says Santa Cruz. ‘He’s been with me at all my fights. I must win for him.’
So confident of victory is the Santa Cruz camp that he agreed to leave his comfort zone in Los Angeles for what will also be his first appearance in New York.
The money has played its part in that decision, too. Frampton’s purse is well into seven figures but, as the champion making that concession over the venue, Santa Cruz will take home the significantly larger cheque.
Santa Cruz boxes in front of packed crowds of Hispanics in Californialif i butb t theyth will ill beb outnumt bered here by the Irish-Americans rooting for Frampton, bolstered by 1,200 flying in from Belfast.
Santa Cruz insists: ‘ Carl’s wild Irish fans will not bother me.’
Still, this will be a virtual home fixture for Frampton and he will be grateful for the help.
‘It does give you a boost,’ he says. ‘But in the end it comes down to the two of you in the ring.’
Ricky Hatton is here with his light- middleweight prospect Sergey Rabchenko on the undercard and was greeted rapturously by the locals as he arrived at the packed Church Street gym.
The Hitman subscribes to the majority opinion that Frampton is in for a tough Saturday night’s work: ‘Santa Cruz is a great fighter. If Carl is at his very best he can nick it but it will be very close.’
Santa Cruz, despite the fight game’s admiration and his three world titles, has yet to cross over into the imagination of the wider American public.
Frampton has his chance to grab America’s attention on the Showtime television network. For this, he has gambled his world super-bantamweight title to take on the markedly taller Mexican.
Although shorter, Frampton is stockier than Santa Cruz and might even be the heavier of the two. He says: ‘I was killing myself to get down to super-bantam. I’m stronger and punching harder.’
Even though Santa Cruz presents a hittable target as he throws caution to the winds, he has a sound chin and the KO may be beyond Frampton as he steps up to featherweight for the first time.
But with the predominantly Irish crowd loudly reminding the judges every time he lands a punch, Frampton might just edge a thriller by a narrow, possibly split, decision.
Santa Cruz v Frampton will be televised live on BoxNation.