Frampton thrilled by prospect of clash with Warrington after beating Jackson in Belfast
Carl Frampton turned his focus to Josh Warrington after securing a shot at the IBF featherweight champion by stopping Luke Jackson in Belfast.
After fulfilling his dream of fighting at Windsor Park, the Northern Irishman was joined in the ring by Warrington, and their promoter Frank Warren confirmed the pair will face each other before the end of the year. The Manchester Arena is reported to be the favoured venue for what would represent Frampton’s chance to again reign as world champion.
The 31-year-old recognises that Warrington will pose a greater threat than resilient Australian Jackson, whose corner threw in the towel in the ninth round, and he said: “Josh Warrington’s a different task altogether.
“He had the biggest win of his career against (Lee) Selby. It’s not an easy fight, and it’s a big fight, especially in the UK and Ireland. It’s very, very exciting. My fans will be excited by it, Warrington’s fans will be excited by it. The atmosphere’s going to be electric, it’s going to be one of the best atmospheres ever.
“I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, or Warrington’s trumpet. It’ll be the best atmosphere in boxing. Look at his fans, look at my fans.
“It probably has the ingredients to be an exciting fight. Scott Quigg’s tactics when he fought me at the Manchester Arena were strange, to say the least, and I won not having to do a lot at all. I don’t think Josh Warrington is going to give me six rounds by not doing anything, so it would be a completely different fight, and a better fight. It’d have to be – it couldn’t get any worse.”
The normally composed Frampton revealed that the occasion had led to him battling against uncharacteristic pre-fight nerves, but amid suggestions he had fought for the final time in his home town of Belfast he insisted he could yet return.
He said: “This is the most active I’ve been in my career and I want to keep going; to come back to Belfast. You never know but I want to come back here – I’d love that.”