Fans sent into frenzy following fake Frampton update
The future of Carl Frampton remains in question, and rumours are abound.
With official comment thin on the ground, and people desperate to know just what the story is with the Belfast featherweight, some sections of the internet have attempted to take advantage.
Last week it was reported by the BBC that “reliable sources” have informed them that ‘The Jackal’ was set to depart from Cyclone Promotions, ending an eight-year association with the McGuigan-run outfit.
However, Cyclone would refuse to comment on direct questions regarding Frampton’s position, and the 30 year old himself was uncontactable.
Yesterday there was a frenzy online, with big ‘news’ circulating. A Facebook status originating on the ‘Boxing Worldwide’ page was widely shared, even ending up on some well-known Irish fan pages.
The passage in full read:
Carl Frampton has REJECTED a huge offer to re-join promoter Eddie Hearn & Matchroom Boxing, according to reports.
Frampton – who fired Hearn as his promoter in 2013 – is not interested in joining forces with Hearn again. Frampton had labelled Hearn ‘a rat’, ‘a lanky cunt’ and ‘a prick’ in the build up to his super bantamweight unification showdown vs. Scott Quigg, who Hearn also promotes, in 2016.
However, 2-weight division World champion Frampton WILL part ways with both career-long manager Barry McGuigan & trainer Shane McGuigan, the reports have stated. A new trainer for Frampton is not thought to have been finalized yet.
Frampton has reportedly decided to accept a multi-million dollar offer from the United States, in a 4-fight deal that is set to earn him up to $15million. Frampton is said to have allowed his adviser Al Haymon to guide his whole career from this point on, taking a more hands on role rather than simply an advisory position.
Haymon is said to have promised Frampton the options of a trilogy showdown vs. Leo Santa Cruz, an clash vs. IBF featherweight World champion Lee Selby – who Haymon also advises – and a possible showdown vs. Abner Mares, as well as a possible crack at a super featherweight World title in an attempt to become a 3-weight division World champion. All of Frampton, Selby, Santa Cruz & Mares are advised by Haymon.
After boxing in places such as New York & Las Vegas against Santa Cruz in their classic rivalry so far, Frampton looks set to have more opportunities to grace the famous arenas the USA has to offer.
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Convincing? For a lot of people it was.
The ‘article’ tries to give the impression as having come from a newspaper or a reputable website, but there are more than a few problems that mark the story out as a fake.
Most importantly, there have been no “reports” whatsoever on any website or newspaper which state that Frampton has either rejected Eddie Hearn or is set to sign with Al Haymon.
Then there is the $15million four-fight deal. With Mayweather and McGregor dominating the news cycle, figures like this almost seem believable – however, there is absolutely no chance of such a deal.
In his last two fights with Leo Santa Cruz, Frampton earned a total of $1.5 million. Now, especially after coming off a loss, there is no chance that ‘The Jackal’ could command these sort of record-breaking figures.
$15million for four fights would make Frampton one of boxing’s top earners. By comparison, in his past four fights, Gennady Golovkin earned $11.5million.
Finally then there is the piece itself, which is littered with formatting and syntax errors – as well as explicit language.
Now, this is not all to say that Frampton wont link up with Haymon. Indeed, if his rumoured departure from Cyclone does come to fruition, a full-time deal with Haymon is one of the likelier scenarios. Next week Frampton jets off to Las Vegas for Mayweather-McGregor, and he could get in some business whilst here.
Though, Until then, or when official word is given, rumours like the above will continue to fly.
The frustration of Frampton fans, hungry for an update, is understandable and unfortunately some have sought to take advantage.
