A Plan for Paddy – Carl Frampton outlines changes needed for Barnes to win World Title

Carl Frampton [26(15)-2(0)] believes his boxing best mate Paddy Barnes [5(1)-2(1)] can still win a world title.

The double Olympic bronze medallist suffered his second successive pro defeat on St Patrick’s Day, slipping on an Oscar Mojica-shaped banana skin in New York.

Barnes was dropped, although it wasn’t counted, and had his nose broken in the six-rounder and said afterward that he would “probably retire.”

Frampton was ringside supporting that night and has spoken to Barnes since.

He feels the retirement talk was more a “heat of the moment” utterance rather than a definitive decision, and ‘The Jackal’ thinks that 31-year-old Barnes can still reach the top of the professional world.

I absolutely love @paddyb_ireland. What a man

— Carl Frampton MBE (@RealCFrampton) March 18, 2019

However, Frampton warns that there are wholesale adjustments needed and attitudes to be changed if ‘The Leprechaun’ is to get to the end of the rainbow.

Weight is one issue and patience is another, according to Frampton who outlined his plan for Paddy in this week’s Sunday Life.

The two-weight world champion described how “if he is to fulfil his potential as a professional then he needs to make changes

“This defeat could well be the kick up the backside he needs. First of all, he should never have fought at bantamweight, but overall there needs to be a complete re-evaluation of how he is going about his professional career. Every aspect now needs to be examined so he can move forward and put himself on track for another shot at the world flyweight title.”

“I think he needs to reconsider his desire to become the fastest Irishman to a world title. He now needs to let that go and reset his career.”

Plotting the path, Frampton reasoned that “I would like to see Paddy having a couple of six rounders, then go to eight and 10 and do so without any long breaks.”

“He shouldn’t worry about whether they are on big shows or not but just get that experience and really learn his trade as a professionally. If he can bank five or six wins he will get another world title shot – and he can win a world title having had the right fights leading up to it.”

“It’s now a case of being patient as he works his way to the top – and he will get there with the right changes.”