Carl Frampton calls for Tyrone McKenna v Phil Sutcliffe Irish title clash

Belfast’s two-weight World champion Carl Frampton has joined the chorus of people calling for an Irish title showdown between Tyrone McKenna and Phil Sutcliffe Jr.

Frampton was ringside to see both in action at the recent Boxnation ‘Homecoming’ show at the Titanic Exhibition Centre.

Here McKenna [12(4)-0-1] won the BUI Celtic Warrior light welterweight title, scoring a destructive victory over Dublin’s Sean Creagh – a good friend and training partner of Sutcliffe. This win gave ‘The Mighty Celt’ the number one spot in the Irish 140lbs division, something which does not sit well with the Irish title-hungry Sutcliffe [12(7)-1(0)]. The Crumlin puncher also scored a career-best victory that night, narrowly defeating two-time British title challenger Chris Jenkins and moving up to second in the Irish rankings.

Soon after the Boxing Union of Ireland authorised an Irish title fight between the pair for the vacant belt last held by Frankie Gavin, and it is a fight that Frampton wants to see.

Writing in his weekly column for the Sunday Life, ‘The Jackal’ described how “Belfast’s Tyrone McKenna and Dubliner Phil Sutcliffe look certain to meet for the Irish light welterweight title next year and this is the kind of fight that gets the local fans really interested.”

“After they both won last weekend on the Titanic Exhibition Centre show it seems a natural fight. Sutcliffe’s a serious puncher who loves a tear-up and McKenna’s a good boxer so it’s a good match-up.”

It is hoped that a fight between the two can be made for the next time the Boxnation cameras come to Belfast, tentatively scheduled for next February.

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish).