Big fights “on hold” for Carl Frampton until next year
If Carl Frampton is to fight again this year he does not seem to think it will be against a big name.
The Belfast star has not fought since his WBA title loss to Leo Santa Cruz in January, having a homecoming fight with Andres Gutierrez at the SSE Odyssey Arena fall through last month.
The 30 year old featherweight has since split from Barry McGuigan and Cyclone Promotions and the boxing world awaits news of his next move.
While Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn and Queensberry’s Frank Warren have expressed their interest, a deepening of ties with influential U.S. adviser looks likely to be the next move.
The American mogul, adviser of Floyd Mayweather and the powerhouse behind Premier Boxing Champions, is also involved in the careers of 126lbs champions Leo Santa Cruz, Lee Selby, and Gary Russell, as well as Abner Mares. However, in his most recent column, Frampton [23(14)-1(0)] does not seem overly hopeful of a big fight next.
In a section for the Sunday Life titled ‘Big feather dust-ups on hold’ Frampton outlined that “with the big fight between Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares falling through, it seems the majority of the big featherweight battles are heading for 2018.”
The Mexican-American pair meet in South California on October 14th and, assuming an early 2018 match up afterwards, the victor wont be available until next Summer at the earliest.
IBF champion Lee Selby looked to be a possibility, and both the Welshman and Frampton had spoken numerous times about their desire for a fight. However Frampton notably did not add to this here.
The Jackal detailed how “Oscar Valdez defends his WBO title next month while Santa Cruz and Mares face different opponents in October before eventually meeting next year. And WBC title holder Gary Russell and IBF champion Lee Selby are deciding their next moves.”
