Underestimated Again, Mistaken Again – Carl Frampton warns Josh Warrington

First it was his chin and now it is his age – Carl Frampton believes he is going through a second period of his career where he is being underestimated.

‘The Jackal’ has numerous times noted how his two early visits to the canvas versus the unheralded Alejandro Gonzalez back in 2015 convinvced both Scott Quigg and Leo Santa Cruz to share the ring with him.

Now Frampton [26(15)-1(0)] feels his rematch loss to Santa Cruz last year has a new batch of fighters believing that he is over the hill and are therefore keen to face him.

This, he thinks, is one of the reasons that IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington [27(6)-0] has elected to put his newly-won belt on the line in a voluntary defence versus Frampton and the Belfast favourite has promised that it is a “big mistake.”

The Tiger’s Bay 31-year-old stresses that he is in the best shape and form of his career ahead of the December 22nd clash at the Manchester Arena, live on BT Sport Box Office, and that Warrington will pay the price.

“It’s quite clear that he feels [time] is on his side,” Frampton wrote in his weekly column for the Sunday Life.

“Warrington could have taken somebody easier for his first defence but he has chosen me.”

Explaining his theory, Frampton outlined how Warrington will “get the biggest pay-day of his career but he also seems to beleve that now is the time to get me because I’m not quite the fighter I once was.”

“Ever since my defeat at the hands of Leo Santa Cruz in January last year, there have been people writing me off and fighters looking at me feeling they are getting me at the right time because I’ve slipped back.”

While he can appreciate the reasoning, Frampton promises that it couldn’t be further from reality.

The Jamie Moore-trained fighter described how Warrington is “wrong because this is the worst time in my career to be fighting me. I can say that because I know how fit I am, how happy I am and I have a fierce hunger inside me to be a World Champion again and go on to achieve a lot more in the sport before I hang up the gloves. ”

“It’s only when people get in the ring with me that they realise what they’re up against. I feel people are shocked by my control of distance when they get in with me.”

“That is very important at the highest level.”