‘To get in there in front of her would be brilliant’ – Frampton wants to pip Taylor in three weight world title race
Carl Frampton is hopeful he can beat Katie Taylor to the three weight world title punch.
‘The Jackal’, Taylor and Steve Collins are the only Irish fighters to have secured world titles in two different weight classes and there has yet to be a fighter from the island to become a three division titlist.
The Belfast fighter – who won IBF and WBA titles at super bantamweight as well as the WBA featherweight title – is confident undisputed lightweight world champ Katie Taylor will one day secure three weight world championship status, but his hopeful he gets there first.
“When I turned professional my dream was to become a world champion,” the 33-year-old told RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport.
“If a genie had granted me a wish and said, ‘you’ll become a world champion and lose it on your first defence’, I think I’d have taken it. To become a two-weight world champion and the things I’ve done in my career, I’m obviously very proud.
“But to become a three-weight world champion, and the first ever on the island of Ireland, is going to be huge.
“There’s three two-weight world champions – myself, Katie Taylor and Steve Collins. To stand alone as a three-weight champion would be huge.
“I do believe Katie Taylor will become a three-weight world champion at some point in her career. To get in there in front of her would be brilliant.”
The popular fighter and Greatest Irish Fighter of All Time contender will have the chance to make history when boxing resumes.
Considering he will challenge for Jamel Herrings WBO super featherweight world title when boxing resumes and Taylor has her sights set on big names rather than honours at this particular moment in time, means he is most certainly in three weight world champ pole.
The Herring fight, initially muted for May and then scheduled for June 13, has been postponed due to the current pandemic, but will go ahead once boxing gets the resumption nod.
Frampton believes he goes into the fight as underdog, but is confident he can cause an upset.
“It was all pretty much agreed to fight. We had a date of 13 June at Windsor Park tentatively pencilled in and then obviously the whole world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic and that’s ruled that out, but the fight is pretty much done and I think it will happen at some point when it’s safe to do so.
“I felt like I was in a good place mentally. I feel physically like I’m in my prime really. I know I’m not the youngest guy in the world anymore but I’m still doing things now that I couldn’t do in my mid-20s.
“I’m the underdog, I know that. Jamel Herring is the champion, he’s a big guy as well. There isn’t really a lot of pressure on me. I genuinely believe I can win this fight.”
