Frampton ready to transcend Irish boxing

Shane McGuigan celebrates with Carl Frampton image taken from: uk.news.yahoo.com

Carl Frampton has the world at his feet (or in his hands) after Friday night’s demolition of Hugo Cazares in Belfast elevated him to within touching distance of a world title shot.

Frampton beat Cazares inside two rounds, and whilst the Mexican was not the force of old – Cazares is a former two-weight world champion – he is an opponent that certainly glamorises the Belfast man’s 18-0-0 record.

The Ulsterman now heads into the world title picture in the bantamweight division but he is on the tip of transcending into the mainstream of Irish sport, and that’s bigger.

The 27-year-old is a boxing superstar with skills, power, attitude and marketability, something a 9,000-strong Odyssey crowd powerfully reinforce. He may be managed by Barry McGuigan, one of Ireland’s real sporting heroes, but Frampton can go far beyond McGuigan’s star and become another one of the Irish greats.

“The Jackal” is fast making a name for himself not only in his division, but also in the wider boxing world and the Irish sporting conscience.

Leo Santa Cruz looks to be next for Frampton in a world title fight for the WBC super bantamweight strap, but Guillermo Rigondeaux’s Irish promoters Nowhere2Hyde were talking up chances of a deal to fight Frampton after Friday’s victory.

The Cuban is well-known in Ireland for his demolition of Willie Casey and is supremely regarded around the world as a pound-for-pound phenomenon. A fight with Frampton would be a titanic battle but a clash for “Rigo’s” WBA, WBO and Ring titles would clearly be bigger if the Ulsterman owned Santa Cruz’ WBC belt.

O’Driscoll had the same class and aura in his chosen field as Frampton currently displays

At the minute that is the name of the game; work on getting the Santa Cruz fight and keep the marketing of “The Jackal” at an all-time high, then perhaps look at the Rigondeaux offer if it is there.

The Belfast man is on a road to success, ready to let Leo Santa Cruz, and then maybe Guillermo Rigondeaux, bring him through into the pantheon of greats. The one where sits Brian O’Driscoll, Robbie Keane, Willie John McBride, Joey Dunlop and his mentor Barry McGuigan amongst others.

It’s now down to Carl to secure a seat at that illustrious table. Nothing has stopped him getting this far.

Martinez ain’t no fascination

 

Martinez (burgundy trunks) takes a shot from Rendall Munroe, who beat him in 2010. Carl Frampton will pay no attention to La Sensacion and his withdrawal when the opening bell rings in September.

Kiko Martinez seems to thrive off being a nemesis to Irish boxing, but have we already given him too many chances on this fantastic boxing island?

His misdemeanours to Irish boxing may be few and far between, but they are like asteroids when they arrive as we saw in last week’s controversial pulling out of his ‘Judgement Day’ card with Carl Frampton.

But this wasn’t Kiko’s first time of rubbing the Irish boxing public up the wrong way, as we had to watch and wince as he took Dublin’s EBU super-bantamweight champion Bernard Dunne to the cleaners in 2005.

We then had to watch in disgust a few months later as he completely disrespected one of the finest fighters to ever come out of Ireland when he came in over the weight against Wayne McCullough.

Martinez then proceeded to do nothing much when asked to try and lose some of the weight to make sure the fight went ahead. Needless to say many were thinking what McCullough was – “Who does this guy think he is?”

And who does Martinez exactly think he is? It’s fair to say this seems to be a genuine injury having pulled out with tendonitis in his shoulder, but not everyone agrees and most of all Carl Frampton smells a rat.

“The first thing I said then was ‘his balls have gone again’ – and I don’t like to say it but I think it’s true.”

Carl Frampton on Martinez no-show

There are quite a few pundits and boxers alike who like to believe that Kiko is afraid of a challenge when it presents itself but not all believe that Martinez tends to split when the going gets tough.

Some believe that Martinez is a tough character to read whilst others believe that he is a wily athlete who won’t be bullied into doing what a promoter wants from him, which would explain a lot.

However, Matchroom and Eddie Hearn didn’t hang around and Barry McGuigan also did a fantastic job by reeling in an arguably better opponent, although Steve Molitor doesn’t have the household name appeal that Martinez did in Ireland.

Antrim’s Frampton says he is feeling in fantastic shape, and raring to go.

Molitor will be a perfect yardstick of just how close or far away Frampton is from a legitimate world title shot, and the Tigers Bay fighter knows he needs to be on top form to dispose of The Canadian Kid.

Despite having drafted in an arguably better opponent, fans, the promoter, Carl and his manager are all frustrated at Kiko’s actions and the disruption his latest clanger has caused.

This is at least the second time Martinez has dropped out of a bout in acrimonious circumstances; whilst there is no doubt his quality is there, sometimes his lack of respect to the sport and his opponents let him down, you only need ask Wayne McCullough about that.

‘Mini Tyson’ is a skilled fighter that much is clear, but Carl Frampton won’t lose sleep over a lost opportunity.

Many believe Martinez should be stripped of his title as like Carl they see his injury as an excuse to duck one of the most dangerous talents in the super-bantamweight division, however it poses the question why would he have signed on to the fight in the first place?

Perhaps Martinez is not the great fighter many assume him to be though, as for all his quality within the ring he has never yet quite progressed beyond European level; perhaps he likes being a big fish in the proverbial small pond.

It’s clear that McGuigan and Hearn looked towards Kiko as a stepping stone, albeit a tough one, to a world title opportunity. However, a win over Molitor could fast-track that opportunity by a fight or two, such is his world level appeal.

Molitor (R) should prove tough opposition for Frampton.

Martinez may yet be stripped of his belts, and it would be just in this opinion as Carl Frampton has tried to make the fight happen on more than one occasion.

His latest withdrawal could be viewed as a direct attempt to unsettle the young Belfast star and try to derail his bid towards a world title fight in his upcoming bouts.

Thankfully Matchroom Promotions were able to produce an arguably even tougher fight to keep the Frampton train rolling.

Steve Molitor will prove a tough proposition for Carl Frampton and it is no-one’s fault but Kiko Martinez’s if Molitor happens to be facing the newly crowned EBU super-bantamweight champion in September.

Kiko’s had more than enough chances, the dogs in the street know that. It’s about time he is treated with the same disregard he dishes out seemingly regularly in Ireland.

Related articles

• Carl Frampton to fight Steve Molitor in Belfast (dailymail.co.uk)
• Frampton set to take on Martinez (oddonion.com)

Frampton Excited For Belfast Battle With Martinez

Belfast super-bantamweight Carl Frampton will be looking forward to September 10^th with great anticipation, as he looks to a tough EBU title fight against Kiko Martinez, the man who beat Bernard Dunne so comprehensively on that fateful night at The Point in 2007.

Martinez (burgundy trunks) takes a shot from Rendall Munroe, who beat him in 2010. Carl Frampton will pay no attention to such a defeat though, and he knows what to expect from La Sensacion when the opening bell rings in September.

“I’m really excited. This fight’s been talked about for a long time. It was supposed to happen once and just didn’t come off for whatever reason, but now it’s on and the fact it’s in Belfast on a big bill is exciting for me.”

Frampton has been rising up the pro ranks very steadily since turning pro in 2009 and the Martinez fight should prove to be a stern test for the young man with 10 professional wins from 10 to his name.

“I respect the guy a lot; he’s going to be the best I’ve fought. He’s definitely a hard puncher but like any other fight there’s obviously risks involved. I don’t want to be fighting journeymen for the rest of my career.”

Frampton’s last fight against Robbie Turley was not a classic but there were signs of the exciting ability he possesses, although the bout became a bit of a war of attrition with Frampton winning a unanimous decision in the end, something he seems a little resentful about.

“I had ten rounds against Turley, and at a good pace. I may have sounded a wee bit disappointed on Sky after the fight, but watching it back, I may have been trying to knock him out too early but Gerry was telling me to use my skills when the knockout wasn’t coming, and I think I did that well.”

Antrim's Frampton says he is feeling in fantastic shape, and raring to go.

He will be hoping to put on a good show for his fans at the Odyssey, as main support to fellow Ulsterman Paul McCloskey’s exciting clash with Breidis Prescott. It should be another inspiring night of boxing in Belfast for Irish boxing fans and Carl hopes so too.

“Well, I was at McCloskey’s last fight in Manchester where he had 5,000 or so supporters over there, and I’ve a big fan base in Belfast myself so I’m sure the fans will support us well.”

September 10th promises to be another momentous occasion for Belfast boxing, and Irish boxing in general. McCloskey and Frampton will be out to entertain the masses come September 10th.

Frampton sounds hungry for such a fight and he won’t need much more motivation than a packed out Odyssey and a European title fight against an exciting come-forward type fighter in Martinez, and Irish boxing enthusiasts north and south will be hoping that the man from Tiger’s Bay takes another successful step in his quest for world honours.

 

Magee Banishes Disappointment Of Montreal With Professional Victory

Barboza put up a disappointing effort on the night.

Last night saw Brian Magee gain the lightly regarded interim WBAsuper middleweight title with a competent win over Jaime Barboza in Costa Rica. Magee was the better fighter for the majority of the fight and the judges gave him a deserved unanimous points win to bring his new record to 35 wins from 40 fights (24 KOs).

It was a good win for the man from Belfast, especially in Barboza’s home country, but we should not get carried away just yet. Yes he has won the title but it is very lightly regarded and not many people in the boxing world will be sitting up and taking notice of such a victory.

The interim belt means little as Andre Ward is the true WBA super middleweight champion with the status of WBA super champion whilst Karoly Balszay will compete with Stanyslav Kashtanov for the WBA regular champion belt in the coming month.

Magee will be happy with the victory after the March humiliation in Montreal at the hands of Lucien Bute.

The win in San Jose will be no doubt good for Magee’s confidence and form as he was outclassed in Montreal in March when he fought for Lucien Bute’s IBF title, but he will have to be wary not to get ahead of himself on last night’s performance as Barboza is not even in the same dimension as Ward and Bute.

Magee will surely have one or two more fights against tough opponents before he can think about having perhaps another go at Bute or even the seemingly unattainable fight with American Ward. A mouth-watering Britain v Ireland match up could also be in the pipeline, should Nottingham’s Carl Froch defeat Ward in the Super Six final.

Irish boxing is in a healthy state at the moment, with promising fighters such as Willie Casey, Jamie Kavanagh and Carl Frampton complementing the more established fighters such as Matthew Macklin, Andy Lee and Paul McCloskey in their pursuit of world title glory.

McCloskey and Macklin have come agonisingly close to the upper echelons of the game in recent times and surely they will have more nights like that soon, with Macklin pencilled in for a rematch with the efficient Felix Sturm whilst McCloskey takes on Breidis Prescott, the man Amir Khan still wakes up in a cold sweat about.

Belfast man Magee will be looking forward to the following months when he will be searching for a challenging bout to prepare him for what may be ahead, and it goes without saying that he will train and prepare like the champion he already is. Barboza may have been a relatively weak opponent, but Brian can only beat those in front of him and that is what he has been doing recently excusing the Bute lesson.

Magee training hard as usual. The Ulsterman is one of the hardest training pros in the Irish ranks these days.

Instead of focusing on the negative of what could be described as a mismatch for a mickey mouse title, true Irish boxing and sporting fans should be congratulating Magee today on his excellent display of professionalism and skill whilst looking forward to what the Ulsterman does next.