by David P. Greisman

Carl Frampton is a star in Belfast and Northern Ireland, was a unified titleholder at 122 pounds and has just added a world title at 126 with a win over Leo Santa Cruz. That led one reporter to ask Frampton whether he feels he’s now the face of Irish combat sports, beyond mixed martial artist Conor McGregor and boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Frampton was modest with his answer.

“I don’t want to be big-headed,” he said. “I think it’s hard to surpass Conor McGregor. He’s a pretty big name. I don’t know if Tyson Fury, is he Irish or English, or what? He is what he wants to be. I see him supporting England at the Euros [the soccer tournament]. It’s hard to surpass McGregor though because he’s a huge name. I think I’m getting close.”

McGregor is a huge star in MMA. The native of Dublin, Ireland, is one of the top draws in the UFC. Frampton still deserves credit. He’s quickly risen at home, appearing on six straight cards in Belfast before his recent run, which saw him perform in Texas; Manchester, England; and now New York City. A good number of fans traveled to the Big Apple to support him, which says a lot for his standing back at home.

“These people paid a lot to get out here,” Frampton said. He soon added: “I want to fight here, but I want to fight at home,” Frampton said. “I want to fight in Belfast at least once a year. But I love New York. The East Coast is very appealing to me. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hit the West Coast at some stage as well. But I’m a Belfast boy. I love my fans back home. I don’t want to have them spend so much money to come and see me all the time.”

That’s the kind of attitude that will endear him further with fans in Northern Ireland.

Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com