By Jake Donovan
It’s a showdown that Carl Frampton has fancied for years, but one where he knew that patience would eventually be a virtue.
As luck would have it, not only have he and Scott Quigg remained unbeaten, but have also gone on to claim major titles and serve as high among the best super bantamweights in the world title. With that comes perhaps the most anticipated matchup in the first quarter of 2016 when the two collide this weekend in Quigg’s hometown of Manchester, England.
“I think it’s probably happening at the right time,” Frampton (21-0, 14KO) says of the timing of the fight, though admit such wisdom comes in retrospect. “But if you had asked me that two years ago when I was looking to fight and they wouldn’t fight me, I would have said something different, but things… happen for a reason, and obviously now is the right time.
“We’re both bigger (and have) world titles on the line. So, the fight is much bigger now than it would have been for a British title when I originally wanted to fight Scott.”
The unification bout is big enough to warrant worldwide coverage, as Showtime joined the fray in securing stateside rights to televise the fight live on SHO Extreme in the United States. It will also run later in the evening on Showtime’s flagship station, the tape delay packaged with a live doubleheader topped by Leo Santa Cruz in a featherweight title defense versus former 122 lb. titlist Kiko Martinez.
It’s understandable why Frampton was eager for the fight to take place earlier in their respective careers. The unbeaten boxer has built up a sizeable following back home at Belfast, Northern Ireland, well before emerging on the title stage.
Evidence of his continued rise in popularity came in his Sept. ’14 rematch with Martinez, who at the time was the reigning 122 lb. titlist. The bout was a rematch to their Feb. ’13 slugfest, which Frampton won by 9th round knockout yet was somehow second in line in receiving his own title shot after Martinez.
It was worth the wait, as a sold-out crowd packed the Titanic Quarter in Belfast for Frampton’s first title win in decisively outpointing Martinez. A similarly rabid crowd was on hand for his first title defense, a one-sided 5th round stoppage of Chris Avalos last February.
The long-awaited showdown with Quigg (31-0-2, 23KOs) marks his second consecutive fight away from home. His previous road trip also marked his stateside debut, though avoiding a disastrous 1st round in which he was dropped twice by second-generation boxer Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. to claim a 12-round decision last July in Texas.
A working theory from Quigg is that Frampton is uncomfortable once taken outside of his comfort zone, thus prompting the Mancunian to believe that the overwhelming majority of the crowd will be on his side.
Frampton is quick to remind his longtime rival that not only are his local supporters willing to travel, but that he boasts fans throughout the UK region.
“Actually, the majority of the fans will be rooting for me,” Frampton insists. “I know I’m fighting away from home. I know it’s in Scott Quigg’s hometown, but that doesn’t really sell tickets. Because of the magnitude of his faith, he’ll obviously sell a few more tickets. But I’ll have at least 70 percent of the support in the arena. I have no doubt about that.
“So, it may feel a bit more [like a home game) for Scott. But when he’s standing on the ramp and he gets a worse reception than me let’s see how he deals with that.”
If Frampton is accurate in his belief that he can pull the crowd, it will also debunk the theory of this fight dividing nations in the longstanding rivalry between England and Ireland.
“Well, there’s a rivalry. You know, Ireland versus England is a big rivalry and not just in boxing but in all sports,” Frampton generally acknowledges, though just not of the belief it applies here.
“I think that’s what Eddie Hearn (who used to promote Frampton) and Quigg are trying to make out here that this is Ireland versus England. It’s not. I have fans from all over the UK, all over Ireland. This is really the UK and Ireland and my support versus Scott Quigg’s support of Manchester. So, it’s not an Ireland thing here. It’s my support against his, and I have a lot more than him.”
He also has the support of the betting public, although the viewpoints on how such a fight would play out have dramatically shifted in recent time.
Quigg looked to be the typical alphabet beltholder, a boxer benefitting from the overwhelming number of available titles when he netted an interim 122 lb. strap in a 6th round knockout of Rendall Munroe in Nov. ’12. The bout was a rematch to their 12-round draw just six months prior, but didn’t provide immediate evidence that Quigg was yet a major player.
Nor did a 12-round majority draw with Cuba’s Yoandris Salinas in his second title defense less than one year later. Most observers felt Quigg did enough to shade it, but not to the point where he struck fear in the hearts of his divisional peers.
His next five title defenses manage to chip away at such resistance, ultimately winning over the boxing world with his shockingly dominant showing over Martinez last July. Whereas Frampton went 21 total rounds with the normally durable Spaniard, Quigg iced him in two rounds. Magnifying the feat was that it came within an hour of Frampton’s aforementioned win over Gonzalez, where he looked good yet vulnerable.
As such, a bout that was once viewed considerably in Frampton’s favor has now moved much closer to a 50/50 affair. The unbeaten boxer - who just celebrated his 29th birthday - remains the slight favorite, though welcomes the fact that the belief of a more competitive affair makes the fight even bigger than he ever dreamed would be the case.
“This is a fight, especially in the UK, that’s gonna be really (massive). Scott and I are gonna go big on it starting very, very soon. Obviously, you’re getting a lot of coverage in America from [the U.S. media] as well. So, it’s given both fighters an opportunity to make their stock raise, but I know for a fact there’s only gonna be one winner. I know that.
“I’ve known it for the last four or five years that I can face this guy. And I think it tells you enough that he never wanted to fight me until now. He never wanted to fight me for a British title when he would have been making less money. So, I think you can look into that how you want, but I’ve always wanted this fight with Scott Quigg.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
