By Elliot Foster
Carl Frampton is targeting a “special” pre-Christmas win over Josh Warrington.
The Belfast native challenges the IBF world featherweight king for his crown on December 22.
Frampton faces ‘The Leeds Warrior’ at Manchester Arena, exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office, and he is determined to capture a global honour once more.
And under his trainer Jamie Moore – with whom he has been for just over a year after leaving Shane McGuigan – the 31-year-old wants to top his previous achievements, starting with a victory over Lee Selby conqueror Warrington.
"This will be the sweetest world title because I have been written off," said the former two-weight world champion. "After I lost to Leo Santa Cruz [in January 2017] people said I was done and a win in this fight, which needs no animosity because we have a lot of mutual respect for each other, will be very special.
"I was not enjoying boxing a couple of years ago, I was counting down the days until retirement.”
‘The Jackal’ dazzled in his last outing, knocking out Luke Jackson inside nine rounds at Belfast’s Windsor Park back in August, to retain his WBO interim world featherweight crown.
But he knows he has a big night ahead of him against 27-year-old Warrington if he is to get back to the upper echelons of the division.
“I feel that I have beaten better fighters than Josh already, but Jamie and I are going into this fight under no illusions and we know how good Josh is. Jamie had the same manager as Josh in Steve Wood and he has guided Josh brilliantly to get him to where he is today.
“I’ve got a big fight ahead of me, but I’ve been written off and I want to show people in this fight that I’m far from the finished fighter most have described me as since my defeat to Santa Cruz.”
