Former two division champion Carl Frampton has accused IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby of leading him on during recent negotiations that went nowhere.
Frampton (23-1, 14 KOs) is looking to bounce back on July 29th in Belfast.
Back in January, Frampton suffered his first career defeat, and lost his WBA featherweight title, when he dropped a twelve round majority decision in a rematch to Leo Santa Cruz at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
There were discussions to hold a trilogy fight, but Santa Cruz refused to accept the fight in Belfast - after Frampton took the first two bouts in the United States.
Selby (24-1, 9 KOs) on the other hand had always voiced his willingness to accept the fight in Belfast, but their teams have never been able to reach an agreement.
According to Selby's handlers, Frampton's team was not willing to negotiate in good faith - while Frampton is claiming that Selby's handlers misled them.
Selby's handlers claimed the boxer was available to take the fight. But Frampton says his handlers spoke with the IBF, and the sanctioning body told them that under no circumstances will they allow the champion to bypass his mandatory defense against Jonathan Victor Barros.
“I’m still expecting a big fight this summer in Belfast but it looks like it won’t be against IBF World featherweight champion Lee Selby who just seems to have been wasting our time during negotiations," Frampton wrote in Sunday Life.
“We had been talking to TV networks about the fight with Selby who told us that it could happen despite him having a mandatory fight with Jonathan Barros. Then, myself and Jake McGuigan spoke to the IBF official who made it clear that Selby must face Barros next.”
“Barros had a medical issue earlier this year when his fight with Selby was called off just before the weigh-in when it was supposed to happen on the undercard of my fight with Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas. It is obvious now that Selby must now face Barros who is clear to fight.”