Frampton Acknowledges It's Been Worth The Wait For Quigg

By Jake Donovan

Carl Frampton remembers the day that Scott Quigg first appeared on his radar. The unbeaten boxer from Belfast, Northern Ireland was a mere eight fights into his career when he pointed out the potential for the super bantamweight division to explode both on the domestic and worldwide level.

More than five years later, the two finally collide in their highly anticipated super bantamweight title unification bout. The event takes place February 27, headlining at a sold-out Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, airing live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and SHO Extreme in a special Saturday afternoon edition of Showtime Boxing International.

“It’s now happening at the right time, although If you asked me about it two years ago, I’d have felt different,” Frampton (21-0, 14KOs) acknowledged of the business side of the fight during a recent media conference call. “Now, I know it’s happening at the right time. We’re both world champions. The buildup gives the chance for both of us to make a lot of money, to make our names much bigger.”

The official starting point in their rivalry came in early 2012. Frampton – following a 2nd round knockout of Prosper Ankrah  in the second defense of his Commonwealth title – called out Quigg, who stopped Jamie Arthur in the 8th round of their British title fight one month prior.

“I don’t know if he wants (the fight),” Frampton wondered aloud at the time. “If he does, he should tell his promoter.”

Quigg’s promoter at the time was legendary former two-division champ Ricky Hatton. Oddly enough, Frampton was represented by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, who took on Quigg as a client in 2013 – shortly after Frampton showed himself the door.

At that time of Frampton calling him out, Quigg didn’t look in that direction, though perhaps for good reason. The unbeaten boxer from Bury – practically a stone’s throw from Saturday’s hosting venue – was heading towards an interim title fight with countryman Rendall Munroe, another boxer on Frampton’s hit list.

Quigg went on to capture the title in his second try, having since made six successful defenses.

Meanwhile, Frampton was left to fend for himself, on the outside looking in until capturing a belt of his own. The all-action fighter earned his crown in a Sept. ’14 rematch with then-champion Kiko Martinez at home in Belfast. Frampton had stopped the Spaniard in the 9th round of a savage war some 19 months prior.

Their sequel proved just as thrilling, with a sold-out crowd at Titanic Quarter on hand to watch Frampton claim the belt in a unanimous decision win. Two successful defenses have followed, including an off-the-canvas points win over second-generation boxer Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. last July, marking his stateside debut.

All the while, a showdown with Quigg remained at the top of his priority list. The promotional rift played a part in such a fight materializing, but ultimately reaching a point where the demand trumped any lingering politics.

“There’s only one winner for this fight, I’ve known this for four or five years,” Frampton insists. “The fact that he’s waited until now, it tells you enough that he never wanted to fight me unless there’s a lot of money involved.

“He’s got better but I’ve gotten better as well. We’ve both have gotten better, which is only natural in the development stage towards winning world titles. I’m head and shoulders above him. I’m not looking past him. I do know, though, that Scott at his best and me at my best, I win the fight and it’s not even close.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox