By Elliot Foster
Frank Warren has revealed he wants to Carl Frampton to be fighting for a world title next summer.
The Queensberry Promotions boss watched on at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Saturday as ‘The Jackal’ outpointed Horacio Garcia by unanimous decision to return to winning ways.
Frampton, a former two-division world ruler, inked a promotional pact with Warren earlier this year after splitting from long-time mentor Barry McGuigan and his Cyclone Promotions outfit.
The 10-round clash –– the first of Frampton’s deal with Warren and also his first outing under new trainer Jamie Moore and advisors MTK Global –– went to the judges’ scorecards and Frampton won by a unanimous points decision after the three arbiters handed in tallies of 98-93, 97-93 and 96-93.
And now, after “blowing off the cobwebs”, Frampton and his new team are looking to the future, with Warren eyeing Windsor Park as the venue for the Tigers Bay man’s return to the big time.
“Josh [Warrington] is fighting [IBF featherweight champion] Lee Selby [in a mandatory challenge and] that is probably going to take place in April,” Warren said shortly after Frampton’s return to winning ways.
“And then we will be in Windsor Park for a big fight in the summer.
“That is what we promised and that is what we will do.”
But between now and the summer, Warren admitted it is likely that Frampton will be out again.
"We don't want Carl to not fight for 10 months so he will fight again.”
Frampton’s trainer Jamie Moore, meanwhile, insisted the former WBA Super champion will need more in the tank if he’s to beat the likes of Leo Santa Cruz, with whom he’s targeting a trilogy outing having lost his undefeated record to the Mexican-American back in January.
He said: “He was okay, the performance was good, but he could do better.
“It was a great fight and it will do him no harm as he has got some tough rounds in and he will need that against someone like Santa Cruz or [Abner] Mares [who is set to meet Santa Cruz next in a mandatory challenge for the world title].”