Hearn: I Can Give Frampton The Big Fights, Bucketload of Money

By Terence Dooley

Eddie Hearn and Belfast’s Carl Frampton (23-1, 14 KOs) may have parted company in 2013, and not under the best of circumstances, yet Hearn has told “The Jackal” that he would like to work with him again following last week’s revelation that the 30-year-old has split with long-time mentor Barry McGuigan and intends to strike out on his own rather than work with Cyclone Promotions again.

Hearn helped guide Frampton to the Commonwealth and EBU Super-bantamweight titles only for Frampton to decide that he wanted to hand his career over to McGuigan’s promotional outfit.  Now, though, he is a self-declared free agent so could end up teaming up with Hearn and Sky once again should he consider them a viable option as he seeks to maximise his career earnings.

Hearn told Adam McKendry of the Belfast Telegraph that he can bring big nights and fights to Belfast, as well as satisfying the former IBF and WBA World Super-bantamweight, and WBA Super World featherweight champion’s desire to fight at his hometown’s Windsor Park.

“As the media ask me every day, and the fans ask me every day, are you going to work with Carl Frampton again?  The answer is, if he's a free agent, I would love to work with him,” stated Hearn.

“I feel like I have some unfinished business with Carl Frampton.  I believe he's a box office star, I believe I can deliver him the Windsor Park events, the Leo Santa Cruz (rematch) here in Belfast and I would love to try and do it.”

Framton has endured a torrid 2017, he lost his feathwerweight title via a majority decision reverse to Cruz in January, an inverse of the first fight’s result, then failed to make the featherweight limit for a WBC title eliminator against Andres Gutierrez last month, a fight that was axed after the visitor fell while getting into the bath and sustained facial injuries in the process.

To add insult to injury and inactivity, Gutierrez has been lined up for a shot at WBA World featherweight holder Abner Mares while Frampton has been left kicking his heels, a situation that Hearn hopes to fix should Frampton sign with Matchroom again.

He said: “He'll want to fight as soon as possible, and it's September on Friday so you've got to get moving to fight again this year...I don't know if Carl Frampton likes me, we don't have to be friends, but I can give him the big nights and fights he wants and a bucketload of money as well.”

Please send news and views to @Terryboxing.