By Terence Dooley

 

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom has confirmed that Carl Frampton, 14-0 (9), will challenge EBU super bantamweight titlist Kiko Martinez, 26-3 (19), at Belfast's Odyssey Arena on September 22.  Frampton will hope to use the fight as a launch pad for a tilt at either Scott Quigg or Rendall Munroe, who met in June to establish domestic dominance.  However, a clash of heads, which led to a cut to the eye of Munroe, meant that the interim WBA title fight was stopped and declared a technical draw - leaving a lingering uncertainty over who is the top man on the U.K. scene.

 

Belfast's Frampton, 25, has not put a foot wrong in his career thus far, winning the Commonwealth belt and IBF Inter-Continental strap in style, and has the backing of former featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan, who manages the contender, but he will face a stiff test against the 26-year-old Spaniard.  Martinez has fought in Ireland before, most memorably when destroying Bernard Dunne in a single round in August 2007, but the champion was twice out-boxed, out-muscled and out-pointed by Munroe during EBU title fights.

 

A win for Frampton, especially an impressive one, would give fans pause for thought the next time the question, "Who is the best British super bantamweight?", is raised.

 

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