Barry McGuigan stepped away from Frampton-Quigg negotiations so fight could happen

Barry McGuigan

FORMER WBA world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan was never one to back away from a fight, but he did remove himself from the negotiations to match his charge, Carl Frampton, with Scott Quigg.

The two super-bantamweight kings will meet at the Manchester Arena on February 27 as a result of an arduous โ€“ and commendable โ€“ effort from their respective teams.

McGuigan, who manages Frampton and whose son Shane trains him, has never got on well with Quiggโ€™s promoter Eddie Hearn and had to allow his sons Jake and Blain to hash out the deal.

โ€œIt was frustrating for the team because a lot of people were saying they wanted certain things, but it got across the line,โ€ he told Boxing News.

โ€œI knew I had to back away from it and we had to give away certain things for it, like the venue. We couldnโ€™t put it on in Belfast, not even in the summer. We couldnโ€™t put it on in London because the O2 is booked out.

โ€œManchester has a huge Irish community, itโ€™s 160 miles as the crow flies โ€“ it will feel like Belfast.

โ€œIt was easy to step away, the boys know me better than I know myself. Theyโ€™re very capable, steeped in boxing and they know how pernickety I can be at times โ€“ maybe too much so. I knew they would be better negotiating [than me].โ€

Although he maintained that the focus is very much on Quigg, McGuigan also revealed Frampton is eyeing a move to feather and super-featherweight, while also conceding that Guillermo Rigondeaux is still the man to beat at super-bantam.

โ€œThis is another [Nigel] Benn-[Chris] Eubank. This is a major, major fight. I genuinely think, around the world, this is the most eagerly anticipated super-bantamweight fight,โ€ he claimed.

โ€œ[WBC champion] Julio Ceja doesnโ€™t have the credibility, [Leo] Santa Cruz has gone to featherweight, but thatโ€™s still a fight we want.

โ€œRigondeauxโ€™s negative. Heโ€™s amazing, but there are lots of amazing things you can only watch for a certain amount of time. I still think heโ€™s the best super-bantamweight in the world, Carl and Scott are below him. Rigoโ€™s number one in the world, thereโ€™s no question about that.

โ€œThis game is not just about titles, itโ€™s about money. Does it create money, does it create interest? Santa Cruz and Carl? Yes. Santa Cruz and Scott? Yes. Frampton and Quigg? Absolutely. Santa Cruz and Rigo? Hmm. Iโ€™m not saying he should be ignored but he doesnโ€™t bring anything to the table, apart from an incredibly difficult style to beat.

โ€œAs Carlโ€™s manager, itโ€™s my responsibility to get him the best fights, the same goes for Al [Haymon, who Frampton recently signed with]. Although weโ€™re 100% focused on February 27, Iโ€™m looking at Santa Cruz, Gary Russell Jnr. If the money and fights are right, maybe even jumping to super-featherweight.โ€

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