Carl Frampton: ‘I’ll do whatever it takes to win this fight’

Carl Frampton

WHEN Carl Frampton challenges Jamel Herring for the WBO super-featherweight title on Saturday (April 3) he will be going up against the limits of whatโ€™s physically possible him. Herring towers over him and is a southpaw to make himself that much more awkward.

โ€œPeople see a picture of me and Herring up against each other, it just looks unrealistic that Iโ€™m going to fight him. But Iโ€™m really up for it, just the fact of the wee man beating the big man, itโ€™s something thatโ€™s got me so motivated to win. That and that itโ€™s the chance to become a three-weight world champion and go down in history,โ€ Frampton told Boxing News. โ€œItโ€™sย  a real, momentous occasion for me. Itโ€™s going to be very difficult but I intend to do whatever it takes to win.โ€

โ€œIโ€™ll do whatever it takes to win this fight, and thatโ€™s the same with any fight. If I hurt my hand halfway through a fight, any fight, Iโ€™m not thinking about my hand, Iโ€™m thinking about winning,โ€ he continued. โ€œItโ€™ll be the same anyway. If itโ€™s a 12 round fight and I havenโ€™t completely emptied the tank, Iโ€™ll be disappointed with myself.โ€

The man from Belfast was not overly impressed with Herringโ€™s last performance, when he came away from Jonathan Oquendo with a disqualification win, for use of the head, and a cut over his eye. โ€œOquendo was 37 years old and he was at one time a very good fighter but not anymore. Although Herring was winning the fight, Oquendo was giving him problems,โ€ Frampton said. โ€œItโ€™s something I donโ€™t like to see when fighters complain to the referee. It wasnโ€™t a brilliant performance but then saying that my performance against Darren Traynor wasnโ€™t brilliant either. Both of us need to up our games, I feel like we both will, thereโ€™s so much on the line here.โ€

But Frampton appears to be relaxed, relishing the David and Goliath aspect of their showdown. โ€œNo real pressure on me either in this fight, which is good. Itโ€™s a chance to create history but I donโ€™t think thereโ€™s that much pressure,โ€ he said. โ€œA lot of people donโ€™t have me winning this fight.โ€

Channel 5 will broadcast their title fight on free to air TV in the UK on Saturday. โ€œI just feel like itโ€™s going to be one of them ones where I shock a lot of people,โ€ Carl added. โ€œBoxing fans know me and they know Jamel Herring but sports fans and just the average Joe maybe donโ€™t know us. I think there are going to be people flabbergasted that Iโ€™ve won this fight when they see images of us.โ€

carl frampton

As calm as he can be, Frampton is seasoned enough to switch on when itโ€™s time to fight. โ€œIt just comes naturally to me because Iโ€™ve been boxing for such a long time. You have to put the hard head on and be razor sharp and focused when youโ€™re in the ring. But I like to relax when Iโ€™m outside of the ring and be around my family. I become a different man,โ€ he said. โ€œIโ€™m a more relaxed person when Iโ€™m away from boxing and I donโ€™t know why but I think thatโ€™s just my character. I know how to fight and I know what I need to happen for each fight and around fights to get me in the mood to win titles. I enjoy it, I enjoy being at home, I enjoy being around the kids and my wife. I donโ€™t constantly have boxing on my TVโ€ฆ Iโ€™m a fan of boxing but I understand my family life is more important than anything else in my life and that includes boxing. But it took me a while to realise that and I think I feel like a better person for it now.โ€

If he is victorious there will be richly appealing options, a defence against Shakur Stevenson is mandatory for the winner but a unification with Oscar Valdez would be thrilling and even a rematch with Josh Warrington would be major event in Britain or Northern Ireland. โ€œIโ€™m not thinking about anything else. I think the winner has to fight Shakur,โ€ Frampton noted. โ€œIf I win the fight, Iโ€™ll be happy to fight him but Iโ€™m fully focused on Jamel Herring.

โ€œI will think about all options that come my way but Iโ€™m fully focused on Herring.โ€

It all comes down to their fight on Saturday and this final chance for Frampton to make history.

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