CARL FRAMPTON will look to draw a line under what has been “a horrific year” when he faces unbeaten American Tyler McCreary at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on November 30.
Frampton was set to take on Emmanuel Dominguez in August but the bout was scuppered in freakish circumstances when a large ornament fell on the Northern Irishman’s left hand, leading to a fracture of his fifth metacarpal.
However, he will be back in action next month in a 10-round contest that will be held at a catch-weight of 128lbs, two pounds below the super-featherweight limit.
Frampton, whose only previous outing in Las Vegas ended with him suffering the first defeat of his professional career to Leo Santa Cruz in January 2017, hopes to catapult himself back into world title contention with a win.
“I’m delighted to be making a comeback after what has been a horrific year in my career,” the former two-weight world champion said.
“I didn’t get the Top Rank deal off to an ideal start, but coming back in Vegas is great for me, especially against a really strong opponent. It needed to be someone who would test me.
“McCreary is a quality opponent, but if I want to be competing against the top guys in the world, which I believe I can, then I need to be beating guys like him and doing it in style.”
The bout against McCreary will be Frampton’s first since losing to IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington in December last year and serves as the co-feature to Oscar Valdez’s 10-round fight against Andres Gutierrez.
Frampton (26-2, 15KOs) and former WBO featherweight titlist Valdez (26-0, 20KOs) have been linked with a high-profile showdown in 2020.
But Frampton must first negotiate the potential banana skin of McCreary, who has won 16 and drawn one of his 17 contests in the paid ranks, and is undaunted by a significant step-up in quality of opposition.
“It’s a big step up for me, but I feel that I’m ready for it,” McCreary said. “It’s an opportunity I couldn’t turn down, and I feel that every fight is a risk.
“This is one where, if anything, I would love to risk my undefeated record against a fighter like Frampton. A win here means a world title shot next.
“I was in the gym training for my October 26 fight and my trainer (Lamar Wright) said we got a call that Carl Frampton was looking for a fight. They didn’t have anyone, and I said ‘I’ll take it.’ I didn’t hesitate.”
