IN just three weeks, one of the most anticipated fights of the year takes place at the Manchester Arena when unbeaten super-bantamweight titlists Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg finally square off.
Frampton’s IBF bauble and Quigg’s WBA strap will both be on the line – though those accolades will pale in comparison to the plaudits afforded to the winner.
This is a true 50-50 fight at the very top level of the sport, a painfully rare occurrence in boxing. As such, it’s incredibly difficult to confidently pick a winner, so this breakdown will hopefully help. Click below to read on.
POWER
OFFICIALLY, only 3% separates these two. Quigg’s knockout ratio stands at 70% while Frampton’s is 67%.
While stats such as those are usually fairly superficial, in this instance they do seem to tell the story of this pairing – Quigg has a very slight edge when it comes to power. His two-round demolition of Kiko Martinez in his last outing stunned most observers, given that the Spaniard had taken Frampton the 12-round distance after being stopped in nine in their first meeting.
Of course, it could be argued Martinez had been ‘softened up’ by Frampton and perhaps was not the same fighter he was when he faced the Ulsterman. Regardless, the right uppercut which marked the beginning of the end for Martinez was sublime from Quigg and the Bury man finished the job in style.
Indeed, Gavin Reid – who fought both men early in their respective careers – told Boxing News that Quigg was more powerful.
“Quigg is certainly the harder puncher of the two, but Frampton has improved so much since then,” he said.
“He [Quigg] had the power that impressed me, and a tremendous workrate. His power didn’t dip from the first round, and he showed no signs of easing up.”
It seems a strange assessment given Frampton stopped Reid in two whereas Quigg took nine rounds, but it proves that Quigg’s tremendous preparation for fights ensures he is dangerous all night.
‘The Jackal’ however is freakishly strong for a 122lbs fighter. Sparring partners – who operate in higher weight classes – have told stories of Carl’s strength. Indeed, he toyed with Chris Avalos before dispatching him last year and stoppage wins over Steve Molitor and Jeremy Parodi caught the eye. When he stopped Martinez, it was a clean right hand which removed Kiko from his senses, rather than a barrage of blows.
FRAMPTON 8.5 – 9 QUIGG
SPEED
Hand speed naturally plays a big part in producing power, meaning both men can fight at high velocity. Frampton is the more fluid fighter and in past performances has proven he has the edge in speed.
His relatively short reach means he needs to be able to move inside swiftly and his excellent footwork allows him to do so. Once in range, he can fire off punishing combinations before jumping back out. He is also an adept counter-puncher and his straight right can be fired with real force.
At times, Quigg has a tendency to load up on his punches, particularly when he has his man hurt, and this can slow his assaults down slightly. However his superhuman engine is one of his most notorious assets and allows him to jump through the gears if need be.
While it may not strictly be classed as speed, Frampton’s ability to pace a fight is also an advantage. He knows when to back off if needed and also when to up the ante – as proven after his torrid first round against Alejandro Gonzalez. Quigg, a fast started, has put too much into the opening rounds at times – most notably against Yoandris Salinas – and has allowed his opponent to claw back some rounds. However he has stopped all but one of his victims since then, and Hidenori Otake was outclassed over 12.
FRAMPTON 8.5 – 8 QUIGG
DEFENCE
Prior to his last outing, Frampton would again seemingly have the edge. However he was decked twice in the opening round by unheralded Alejandro Gonzalez and although he went on to run out a clear winner, was caught plenty more times in the fight.
However Frampton and his trainer Shane McGuigan have cited weight issues as the main cause for the poor showing, explaining that they did not allow enough time for Frampton’s body to acclimatise to the Texas climate.
If it’s a sign of things to come, then Quigg will certainly be able to find the target in Manchester but if it was just a bad night at the office, Frampton has shown superior defensive capabilities in the past. On several occasions he has boxed the majority of a fight on the back foot, countering his opponent.
As mentioned, his footwork is a key part of his defence and has been honed during an extensive amateur career and his time in the paid ranks. As well as an ability to adapt, Carl uses clever head movement to avoid blows while keeping himself in range.
Quigg meanwhile has improved his defence since his early days. While he is also a smart mover, Quigg’s best defence is perhaps is offence. He has never been put under a huge amount of pressure under his career, though that can be partially put down to his ability to impose his strength on opponents.
However, he leaves himself open when he puts his punches together and tries to hurt an opponent. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Martinez gave Quigg plenty of problems in the first round of their fight and Scott took his fair share of punches.
FRAMPTON 9 – 8 QUIGG
CHIN
Again, Frampton’s latest performance may have shifted the perspective on this one slightly. To most, the two knockdowns against someone not known for his power suggests Frampton can be hurt, but he was not in serious trouble either time he hit the canvas.
The first was certainly a flash knockdown and while there may have been a flicker of damage done the second time, Frampton recovered almost instantly. His whiskers have stood up to Martinez’s salvos and against strong-punching Hugo Fidel Cazares.
Likewise, Quigg has shown he is durable. He’s also been on the wrong end of a flash knockdown, against Jamie Arthur four years ago, and went on to win. While recent opponents haven’t stuck around longer than a few rounds – including Martinez – Otake caught Quigg a fair few times and Scott didn’t budge.
In truth, neither man has faced a serious puncher and their punch-resistance will truly be put to the test on February 27.
FRAMPTON 9 – 9 QUIGG
EXPERIENCE
As an amateur, Frampton won over 100 contests and picked up an Irish title, a silver medal in the European Union championships and a silver at the Finnish Gee Bee tournament – losing out to Zou Shiming.
After cutting a swathe through a series of journeyman, Frampton wrecked Mark Quon in four rounds to pick up the Commonwealth title in his 11th pro fight. He quickly added the IBF Inter-Continental title (whatever that is) before stepping up against Molitor and then facing Martinez for the first time.
While there are no real world-beaters on his CV, he did beat a legitimate world champion when he outpointed Martinez in their second fight for the IBF title – the same cannot yet be said of Quigg.
Scott doesn’t have the same grounding as an amateur, but does have a bit of experience as a kickboxer and picked up conventional boxing quickly. Notably, he has fought as a professional 12 times more than Frampton, though was not progressed particularly quickly in the earlier stages of his career.
After winning the interim WBA world title against Rendall Munroe (a sixth round stoppage), Quigg was soon promoted to ‘regular’ champion status but drew with Salinas in his first fight with that title on the line.
He has dealt with a handful of contender-level fighters with ease but Martinez is the only fighter to have won a world title that Quigg has beaten, while Frampton as defeated three former titlists.
Both have gone the 12-round distance three times each.
FRAMPTON 8 – 7 QUIGG
TOTAL:
FRAMPTON 43 – 41 QUIGG
