WBA world super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg feels he and rival Carl Frampton are lucky to have each other ahead of their huge unification fight on February 27.
The unbeaten pair will meet at the Manchester Arena for Quigg’s belt and Frampton’s IBF strap in a fight considered to be one of the best match-ups in boxing today.
Bury’s Quigg, who was recently elevated from WBA ‘regular’ to ‘super’ champion, feels fortunate to have a domestic rival in Belfast hero Frampton.
“We’re lucky to have each other, that rivalry. If you look at someone like Joe Calzaghe, he didn’t have a defining domestic rivalry,” he told Boxing News.
“When he fought [Chris] Eubank, Eubank was on his way out. Yeah he beat Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler but those fights don’t capture the imagination like domestic rivalries. Look at [Carl] Froch-[George] Groves – Froch will be remembered for that second fight but in my opinion, Froch has fought 10 other fighters better than George Groves.
“We need this, and we need it now. We’re both in our prime. Look at Mayweather-Pacquiao, it happened too late. If that fight happened even three years earlier it’s a completely different fight.
“If you look at Froch-Groves 1, this is miles bigger than that and it will only get bigger up until the fight. Froch-Groves 2 was only as big as it was because of the first fight and the controversy. I think this will be – obviously it won’t be Wembley or anything – built up as big as that fight. You ask anyone what fight they want to see and it’s me against him. This is the biggest fight in British boxing at the moment.”
Much has been made of Quigg’s status with the WBA, especially since they stripped Guillermo Rigondeaux – regarded as the world’s top super-bantamweight – of the title before giving it to Scott.
Indeed, Frampton dubbed him “manufactured” however Quigg admitted the fight is big enough without the baubles attached.
“The world titles are very minor. All that matters is winning this fight,” he stated.
“This fight doesn’t need any belts, but it gives it more spice because it’s a unification fight. This is for honour and pride and that’s worth more than these belts that are on the line.”
