CARL FRAMPTON aims to seal his status as an Irish boxing legend by beating IBF world featherweight champion Josh Warrington at the Manchester Arena later this month.
Two-weight world champion Frampton wants to leave a similar legacy to that of ex-manager Barry McGuigan and believes victory in the so-called โBattle of Britainโ on December 22 โ and a fourth global title โ would suffice.
โOf course it would,โ the 31-year-old said. โIโve done pretty well in my career so far. Iโve won some big titles and unified a division and won a (world) title in a second division.
โBut to win back a title โ this would mean, if not more than the rest, definitely as much as them. Itโs going to be a big deal for me.โ
McGuigan won the hearts of communities both sides of the Irish border when he became world featherweight champion in London in 1985.
The Clones Cyclone wore an image of the dove of peace on his shorts and helped unite a divided Ireland during his heyday in the ring.
Frampton enjoys similar appeal, but Leeds champion Warrington was roared to victory by a partisan Elland Road crowd when deposing Lee Selby of his crown in January.
The Best The Best @J_Warrington @RealCFrampton
IBF World Featherweight Title
CAN. NOT. WAIT #WarringtonFrampton pic.twitter.com/I4vXoW5WHp
โ Frank Warren (@frankwarren_tv) December 12, 2018
Warrington is widely regarded as a bigger ticket seller, whileย Belfastโs Frampton claims the neutral venue, where he defeated Scott Quigg in 2016 to retain his IBF crown and win the WBA version, will feel like home-from-home.
โI train in Manchester now as well and I wonโt say itโs going be like a fight in Belfast, but it will not necessarily be like an away fight and Iโm used to the arena,โ he said.
โThe thing is with Leeds in particular, if youโre not from Leeds you wonโt support a Leeds fan.
โSo his support will mainly be from Leeds and I can pick up support from obviously back home and around Manchester and other parts of the UK too.โ
Warrington, 28, is renowned for his ardent following, but tends to agree with Framptonโs assertion.
โYes and no,โ Warrington said. โSince I beat Lee Selby Iโve won a lot of fans over. A lot have bought into the way I won.
โObviously the Leeds fans are massive, but that being said not many people like Leeds United and I obviously associate myself with Leeds United.
โBut I think when I beat him Iโll win a lot more fans over. Itโs not a popularity contest, itโs a fight at the end of the day, so it doesnโt really matter to me too much.โ
Warrington insists he still has plenty to prove after upsetting the odds to dethrone Selby.
โIt feels like that,โ he added. โI beat Selby and was still ranked number two in the British rankings behind Carl, which is funny because Iโm world champion in the division.
โBut I feel like Iโm just getting started, that win against Lee was just part of more things to come.โ