Carl Frampton is looking to win again in Belfast this weekend as ‘The Jackal’ returns to his city for the second time in a row. The former world champion made his Northern Ireland comeback last November when he outscored Horacio Garcia at the SSE Arena.
“I’m delighted. I’ve been coming here for many years and it’s always been great. It’s always been a great atmosphere. The fans here are probably the most knowledgeable fans, they love their boxing. The appreciate the opponent. We’re bringing to Belfast the foreign boxer that’s ever been here in my opinion to fight Carl Frampton,” said promoter Frank Warren after the press conference on Wednesday.
Frampton’s opponent Nonito Donaire (38-4) is a former world champion himself and Frampton has no room for big errors according to Warren.
“Can’t afford to slip up or lose. This is what it’s all about. This is where it’s at. He’s got himself into contention to fight for a title and this is what it’s about. He has to win this fight. It’s no given. He’s in with a quality operator,” he said.
Frampton himself said that Donaire is ‘the best fighter that I’ll have ever fought’ during the press conference.
"He's the best fighter that I'll have ever fought!" 🙌
"We wake up, we see Carl. We sleep, we see Carl. Everything, we see Carl." 😂
The best of when @RealCFrampton and @filipinoflash faced the press for the final time before fight night… pic.twitter.com/cVB1Of9jsB
— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) April 18, 2018
“When you look at Donaire, he’s not some washed up guy. He’s articulate. He’s bright. He looks good. He’s in great condition. We are going to get a fight on Saturday,” added Warren.
Frampton has a lot of options on the table should he win his fight on Saturday. One potential choice could be the winner of Lee Selby versus Josh Warrington and there’s also the possibility of fighting Leo Santa Cruz for the third time.
“I want to see him come through first. Then we are going to have the luxury of sitting back and working on that one. We got some options there but he’s gonna have to come through a tough fight,” concluded Warren.