Carl Frampton hopes Ryan Burnett can take “golden opportunity”

Carl Frampton hopes that Ryan Burnett can step up to the mark and change his career over the next three fights.

Burnett will box in the second season of the World Boxing Super Series and Frampton feels a win in the tournament can catapult the Belfast bantamweight to superstardom.

‘The Jackal’ is a major supporter of the Kalle Sauerland concept, and has stated numerous times in the past that he would be keen to compete in a featherweight competition should one ever occur.

It is his fellow North Belfast fighter and former training partner, however, that will first make a charge at the Muhammad Ali trophy and Frampton believes it is the best option for Burnett’s career.

Frampton sees Naoya Inoue as the tournament favourite ahead of WBA champ Burnett, WBO champ Zolani Tete, IBF champ Manny Rodriguez, IBF mandatory Jason Moloney, former champ Juan Carlos Payano, amateur star Misha Aloyan, and Burnett’s opening opponent Nonito Donaire.

However, the two-weight world champion is hopeful that Burnett can win the tournament, the Ali Trophy, the reported $4,000,000 top prize, and take his place in history.

Writing in his weekly column for the Sunday Life, Frampton explained how “Ryan Burnett is stepping on to the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) stage and make no mistake about it, this is a life-changing opportunity.”

“For bantamweights especially, this is a golden opportunity for them to become superstars during the second series of the WBSS.

“The smaller men in boxing have traditionally not been well rewarded unless they have a huge fanbase, so for all eight of the guys this is a massive chance that would not have come about only for the WBSS format which rewards the fighters so well.”

Frampton also commended Burnett for choosing four-weight champion Donaire as his opening opponent.

The 31-year-old faced Donaire himself back in April and hopes that a return visit to Belfast is on the cards for ‘The Filipino Flash’.

Frampton noted how “the quarter-finals are looking food, with the pick of hem Burnett facing my former opponent Nonito Donaire, and it would certainly make sense to bring that to Belfast.”

Frampton, who fulfilled a sort of ‘bigger brother’ role for Burnett when the pair both trained at the Holy Family gym around the turn of the decade, has often noted the comparative lack of clamour around the Youth Olympic gold medalist’s career.

The lack of fights in Belfast – as well as the lack of a Barry McGuigan-like figure pushing him – have been mentioned as reasons but Frampton believes a WBSS win could go some way to making Burnett a major star.

Indeed many suggest a WBSS triumph would see Burnett become the greatest ever from Ireland in the modern age.

“If he was to win this after some really hard fights it would be massive,” said Frampton.

“He would gain so much respect and the public would really sit up and take notice of him like never before.”