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Team Selby respond to Carl Frampton’s time waster accusation

Team Selby have denied that they gave a false impression that their man would be able fight Carl Frampton this Summer in Windsor Park.

The Jackal will make his Belfast homecoming on July 29th, with an opponent and ticket details to be confirmed at a press conference next week.

The Tiger’s Bay feather had hoped for a rubber match with WBA champion Leo Santa Cruz. This would fall through and primary attention would turn toward IBF champ Lee Selby.

The Welshman had been due to face his mandatory, Argentinian Jonathan Victor Barros, on the Frampton-Santa Cruz II undercard in January in Las Vegas, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission would pull the South American on the day of the weigh-in following a failed medical.

Barros remains mandatory with the IBF, but talks between Team Frampton and Team Selby would continue, and the fight at one stage looked to be the front runner.

However, the proposed match-up looked to have fallen apart, with Selby’s manager Jamie Sanigar noting a frustrating lack of response from Frampton’s management with regards making the fight, before the Belfast boxer criticised the Selby camp for wasting his time. Frampton would cite talks with the IBF who confirmed to him that Selby, under no circumstances, could bypass his mandatory.

Sanigar respectfully disagrees with this assertion from Frampton, and has given the impression that the fight was indeed a possibility, but is off the table now in the short term.

Responding to Frampton’s claims, the Bristolian manager told Irish-Boxing.com that “all I’ll say on the matter is, that as far as I’m aware, to this day, both are advised by Al Haymon.”

“There’s no secrets, there’s no lack of communications if needed.”

“We had those talks, as far as I’m concerned they’re private, between us and the McGuigans. We explained the situation clearly, but I’ve had no contact with them in the past couple of weeks since we did a show together in Cardiff [on May 26th] and that’s really where we’re at.”

“There’ll be an announcement on Lee Selby’s next fight in the next few days and I can confirm it will not be Carl Frampton.”

LISTEN: Gavan Casey and Joe O’Neill speak to Luke Keeler and Paddy Barnes on Episode 6 of The Irish Boxing Show:

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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