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The all-Irish fight Carl Frampton wants to see in 2018


While he may be a world-level star, Carl Frampton [24(14)-1(0)] still keeps a keen eye on the Irish scene.

The Belfast featherweight knows who’s who, and is a regular attendee at fight cards.

Last Friday was no different, and ‘The Jackal’ was ringside for a small hall show in Belfast, taking in the Ginley Promotions card at The Devenish Complex in West Belfast.

While he was primarily there to catch friend and stablemate Conrad Cummings, Frampton was in his seat early to take in a number of prospects.

One fighter who caught Frampton’s eye was St James’s super middleweight Pádraig McCrory [2(1)-0], who stopped Michael Mora in the second round.

padraig mccrory

Writing in his weekly column for the Sunday Life, the two-weight world champion described how “Pádraig McCrory boxed very well in his second pro bout and hopefully he’ll be a lot more active in 2018.”

In addition to this, the card also got Frampton thinking about a potential Irish title clash down the line, and he outlined how “Steve Collins Jnr also fought at the Devenish and a fight between him and big Stevie Ward for the Irish light-heavyweight title would be good to see.”

Frampton is currently stablemates with Ward, with both training under Jamie Moore at the VIP Gym in Astley outside Manchester. Ward is based here temporarily alongside Rocky Fielding and Martin Murray while their trainer Oliver Harrison recovers from ill-health.

sward

To be eligible for the Irish title, Ward [6(2)-0] would need to take out a licence with the Boxing Union of Ireland and fight in an eight round contest. ‘The Quiet Man’ was last in action on the ‘Frampton Reborn’ bill at the SSE Odyssey Arena last month where he outpointed Przemyslaw Binienda over six.

Collins [12(4)-1(0)-1] is currently rebuilding after losing in a vacant Irish title fight with Paddy McDonagh during the Summer. ‘The Wolfhound’ has since linked up with management outfit MTK Global, who also look after the career of Ward, and new trainer Steven O’Rourke, and has scored two successive points wins.

mcdonagh lean

Mullingar southpaw McDonagh [11(0)-2(0)] remains Irish champion, and looks likely to defend the belt against Bristol-Galway puncher David Bailey [7(1)-0] in the new year.

Photo Credit: Ricardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)

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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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