Carl Frampton wasn’t always a boxing superstar.

In fact, back when he was just a fledgling pro, ‘The Jackal’ could be found chatting with other boxing fans on internet forums.

EastsideBoxing (now known as BoxingNews24) was the Belfast man’s forum of choice and he was a regular contributor to the legendary ‘Irish Boxing’ thread – the largest and longest running thread on the site.

Frampton, or carlos_jackal as he was known back them, regularly updated Irish fight fans through this medium, giving a first-hand glimpse into the professional boxing from the viewpoint of an up-and-coming star.

The future IBF super bantamweight champion proved himself to be down-to-earth and showed a cutting sense of humour throughout his time on the forum between 2009 and 2011. Indeed the Tiger’s Bay boxer was lovingly christened ‘T-Rex’ by other posters due to his short arms, and ‘Brick Fists’ for the explosive KO power these arms possessed.

His time on the forum instantly marked Frampton out as a fan-favourite among hardcore Irish boxing followers who jokingly labelled themselves as ‘The Brick Fist Mafia.’

The determination and ambition of Frampton always shone through, and the Jackal was always open about his willingness to fight fellow Irish super bantamweights Willie Casey and Paulie Hyland – as well as the man he faces this weekend at the Manchester Arena, Scott Quigg. Indeed, showing how long the Quigg fight has been brewing for, Frampton was promising victory against the Bury boxer almost five years ago.

Now in just a few days time, and on a bigger stage than anyone could have imagined back then, we will find out if Frampton’s promise will come true.