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Barry McGuigan: Frampton showed courage and skill

< Carl Frampton successfully defended his IBF super bantamweight title at the weekend with a comprehensive victory over Alejandro González Jr. in El Paso, Texas. Despite the win, the Belfast man's performance was not up to his usual extremely high standards and Frampton was not entirely satisfied with his display. After the bout, manager and promoter Barry McGuigan spoke to the Belfast Telegraph and gave an honest appraisal of 'The Jackal's' American debut. Referencing the first round where Frampton was knocked down for the first time, and then the second time, in his career, McGuigan admitted “it was disappointing first because he was knocked down. He’s never been knocked down before, he’s got a great chin and yet he was hurt in the first round. The first one was really not a knock-down but the second one however was.”

Continuing, McGuigan described the changes Frampton had to make after the disastrous first round, explaining that “he got hurt in the first couple of rounds, he was in a haze for probably two or three rounds and he got up and he had to change his tactics.”

Listing where the 28 year old wasn’t at his usual best, McGuigan noted that “he wasn’t up on his toes, he didn’t have that rhythm. He was countered a lot, he just seemed slower.”

McGuigan, however, still saw the positives of a gutsy performance that will have impressed American viewers, reasoning that “at the end of the day, it’s not a good day at the office but he got up off his backside and he showed his courage and ultimately his skill. He’s still unbeaten and we move on. There are a lot of big fights out there for Carl.”

The below-par performance of Frampton has partly been attributed to trouble making the 122lb super bantamweight limit. McGuigan elaborated that “he was too heavy too late. The day before, he shouldn’t have been as heavy as he was. We then had to dry him out and that’s not good. It saps your energy, especially out here in the heat.”

This problem was unfamiliar for Team Frampton, with McGuigan explaining that “he hasn’t had that kind of trouble before. He’s big for that weight. It seemed like a bigger struggle this time than ever before,” before hinting that “maybe he’s grown out of the weight, he’s 28 years old so that could be a natural move to featherweight.”

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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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