McGuigan: You ‘aint seen nothing yet
By Jonny Stapleton
He re-afirmed his hot prospect credentials with a clinical and assured performance that made the sizeable Odyssey crowd take note.
Indeed future world champion talk was rife once more after The Jackal devoured Ozzie Mark Quon within four rounds of their Commonwealth title fight in Belfast earlier this month.
However, mentor and manager Barry McGuigan claims we have only had a preview of the capabilities of the fighter he bills as the ‘best prospect to come out of Ireland in 30 years’.
The former world champion, who has tried to reign in the Frampton praise giving of late, couldn’t help but wax lyrical about the talented 24 year old after he collected his second pro title.
McGuigan was eager point out his judgement and world title predictions come from watching the Belfast Boy in the gym, knowing him as a man and not just from consuming Frampton’s first 11 fights.
And the respected boxing pundit is predicting the special talent will provide the Irish boxing public with a multitude of special nights and boxing memories over the coming years.
“Carl Frampton is really talented and I am telling you haven’t seen what this kid can do yet. He can really fight and he has the ability to do special things. He is not the finished article but he can mutate and get better. I really believe he can beat any of the top guys out there,” McGuigan said. “I see things and I get excited and people suggest I am talking via my backside. I say he is the best Irish boxer I have seen in 30 years. Maybe I should quantify that by saying he is the best kid I have seen in this weight division. He does have improvements to make as he moves up the rankings, but he will make those.”
Quon certainly doesn’t represent the level of opponent Frampton will need to beat to get to the top and the Belfast Boy would have been expected to register victory over the last minute replacement.
However it was the Tiger Bay natives performance in pre fight sparring that excited former World champion McGuigan.
“Carl hit Quon he felt the power and his hands came up, so Carl was trying to pick shots. Carl is extremely heavy handed. He sparred Gary Buckland, who knocked out British super featherweight champion Gary Sykes, he was in with European lightweight champion Gavin Rees and done very well. He is getting great experience and everyone is impressed with him. Scott Quigg was ring side he is interested in fighting us. We are very happy to fight any of these guys. We offered the fight to Munroe and he wouldn
’t take it.
We are just looking forward to the next one now. We believe it’s a new wave of interest in Irish boxing in Belfast. We have kids coming through. It is all happening and getting better and we want to be at the head of all this.”
I would like to get him out again soon, sometime before Christmas.
