Not taking it handy – Frampton plays down injury concerns
Carl Frampton has revealed he was prepared to fight on February 27 if necessary.
The Belfast fighter suggests he didn’t pull out of his potentially historic but now regularly postponed clash with Jamel Herring, rather he asked for a postponement.
‘The Jackal’ had his wish granted by the American and will now challenge ‘Semper Fi’ for his WBO super featherweight world title in Dubai come April 3 rather than London next weekend.
The former two-weight world champ, who will become Ireland’s first-ever three-division titlist if he secures victory in a fight that has been on the cards since November 2019, asked for the delay due to a hand injury, which considering the hand issues he had later in his career, concerned his loyal following.
However, the fighter revealed the injury was of the niggle variety and is adamant he would have fought on the February date if a delay wasn’t granted.
“It’s okay, to be honest,” Frampton told Belfast Live.
“It wasn’t even that bad of an injury. I would have fought on February 27 with the injury.
“I asked for the postponement, thinking that it wouldn’t happen, but the postponement was granted and it just gave me time to let the hand heal and recover. I am already back sparring, and I have been sparring hard. I am punching hard and hitting the heavy bags and stuff, so it just needed a little bit of rest and there is no issue with the hand now.”
It is not the first time Frampton has had hand issues he broke a bone his hand after an ornament fell on his left hand just days out from a scheduled fight with Emmanuel Dominguez in Philadelphia back in August 2019. He also suffered hand injury when fighting Tyler McCreary in December of that year and had surgery post the win.
He assures the recent problem is unrelated to that surgery and those hand issues.
“It is unrelated to the surgery. There were some people who thought it was connected,” Frampton added.
“It was a little bit of swelling. It’s what happens when you hit people on the forehead sometimes. So that’s all it was.
“I have everything crossed that the fight comes off and I am confident it will.”
With the champion having the size advantage and the recent hand concerns there are some who are suggesting Herring should be backed to win in Dubai.
However the Frampton vs Herring odds are unanimously in favor of the Irishman, various betting sites reviewed here differ slightly on just how big a favorite he should be.
Frampton is as short as 5/8 and as long as 4/5, while Herring ranges from 5/4 to 1/1. In other words, some books make it a virtual pick’em, while others have it closer to a 60%/40% proposition.
